Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose novel Chapter 127

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

**127 Misunderstandings.**

**Kael.**

“How could you be so reckless!” Zevran’s voice boomed from behind me, his tone laced with fury as he directed his anger at Caelum. I felt the heat of frustration coursing through me, too consumed by my own emotions to even glance back at the two of them.

Especially not at Caelum.

The fool who had just made our lives infinitely more complicated by getting Chalice pregnant.

Rage simmered within me as I tightened my grip on the wine glass in my hand, not fully aware of the pressure I was applying until…

*Crash!*

The glass shattered, shards embedding themselves into my skin, drawing blood. Yet, oddly enough, I felt no pain. Instead, I was enveloped in a wave of despair.

Absolute, gut-wrenching despair!

How on earth was I supposed to break this news to Leilani? What would her expression be when she learned that we had gotten Chalice pregnant? Especially after I had been making such an effort to win her over.

My eyebrows knitted together as something whizzed past my head, causing me to swivel around just in time to see Caelum and Zevran embroiled in a fierce argument. While Zevran shared my frustration, Caelum seemed unfazed, believing that our original plan to marry Chalice somehow justified everything.

I growled, my voice low and dangerous, “What do you mean by that?!”

“Didn’t we all agree to marry her? We even set a date! Why are you acting like I’ve committed some unforgivable sin just because she’s pregnant with my child mere weeks before the wedding?” Caelum retorted, his tone incredulous.

With that, I sank back into my chair, closing my eyes as I tried to calm the turmoil within. My chest felt constricted, and I took deep, deliberate breaths, hoping to alleviate the growing unease.

It didn’t help.

If anything, the ache in my chest intensified. I sighed heavily, murmuring, “I don’t know… Caelum…”

“What don’t you know?” Caelum shot back, his voice sharp.

“I don’t know if I want to marry her anymore… I’m not sure I can go through with this wedding,” I confessed, the words escaping me like a long-held breath.

As soon as I voiced my doubts, a strange sense of relief washed over me. I felt lighter, almost liberated.

But the same could not be said for Caelum. He looked as if I had just delivered the most shocking blow imaginable. His expression turned to stone, and his hands, which had been clutching a book, now appeared ghostly pale, veins bulging ominously.

In a fit of rage, he hurled the book at me, his voice dripping with ice as he seethed, “You can’t possibly mean that!”

“I do,” I replied softly, turning my gaze to Zevran, who seemed to be a silent observer in this chaotic moment. It was clear he shared my sentiments; after all, he had never shown any real interest in Chalice from the start.

“God!” Caelum exclaimed, rubbing his face in frustration as he turned away from us. In mere moments, he seemed to age years, the weight of the situation pressing heavily on his shoulders.

Suddenly, he plopped down in the chair beside mine, looking utterly defeated. His voice was rough as he asked, “Is this about Leilani?”

“Oh, hell no! Of course not!” I blurted out, my words tumbling over one another in my haste to deny it. My heart raced, pounding against my ribcage like a wild animal.

Caelum didn’t seem convinced, but he chose not to press further. Instead, he nodded slowly, as if trying to comprehend the turmoil within me. “Then why?”

“Because I just feel… unprepared for such a long-term commitment,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

My heart raced, and I struggled to suppress the tremor in my hands. The more Caelum defended Chalice, the more my annoyance spiked.

“There’s definitely a backstory,” I said darkly, my heart pounding with apprehension as memories I had tried to forget surged back to the forefront of my mind.

Oh goddess, what the hell?

My eyes darted between my brothers, who were now watching me with rapt attention. But I felt lost for words, unsure of how to articulate what I had witnessed. I cleared my throat, lowered my gaze, and muttered, “Not long ago, I helped her to her hotel room because she was exhausted and asleep. I can’t recall if she was drunk, but she had fallen asleep in my arms. In the lobby, a strange man approached and called her Candy. He looked like a creep, and I dismissed him, thinking he was just being sleazy… but now, Zevran, you say that…”

“She was called Candy by Leilani, and she absolutely loathed the name. She tried to deny any connection to it, but her eyes revealed the truth… her body language too.”

Caelum rolled his eyes in annoyance, shaking his head as he seethed, “I don’t think it means anything!”

“I think it does!” Zevran countered sharply. “I believe she’s hiding something from us!”

“I think so too!” I quickly chimed in, urgency creeping into my voice. “We need to uncover whatever it is before any wedding can take place!”

“No, you won’t!” a voice suddenly interrupted from the doorway, causing us to turn instinctively.

It was our mother, her frown deepening with disapproval.

I froze. “Mother?”

“The wedding cannot be delayed!” she snapped, disregarding the bewildered expressions on our faces. “It will happen, and I don’t care if you’re marrying the devil’s incarnate!”

“Mother!” Caelum erupted, frustration spilling over. “You don’t even bother to hide your disdain for Chalice!”

“Because I don’t like her!” she shot back, her tone fierce. “And I don’t owe anyone an apology for it. My only concern is your father and ensuring he can die peacefully on his island, knowing that all his hard work has been passed down to his sons, not squandered on some—”