Chapter 85: Slapped Me
Louis' POV
Lennox gently laid Anita down on her bed, and I stepped in to tuck the blanket around her. She sighed, her eyes fluttering shut, her breathing uneven and shallow. I reached out to touch her forehead—and cursed under my breath.
She was burning up.ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
"We should call the healer," I told my brothers.
"No… don't… I'm fine… it's normal for me to feel this way," Anita said weakly, her eyes still closed.
I exchanged a silent look with my brothers. None of us said a word. We just stood there, watching her.
"It's my turn to look after her… you two need to go out there and find out who that bastard is," Lennox said through gritted teeth.
"I'll question the men who were on duty," Levi offered.
Lennox nodded. "Good. And we need to set a trap. If he comes back, we take him down—"
"Can you three just stop it already?" Anita's voice sliced through the air, stronger than it had been just moments ago.
We froze.
"I'm lying here, burning alive, and all you care about is Olivia and who her mysterious lover might be?"
Anita's sudden outburst caught us all off guard. Her eyes had snapped open, fiery despite the dark circles beneath them, her voice no longer weak and breathy but laced with fury and frustration. Lennox immediately stepped back from the bed, his jaw clenching. Levi blinked in surprise, and I… I just stared at her.
"I'm right here, burning up, feeling like my insides are being set on fire, and you three are busy planning ambushes and interrogations over Olivia's drama?" she hissed, pushing the blanket off her like it was suffocating her.
"Anita—" Lennox began, his tone defensive.
"No! Don't 'Anita' me." She sat up, swaying slightly, but the stubborn fire in her eyes didn't waver. "You all barged in here like you cared, but clearly, I'm just an afterthought. I could drop dead, and you'd be halfway through hunting down Olivia's imaginary lover before someone remembered to bury me!"
Levi shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not like that…"
"It's exactly like that," she snapped. "Ever since you three found out she is your mate, it's always been Olivia this, Olivia that. Meanwhile, I'm here—I'm still here—hurting, burning, breaking… and no one sees it."
Silence settled thick in the room. Lennox looked like he wanted to argue, but even he knew she had a point. Ever since Olivia became our mate, everything has been about her like it was before. But Anita can't blame us… we once loved that girl with everything in us.
I stepped closer, lowering myself to the edge of her bed. "You're right," I said quietly. "And I'm sorry."
Anita frowned and looked away. "You three can leave. I can take care of myself—" Anita began, but I cut her off gently.
"No. Let us take care of you for once."
Anita blinked rapidly, and I could see the tears building in her eyes despite her best effort to fight them.
"I wonder what is so special about her," she murmured as she lay back on the bed and pulled the blanket over herself.
She was wrong.
She couldn't see it—but Olivia was special in more ways than she'd ever know.
She used to bake us those terrible, burnt cookies when we trained late into the night. We'd eat them anyway, pretending they were delicious—just to see her smile.
The night I had my first severe allergic reaction, she stayed by my side, crying, praying in that tiny, broken voice of hers. I heard her, even when I was unconscious. She begged the illness to leave me and come to her instead.
She made us laugh. God, she made us laugh—back when laughing was easy.
She's kind. Thoughtful in quiet ways. The type to remember someone's favorite meal, the way they take their tea, or the song they hum when they're nervous or happy.
She never asked for attention. She just… gave love without needing anything in return.
She was warmth. She was home.
Even after everything—after the years, the distance, the hate—just hearing her name brought something alive in me.
Anita couldn't see it.
But the truth is…
I never really stopped loving Olivia.
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