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 . "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 na. That damn na.
It cracked sothing wide open inside .
It was the na Lennox had given 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 ti 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 al 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 al.
They kept refilling my plate with my favorites, urging to eat more, drink more.
By the ti dessert ca—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 with that sa 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 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.
I glanced between them. "What... exactly did Anita’s father do?"
The silence was heavy and thick. Finally, Levi spoke, his voice low and grave. "He found the letters, Olivia. The ones that tore us apart. We’ve found out who really forged them."
I narrowed my eyes. "Who?"
There was a pause.
Then Lennox answered, his voice a whisper of guilt. "Our parents."
My eyes widened. "Your parents forged those letters?"
"Yes," Louis said softly. "When they discovered who you truly were, they wanted to separate us. They didn’t want us near you."
"But it wasn’t just the words in the letters that ssed us up," Levi added, looking directly at . "Anita’s father—he got a hold of the forged letters. And he perford a spell on them."
I blinked, confused. "A spell?"
"A dark one," Lennox said, his voice hard. "It was ant to twist us. To make us hate you."
Louis nodded. "So much hate, it would’ve made us capable of... killing you."
I gasped, but I wasn’t shocked. If he could set up my father, he was capable of far worse.
Levi reached across the table, placing his hand over mine. "Luckily, Olivia, we didn’t."
Lennox interrupted, his voice full of guilt. "I know. We didn’t kill you physically... but we killed you with our actions. With our words. Over and over again."
"And that’s sothing we’ll never forgive ourselves for," Louis whispered.
I stared at the three n before and could see it plain as day. The regret. The guilt. The pain of their mistakes. It wrapped around them like a second skin.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, the weight of everything pressing on my chest. "How long?" I asked softly. "How long have you known the letters were spelled?"
They exchanged glances. It was Levi who finally spoke.
"Before the eting with the Council," he admitted quietly.
I frowned, my heart clenching. "Then why didn’t you tell ?"
"Because," Levi said, leaning forward slightly, "you wouldn’t have believed us, Olivia. Not then."
I wanted to protest, but as I thought back to how broken and angry I’d been, I knew he was right.
"I wouldn’t have believed you," I whispered, more to myself than to them.
Silence fell again, heavy but no longer suffocating.
"I need to tell you sothing," I said, my voice gaining strength. "Anita... she confessed to . When she thought I was Rebecca."
Their eyes snapped to mine, sharp with attention.
"She told your mother took her to a witch," I continued. "She was bathed... spiritually. To make her more attractive to you."
Lennox leaned back, his brows drawing together. "No wonder..."
"What?" I asked gently.
He exhaled slowly, rubbing his jaw. "The first ti we actually touched her... it was confusing. Off. We beca friends with her to hurt you, yes. But sex? That was never part of it."
Louis nodded in agreent. "It wasn’t even a thought, Olivia. Not until just a few weeks before she turned eighteen."
"That’s when it started," Lennox said, his voice tight. "That strange... pull. That desire. We thought we were losing our minds. But we didn’t know it was spell-induced."
Levi looked sick. "It wasn’t love. It wasn’t even lust. It was manipulation. Magic."
"And guilt," Louis added. "We kept thinking we owed her sothing. Because she was always... there. Always sacrificing. Or so we thought."
I closed my eyes, trying to breathe past the storm brewing in my chest.
Yes, I was hurt by them, by their actions, but these n were victims, too. They wouldn’t have hurt the way they did if they weren’t manipulated.
This makes sense now...
The triplets I knew—my boys—they never would have hurt like that.
If it had just been the forged letters, they might’ve ignored . Maybe even distanced themselves. That would’ve hurt, but not the sa way.
They wouldn’t have mocked . Humiliated . Broken piece by piece with their actions, their hate, their cruel affection toward soone else.
They might’ve disliked . But they wouldn’t have crushed .
That was never who they were.
And Anita... God. I knew they never 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 her when they didn’t have to.
So when they started acting obsessed with her—kissing her, claiming her—it was like watching strangers in their skin.
I rember thinking it didn’t make sense.
And now I knew why.
It wasn’t them.
It was a spell. Manipulation.
A puppet show, with all of us dancing on strings.
Realizing this didn’t erase the pain they’d caused , but it gave it context. It made the truth bearable.
The n who hurt weren’t mine. They were ghosts—twisted reflections of the ones I loved.
But these three? Sitting in front of now with sorrowful eyes and raw honesty?
These were my triplets.
The ones who used to sneak candy when I was grounded by my parents. The ones who taught how to ride a bike, fought off bullies at school, and stayed up whispering stories to whenever I fell sick.
The ones who called little bird because I never stopped fluttering around them, always clinging to them.
"I hated you," I whispered, my eyes eting theirs one by one. "I hated you so much for what you beca. But now... knowing it wasn’t truly you—" My voice broke. "It doesn’t erase the pain. But it helps. Gods, it helps."
Levi’s eyes were glossy now, his jaw clenched tight like he was holding back a thousand words.
"We didn’t know how to fix it," Lennox said quietly. "We tried, after we found out, but you were gone. And we didn’t bla you for running. We blad ourselves."
Levi reached across the table again, this ti taking both of my hands in his and placing a soft kiss on them.
"We want to make up for everything," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Every day for the rest of our lives, if that’s what it takes. We’ll show you how sorry we are, Olivia. If you’ll let us."
I swallowed hard. My shoulders trembled as I looked down at our joined hands, then up at their faces.
Lennox stood slowly and walked around the table until he was in front of . He crouched beside my chair, his eyes never leaving mine.
"We want to date you," he said softly. "No rushing. No pressure. Just... the way it should’ve been. We want to do it right this ti."
I stared at him, my heart pounding in my chest, and then he dropped his gaze briefly before looking up again with a rawness I’d never seen before.
"I love you, Olivia," Lennox said, voice barely above a whisper. "I don’t even know when it started. Maybe it was when you trailed behind us everywhere, that silly little smile on your face. Maybe it was the way you always showed up for us, even when we didn’t deserve it. I fought it—God, I fought it—but I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop loving you."
My breath caught in my throat. My lips parted, but no words ca out. I just stared at him, stunned.
Levi squeezed my hands gently and spoke next. " too," he said, his voice trembling. "I said it was wrong... Olivia should be a sister to , but my heart couldn’t stop beating faster whenever you were around."
Louis exhaled shakily, his eyes shimring with tears. "You were the only one who really saw us. Not the Alpha heirs, not the future leaders, but us. You knew us better than we knew ourselves. And we destroyed you for it. But I never stopped loving you, Liv. Not for a second."
Tears gathered in my eyes, but I couldn’t help but smile. The boys I loved with everything I had were here now, pouring out their hearts to .
And then Lennox asked the question.
"Do you love us, Olivia?" he said gently. "Do you want to give us a chance to date you? To try... and pay for what we’ve done? To love you the way you deserve?"
The room fell silent.
Three pairs of hopeful, scared eyes stared at .
My throat closed, and my hands trembled as I pulled them away to wipe the fresh tears on my cheeks.
"I don’t know what’s right anymore," I whispered. "But I do know one thing."
They leaned in, their breath held.
"I still love you. All of you. I never stopped."
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