Fated To Three Betrayed By All Until She Rose (Leilani) by Ahvahh novel Chapter 103

**Healing Slowly But Surely By R. Joseph**

**103 Ruined Appetite.**

**Leilani.**

1

For a brief moment, silence enveloped the room. It was as if time had momentarily frozen, allowing the weight of Gavin’s words to hang heavily in the air. No one dared to break the stillness, caught in the shock of what had just transpired.

Everyone, that is, except for me. I had already seen through Gavin’s facade; his intentions were painfully transparent. He was merely trying to win favor with Chalice, his mate, and frankly, I couldn’t care less about his motives.

Chalice’s expression shifted dramatically when she processed Gavin’s statement. Initially, her features fell, a look of disbelief washing over her. But then, as if a switch had been flipped, her face hardened into a glare that darted between Gavin, Maya, and me, as if we were the architects of her current plight.

“But it’s not my fault!” she exclaimed, her voice tinged with desperation. “I just wanted to say hello, and they were being unnecessarily rude!”

Maya, quick to defend herself, shot back, “We weren’t rude at all! If anyone was being rude, it was you!” But as soon as Caelum turned his fierce gaze upon her, she lowered her head, the fight in her visibly deflating.

Chalice, undeterred, retorted, “I wasn’t the one who came at you so hot for simply saying hi, was I?” When Maya remained silent—clearly aware of the futility of arguing—Chalice’s frustration boiled over. “Why do you both hate me so much?”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at that familiar refrain. Maya scoffed softly, muttering under her breath about Chalice’s talent for feigning victimhood. When she thought no one was listening, she leaned closer to me, her expression a mix of annoyance and amusement. “You two look so much alike, but you’re definitely the prettier one. Why can’t you pretend to be as pitiful as she does? With those eyes of yours, you might just pull it off better than she does.”

A soft laugh escaped me, but Gavin, standing perilously close, caught her words. His brows knitted together in irritation as he turned to us, and I braced myself for the inevitable explosion. I fully expected him to unleash his anger on me for allowing a mere stranger to insult his beloved sister.

But to my surprise, he did nothing of the sort. How could he, when the ‘stranger’ was someone he had been eyeing with such intensity? The very same person who had inspired this grand display of heroism.

To my utter astonishment, he directed his ire toward Chalice instead. “I witnessed the entire exchange from a few seats away,” he hissed, his voice low but seething with intensity. “I saw you approach them. I saw how spoiled you acted. And while I will always support you, I cannot stand by and watch you behave uncultured. Apologize.”

Chalice’s eyes widened in disbelief, her frown deepening. “Gavin, I didn’t—”

“There are witnesses who saw how you provoked them into responding harshly. Would you like us to call them?” he snapped, cutting her off. The color drained from her face, turning it an alarming shade of pink.

“No,” she replied quickly, her voice barely above a whisper. In a bid to maintain her ‘innocent facade,’ she lowered her gaze and murmured, “I’m sorry for approaching you.”

Maya nodded in agreement, but I could see the stubborn set of her chin signaling that this confrontation was far from over. “I’m sorry too for the way I spoke to you,” she began, but before she could finish, Caelum erupted.

“Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?!” he shouted, his voice booming and drawing everyone’s attention. His furious gaze was locked onto Gavin. “You’re making your sister apologize for simply being friendly?!”

“Caelum!” Zevran growled, attempting to rein in his brother, but Caelum was too far gone, his emotions boiling over. He defensively wrapped an arm around Chalice’s shoulders, glaring at me as if I were the source of all his frustrations.

His offer sent shockwaves through the group, and I found myself momentarily speechless, my mouth agape but no words emerging. I turned to Maya, only to find her looking at me with wide, hopeful eyes.

She wanted to say yes. I could feel the eagerness radiating from her, the slight tremor in her body, and the faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. She longed to accept his invitation, to engage with him, to explore the undeniable connection that was pulling them together.

And I understood her feelings all too well; I had once been caught in the same web of emotions with these infuriating triplets.

Yet, despite my happiness for her, a nagging thought persisted in the back of my mind. This was Gavin we were discussing—the infamous Gavin who had turned much of my life into a living nightmare.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I fixed him with a steely glare. “You can get Maya a drink, but I want nothing to do with you. I’m not even thirsty.”

Maya sighed, and Gavin mirrored her expression of disappointment. But before either of them could respond, Zevran and Kael chimed in simultaneously.

“We can get you a drink!” they exclaimed, their enthusiasm causing me to freeze momentarily.

When I finally regained my composure, I rolled my eyes at their eager faces, annoyance bubbling within me. Unable to endure their presence any longer, I turned to Maya and declared that I needed some fresh air. With that, I stormed out of the restaurant, my appetite completely vanished.

Goddess, what a chaotic evening it had turned out to be.