Fated To Not Just One, But Three

Chapter 237: Pretend It Was She

Lennox’s POV

I stared at this strange lady standing in front of me, with tears in her eyes. She looked nothing like Olivia, but in this moment, she felt like her. Or maybe she was just giving me a chance to pretend, pretend I could say the words I should have said when it mattered.

My throat tightened as I looked away, blinking hard. The wind rustled the roses behind us, carrying her soft scent mixed with the morning air.

"You want me to say it?" I asked quietly, my voice almost cracking. She didn’t flinch. She just nodded, waiting, patient, like Olivia always was.

I dragged a shaky breath into my lungs. "Okay."

I forced myself to meet her eyes again, and the words just poured out of me like I’d been holding them in for a lifetime.

"I’m sorry, Olivia," I started, my voice hoarse. "I’m so damn sorry for everything. For every moment I made you feel alone when you were surrounded by people who should have loved you more than life itself."

She didn’t move. She just watched me with eyes that seemed to see right through me.

"I’m sorry for every night you went to bed crying because I was too stubborn to say I was wrong. I’m sorry for every cruel thing I said—every time I turned my back on you when you needed me the most."

My chest burned. I didn’t care if my voice broke anymore. I didn’t care if I was acting vulnerable before a lady I just met barely twenty-four hours ago.

"I wish I could take it all back. I wish I could go back to that little girl crying over a bird and swear to the Moon Goddess that I’d protect you, even if it was from myself. But I didn’t. I let this world eat you alive. I let my pride ruin you. And now I’m here, talking to a stranger in a garden, pretending it’s you—because my heart refuses to let you go."

She blinked, more tears gathering in her eyes, and I stepped forward, my legs trembling.

said, my voice shaking but certain. "We’re doing this funeral, we’re dressing you up in lies and goodbyes, but my heart—my heart hasn’t accepted it. It won’t. It

hard, and I saw her

believe it," I whispered again, more

was crying again. Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she quickly looked away like she didn’t want me

think. I stepped closer until I could feel the warmth of her body in the morning air. Slowly, I lifted my hand and brushed my thumb under her eye, wiping away the tears. Her breath

it then—that pull. That same magnetic pull I always felt with Olivia, the one that made me want to lean in and steal a kiss I

before I could, I heard footsteps behind me. Heavy, fast,

Louis standing there. His eyes darted from me

tears. "Sorry I cried...

but before I could say anything, she excused herself and turned away. I stood there and watched her hurry off until

gaze. "You were about to kiss her," he said,

tell him that in that moment I didn’t see her as Damien’s wife... I strangely saw Olivia standing

sigh and shook my head. "My

didn’t look angry or surprised; rather, he just said, "The first ceremony is about to begin...

I wanted to

But I didn’t.

I quietly turned and made my way back to my room. My

against it for a moment, eyes closed, chest rising and falling like I’d just finished a run.

out a pair of white pants and a clean white long-sleeved shirt—the color of mourning in our

bury

to the top drawer of my dresser. Inside was a small

was laughing, holding up a daisy chain she’d made. I stood beside her with an awkward half-smile, one arm resting