Chapter 292: The Talk
Olivia’s POV
Louis poured the wine while Lennox lit the last candle on the table. As I looked around, taking it all in, my heart swelled to the point of pain.
"I don’t understand," I whispered, my eyes brimming. "How did you even pull this off?"
Levi smiled gently, his gaze never leaving me. "We did all this throughout the day."
"It’s beautiful." I whispered, my voice cracking.
Lennox leaned down, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "You deserve to feel loved, Olivia. Cherished. We wanted to remind you of what we had... and what we can still have."
Levi rested his hand over mine. "You’ve always been our everything. We just forgot how to show it."
A heavy silence fell over us... not tense but comfortable...
Until I spoke... "I missed you. All of you. So much it felt like dying."
Louis squeezed my hand. "We missed you too, little bird."
That name. That damn name.
It cracked something wide open inside me.
It was the name Lennox had given me because he always teased that I was like a bird—fluttering, always circling them. And he wasn’t wrong. Back then, I was always around them.
Tears fell, slow and silent, streaking down my cheeks. I didn’t wipe them away. I let them fall. Because for the first time in what felt like forever... I wasn’t crying alone.
Lennox reached across the table and gently caught one of the tears with his thumb, his touch featherlight. "You’re here now. That’s all that matters."
I nodded and flashed them a weak smile. "Let’s eat. The meal is getting cold."
They nodded and offered to fill my plate, and then we began eating in silence. I knew we had a lot to talk about, but we were waiting until after the meal.
They kept refilling my plate with my favorites, urging me to eat more, drink more.
By the time dessert came—chocolate mousse with strawberry hearts—I felt full in a way food couldn’t explain.
"Alright, please stop," I said with a soft chuckle, pushing the dessert slightly away. "I’m going to explode if I eat one more spoon."
They all smiled, watching me with that same soft admiration. But underneath the warmth, I could feel they were tense.
"I know you guys probably have a lot to say," I murmured, folding my hands on the table. "But let me start."
They paused, all three of them. Attentive. Silent.
"I heard what happened to Anita... and her family."
The air shifted instantly. Like the wind had changed direction.
Lennox’s jaw clenched slightly. Louis looked away. Levi’s fingers tapped against his glass.
between them. "What... exactly did
low and grave. "He found the letters, Olivia. The ones
my eyes.
There was a pause.
answered, his voice a whisper
widened. "Your parents forged
were, they wanted
words in the letters that messed us up," Levi added, looking directly at me. "Anita’s father—he got a
confused.
dark one," Lennox said, his voice hard. "It was meant to twist us. To make us hate
nodded. "So much hate, it would’ve made us
but I wasn’t shocked. If he could set up my father, he was capable
the table, placing his hand over mine.
"I know. We didn’t kill you physically... but we killed
something we’ll never forgive ourselves for,"
could see it plain as day. The regret. The guilt. The pain
the lump in my throat, the weight of everything pressing on my chest. "How long?" I asked softly. "How long have
glances. It was
with the Council," he
clenching. "Then why didn’t you tell
leaning forward slightly, "you wouldn’t have believed us, Olivia.
I thought back to how broken and
you," I whispered, more to myself
again, heavy but
need to tell you something," I said, my voice gaining strength. "Anita... she confessed to me.
to mine, sharp with
her to a witch," I continued. "She was bathed... spiritually. To make
brows
"What?" I asked gently.
his jaw. "The first time we actually touched her... it was confusing. Off. We became friends with her to
a thought, Olivia. Not until just a few weeks before
it started," Lennox said, his voice tight. "That strange... pull. That desire. We thought we were losing our minds.
sick. "It wasn’t love. It wasn’t even
something. Because she was always... there. Always sacrificing. Or so
trying to breathe
I was hurt by them, by their actions, but these men were victims, too. They wouldn’t have hurt me the way they did
This makes sense now...
knew—my boys—they never
might’ve ignored me. Maybe even distanced themselves. That would’ve hurt, but not
piece by piece with their
But
never who they
really liked her. Back then, they barely tolerated her. I always noticed it. The obvious distance, the way they dismissed her opinions, never really talked to
when they started acting obsessed with her—kissing her, claiming her—it was like watching
thinking it
I knew
It wasn’t them.
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