Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose. Chapter 3: My very own boogeyman

Leilani.

By now, I was shaking... trendously. After several years of torture, my first reaction whenever I saw my father was fear.

It was this fear for him that made it difficult to join the family during breakfasts and dinners. My fear made it impossible for to use the library or the training room.

And now, my fear made it impossible for to stand up from this cold hospital floor even as he sneered down at , his eyes thinning into fierce slits as he planted his hands on his waist.

"What did you do to my mother?!" He growled, his voice so loud that it sent shivers running down my spine.

My first instinct was to cower and so I did, but when he kicked hard in my ribs, so hard that the sound of my bones crunching beneath his boot rang through the quiet halls, I cried out, my body shaking violently as tears poured out of my eyes and blood sputtered out of my mouth.

"I didn’t do anything to grandma! Chalice pushed her!" I cried, but as soon as I said those words, the temperature in the air dropped. Everyone froze, well including Chalice whose face imdiately fell.

She cried; "Why would you lie against that way, Leilani?! You know I would never do anything to hurt grandma!"

"Oh, but you did!"

"You pushed her because you were mad at and she stepped in to protect . You said that Caelum, Kael and Zevran were your mates and that I should stay away from them!"

"Chalice, I didn’t—!"

"Admit it Leilani, you were mad that they chose and you wanted to hurt , but you ended up hurting grandma in the process and now she’s dead!"

I was stunned. My eyes widened, my jaws slackening because Chalice had successfully spun the narrative into sothing that fits her. I opened my mouth to speak but for so reason, no words could co out. I didn’t even know what to say.

I had stumbled upon Chalice and grandmother arguing about sothing but I had no idea what it was. Then a boy whom I hadn’t been able to see his face sneaked out of Chalice’s room. However, as soon as grandmother saw him, she went berserk. She yelled and scread at the top of her voice to Chalice who had been smug the entire ti.

I only stepped in when she pushed grandma, but I’d been a little too late.

And now—

*Crack!*

Another slap. Another hit, as usual. Tears stread down my face which now felt as though it had been pressed against a burning furnace.

I didn’t even have enough ti to recover from the first slap before another ca thundering down my other cheek and I cried out, tasting blood in my mouth as I fell to the floor.

"Leilani, you’ll pay for this!" My father growled, "I’ll make sure you go to jail for killing your grandma. But first, I’ll punish you in my own way!"

His threats made a shudder run down my spine, and gods help , I feared for myself. Crying, I stumbled to my feet whilst using my arms to support myself as my knees wobbled too much.

"Father, I really didn’t. I would never! I didn’t do anything to grandma. Believe !"

In desperation, I clung to my father’s clothes but as soon as my fingers grazed his expensive suit, he angrily shoved away with so much force that it sent flying to the ground. Again.

The back of my skull slamd against the wall and I grunted, crying when I felt a warm liquid trickling down the open cut which I now suspected was there.

Now, my vision was blurry. I was cold and from the way tiny stars danced in my line of sight, I feared I was fast losing consciousness. But no one cared. No one bothered about even when I slowly began to paint the floor red with my blood.

Suddenly though, Chalice stepped closer, she stretched out her arm to as if trying to help up but because I’ve known her for as long as I have lived, I instantly knew that this wasn’t a gesture of kindness. I didn’t move. Couldn’t.

"Leilani, I know you hate ," she started with one of her usual pathetic lines— the usual sugary ones she always managed to use to turn everyone against . "I know that you wanted to kill earlier but I don’t care. All I care about is the fact that you’re still my sister, my twin... and you always will be. You cannot be mad at forever... so co let’s have that injury checked."

But still I didn’t move. And frankly, it was because I was too weak to.

"You see!" Gavin snarled, "this bitch does not deserve your kindness, Chalice! I always tell you not to bother with her!" He seethed, pulling Chalice to himself as if I was so kind of disease that he was protecting her from, then like I was nothing but an insect under his feet, he kicked again. Hard this ti, that my already bleeding skull ramd into the wall.

"Die!" He grunted. "Maybe that way we’ll finally be rid of you and your disgusting theatrics!"

My head throbbed painfully, and I leaned against the wall groaning. With every ounce of strength left in , I gritted out; "I didn’t push grandma. Chalice did."

But as soon as the word left my mouth, Caelum stepped over, he crouched before until we were both on the sa eye level, and I was imdiately taken aback by the intensity of hatred I found swirling in his deep grey eyes.

Grabbing my face in his hands; he seethed; "What did you say?"

"I said I didn’t hurt grandma." I spat, "Chalice did. She pushed her from the top of the stairs because grandma had seen her with so boy—"

*Crack*

This ti, it was Gavin who slapped and I couldn’t even react anymore because by this ti, my body had already gone numb. I simply smiled. "I knew you’d never believe ."

"And I knew you were always so jealous and hateful you’d say anything just to get Chalice into trouble! But sha on you!"

"Sha on you too for being so blind. It’s a sha you’d be the next beta after father!" I seethed, then turning to Caelum whose hand was still wrapped around my face in a painful grip, I spat; "let go of !"

"Caelum, mom... dad, I feel dizzy! I don’t understand. My head aches...." Chalice’s voice suddenly lanced through the tension in the air, and just like that, everything shifted. Everyone turned to her, their expressions shifting from enraged to concerned in a second.

No one cared that I was the one bleeding. No one cared that I was the one slipping out of consciousness. They were all focused on Chalice who was probably faking this the sa way she’s always faked every one of her illnesses in the past.

I watched them fuss over her, and I watched Kael pull her into his arms. They all hurdled together while they walked down the corridor, leaving behind to die.

To rot.

However, I didn’t miss the way Chalice smiled at when no one was looking, and I certainly didn’t miss the middle finger that she discreetly held out to as they walked off.

And maybe one day, they will all see her for the monster that she really is. But that day isn’t today.

Hell, that day may never even co.

But right there and then, as my blood leaked out of my open cut, I decided that this family wasn’t mine anymore. They’d exiled , and maybe... just maybe... it was ti I returned the favor.