Fated To Not Just One But Three novel Chapter 682

Chapter 682: Caught

​Olivia’s POV

​The Next Morning

​I was in the kitchen fixing a snack for my growing belly when I heard the slow, rhythmic thump-drag of Levi’s footsteps. He was still refusing the wheelchair, determined to walk even if it killed him.

​He made it to the sunroom and sank into a chair, looking utterly exhausted. A moment later, I saw Lyra and Lana walk in. They were stiff, their little hands clenched at their sides. Levi looked up, his sea-blue eyes instantly filling with a guarded hope.

​"Good... good morning, girls," Levi rasped, his voice hesitant.

​Lyra took a deep breath, looking like she was about to swallow a lemon. She walked over and stood two feet away from him.

​"Good morning... Father Levi," she said, the words forced but clear. "Did you... did you sleep okay?"

​Levi froze. I froze in the kitchen, a strawberry halfway to my mouth. Levi’s entire face transformed. The crushing weight of sadness that had been there since he woke up seemed to lift for a split second. A genuine, shaky smile touched his dry lips.

​"I did, Lyra," he breathed, his voice trembling. "Thank you for asking. I... I slept very well."

​Lana stepped forward then, holding out a crumpled dandelion she must have picked from the lawn. She didn’t look him in the eye, but she thrust it toward him. "This is for you. For your room."

​Levi took the weed as if it were made of solid gold. He clutched it to his chest, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "It’s beautiful, Lana. Thank you."

​The girls didn’t stay. They turned and bolted toward the backyard, likely looking for Louis to claim their reward. Levi sat there in the sunroom, staring at the dandelion in his hand, a soft, broken sob escaping his throat.

​I walked into the room and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I told you they’d come around."

​Levi looked up at me, his eyes bright. "It’s a start, Olivia. It’s finally a start."

​The "progress" continued for the next few days, but it felt... mechanical. The girls would walk in, recite a polite sentence, hand Levi a rock or a leaf, and then dart out of the room like their hair was on fire. Levi didn’t seem to notice the stiffness; he was just drowning in the joy of finally being acknowledged.

​Until Tuesday Afternoon

​I was heading toward the sunroom with a tray of tea when I saw Levi standing near the glass doors, hidden by the heavy velvet curtains. He was watching the garden, a soft smile on his face as he looked for the girls.

​Outside, on the patio, Louis was sitting on the stone wall. Lyra and Lana were standing in front of him, jumping up and down with impatience.

​"We did it, Daddy Louis!" Lyra’s voice carried clearly through the cracked door. "I asked him about his breakfast, and Lana gave him a shiny stone from the driveway."

​"And he smiled at us," Lana added, tugging on Louis’s sleeve. "Can we get new toys now? You also promised an hour with the big boys!"

​Louis chuckled, ruffling their hair. "A deal is a deal. You were good to him, so you get your reward. And I’ve got the double-fudge ice cream waiting in the freezer for when we get back."

​"They didn’t hurt me. They just confirmed what I already knew." He let the dandelion fall to the floor. "I can’t buy their love, Olivia. And I won’t let my brothers buy it for me." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

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