Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose novel Chapter 77

**Healing Slowly But Surely**
By R. Joseph

All of this is on me.

Kael.

1

“Ms. Blackthorne is out of danger now that whoever it is that donated so much blood to her has done so,” Dr. Sebastian drawled, leaning away from Chalice with an air of relief as he bowed slightly in our direction. “Thank goodness you moved as quickly as you did. It could have been a very different situation altogether.” He added with a light chuckle. Caelum smiled, but I felt a heavy weight in my chest, a stark contrast to the doctor’s light-hearted tone.

Restlessness coursed through me, an unsettling feeling that clung to my skin like dirt, a stain I couldn’t wash away. I felt as if I had committed a grave sin before the moon goddess and all the people who inhabited this world.

My heart raced, pounding against my ribcage as I forced a polite smile at Dr. Sebastian before turning to Caelum. “We need to talk,” I said, my voice steady but laced with urgency.

Caelum turned his gaze toward me, and I could see the reluctance flicker in his eyes. He knew better than to resist me, especially when my mood was so charged.

“Alright, come with me, brother,” he replied, his smile fading as he moved toward the door. “We don’t want to disturb Chalice with our scribbles.”

I followed him in silence, my mind racing with thoughts I couldn’t quite articulate. As we stepped out of the ward, Caelum paused, but I didn’t stop. I kept walking, urging him to follow me as I led him to the rooftop. It wasn’t until we reached the top that I finally turned to face him.

“Chalice is out of danger,” I said slowly, my voice feeling tight and strained. “But that means Leilani isn’t.”

Caelum rolled his eyes, but surprisingly, he didn’t seem shocked that this was the reason for my summons. It was as if he had been expecting it all along. He shrugged dismissively. “I know that.”

“And we left her there.”

His expression shifted, anger flaring within him. He threw his arms up in frustration, his nostrils flaring as he exclaimed, “She asked for it when she struck me!”

“And didn’t we ask for it when we took her against her will?” I countered, watching as surprise washed over his face. I raised my hands in a gesture of feigned surrender. “Now, I’m not judging you. I can’t even do that when I’m equally guilty. You and I both know how much I despise Leilani, but what we did back there… leaving her after draining so much blood from her isn’t just insane. It’s downright evil.”

“Kael—”

“And if our justification is that we did it because she’s not a kind person, then we’re no better than she is. If anything, we’re worse.”

“We’re not worse!” Caelum snarled, his voice rising. “Have you, like Zevran, suddenly forgotten what she did to us in the past? Have you forgotten how she nearly ruined our lives? How everything fell apart because of one stupid lie?”

“I haven’t forgotten,” I replied gravely, my tone heavy with the weight of our shared history. “She hurt us, yes, but she never killed us. And that stunt we pulled… it could very well kill her for real.”

I could see the moment my words settled into his mind, a shift in the atmosphere as realization dawned on him. Despite our claims of hatred for Leilani, there had been a time when my brothers and I had made a bet on who would end up marrying her. We had liked her that much, squealing with excitement whenever she glanced our way.

But she had always been too quiet.

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