Fated To Not Just One, But Three

Chapter 332: If It Was Lennox Olivia's POV I looked away, then forced myself to look back. My mind was restless... I wanted to interfere, but I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. "She deserves this," I muttered under my breath.

The next strike clower, across the curve of Anita's hip. She bit down on her lip, refusing to cry out, but the tremor in her arms made her whole body shake. The stone below her was wet with tears, and maybe more. My own vision blurred for a second. I blinked hard.

Lolita touched my arm, tentatively. "Olivia, please. Let's just go back inside." I shook her off. "No. I want to watch." From somewhere behind me, a familiar voice called my name. It was loud and commanding, pulling the attention of everyone in the courtyard.

Calvin.

"Olivia," he called again, and I felt the eyes of the guards stationed toward us, curiosity sharpening their faces. Calvin strode forward, all broad shoulders and rigid posture, the kind of presence that made you want to stand up straighter even if you hated him. He stopped just short of the whipping post, close enough that I could see the muscle ticking in his jaw.

"She's had enough. Tomorrow she begins the new punishment," he declared, lifting a hand.

The guard obeyed at once, setting down the whip and untying Anita's wrists. She collapsed to the ground, catching herself with shaking hands. Her back was a canvas of blood and raw welts.

No one moved. Not the guards. Not the servants watching with wide, hushed eyes. Not even me. I stood rooted, fighting the urge to rush to her side. Once, she had been my best friend.

Calvin's gaze pinned me. "You want to say something?" he asked, voice low enough that only I could hear.

I didn't. I didn't want to say anything. But the words tumbled out anyway: "You should have askedbefore punishing her. You know that, right?" Calvin's expression didn't change. "She's my prisoner, not yours." I frowned, and my eyes dragged back to Anita. I noticed the way she hunched over, clutching her arms around herself, blood trickling down her spine. The old anger inflickered, sputtered, then died under the weight of pity.

My feet moved before my brain could catch up. I stood beside Anita, careful not to touch her wounds. She was breathing hard, tears and snot smeared across her cheeks, but she didn't look away.

Her lips twisted into something that was almost a smile. "Death is better than this, Olivia... tell him to just kill me." My heart sank. I remembered the day Anita lied and I was punished, the cold satisfaction in her eyes when the guards ledaway. I remembered the wedding night, how she fucked the triplets without listening to my cry of pain. I remembered the way she'd hurtin different ways.

And now she was reduced to this.

I lifted my eyes toward the pack house, to the rows of windows where staff watched in silence. Did any of them pity her? Or did they see only justice being done? And what did they see when they looked at me—a monster who stood by while her former best friend was flogged without mercy? Without saying a word, I watched the guards drag a blood-dripping, naked Anita away, and all I could do was harden my heart and watch her being taken away.

I turned to Calvin, my frown deepening. "You didn't have to humiliate her like that," I said, my voice tighter than I meant.

Calvin finally raised his eyes. Calm, steady, unreadable. "Punishment is supposed to humiliate, Olivia." I stepped closer, heat rising in my chest. "You should have asked me. Anita was-" My throat closed for a second. "She was mine to deal with." His jaw flexed, but his voice stayed calm. "And you? What would you have done? Cried for her? Freed her? Given her mercy she doesn't deserve?" The words stung because part ofdidn't know the answer. I swallowed hard, forcing my fists to unclench. "You should have given her another punishment... not this public lashing." Calvin folded his arms, studyinglike he was strippingbare. "This is just the beginning of her punishment." My breath caught and my frown deepened. "Leave Anita's punishment to me. I'll—" His voice cut in, low and final. "You'll do what, Olivia?" My frown deepened as I didn't know what to say.

Calvin spoke. "By the tI'm done with her, she will wish to die, but death will never come." He didn't wait to hear my argument before turning around and walking away.

I frowned and walked back inside. Arriving in my room, I sat on the bed... my head was spinning from all that was happening... so many things were going on in my life all at once. There was my sour relationship with my mother, Lord Frederick's claim over me, and now the rift between the triplets. Everything was just like a heavy weight pressing down on me, making it suffocating to even breathe properly.

Suddenly, I got a mind link.

"Olivia..." it was Levi.

I sighed, dragging in a shaky breath. "Have you settled things with Lennox?" Levi sighed over the mind link. "Not really." Even through the mind link, his voice was tight, defensive. "He locked himself in his office and toldnot to follow. I think he's still mad."

I closed my eyes and pressed the heel of my palm to my forehead. Lennox's version of sulking was legendary: he'd brood for hours on days, refusing to talk to anyone, generally making everyone around him miserable until he decided he'd suffered enough. I didn't have the emotional bandwidth for it right now. Levi must have sensed it because he added, "I'm sorry. I acted out of line and said stupid things," he apologized. I sighed but said nothing.

"Can you forgive me? Let things go back to normal?" I wanted to say yes, wanted to lie so Levi would leavealone, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, I just let myself fall backward onto the cold, clean duvet and stared at the ceiling.

"I'm tired, Levi," I whispered.

A suffocating silence hung through the link. Then Levi scoffed.

"If it was Lennox saying this," his voice hardened, "you'd have already forgiven him. Don't even deny it, Olivia." My eyes snapped open, anger flaring hot in my chest. "What are you trying to say, Levi?" "You know exactly what I'm saying," he shot back. "I could move the whole damn world for you-tear it apart with my bare hands-and it still wouldn't matter. Because in the end, you'll only look at him. You'll only see Lennox."

His words hurt, but I refused to let him see it. I sat up, my nails digging into my palms. "Don't twist this into scompetition between you and your brothers. Everything is not about you-or about them. I'm going through hell on my own, Levi. Do you even understand that? Or do you only see yourself?" The silence on his end burned, but I didn't stop. "In fact, doa favor and just fuck off." And before he could say anything more, I severed the connection. Slammed the link shut so hard it echoed in my skull. Blocked him out completely.

I fell back onto the bed, dragging the sheets over me, and closed my eyes.

If only shutting out the out the rest of the world could be that easy. But I was wrong, because a knock con my door and the door pushed open, revealing my mother... Great... just what I needed.