196 Apology
Olivia’s POV
Anita took a shaky breath and stepped closer, wringing her fingers. “Can you ever forgive me?” she asked, her voice trembling.
I stared at her, not saying anything yet.
Forgive her? Over my dead body.
“I know I hurt you so badly,” she went on, her eyes beginning to shine with tears. But I wasn’t moved by it because it could be fake.
“But everything I did… it came from jealousy. You were always just… special, Olivia. You walked into a room and everyone noticed. You didn’t even try, yet people still saw you.”
She looked down, her hands twisting nervously.
“You were beautiful, talented, kind. People listened when you spoke. They cared about
you.
I felt invisible next to you.”
My frown deepened. I never noticed this… I never felt special… except with the triplets, who made me feel that way.
“I’m so sorry.” She choked on her tears.
My chest tightened, a part of me remembering the friend I used to have in her.
“I thought you loved me,” I said quietly. “We were supposed to be like sisters. What happened?”
She winced at my words like they physically hurt.
“It started with Drake,” she whispered.
I blinked. “Drake?”
She nodded slowly, not meeting my eyes. “You remember back when we were younger… I had the biggest crush on him. I even wrote him a letter. Poured my heart
out in it.”
I remembered that. She told me he rejected her. But that was all.
196 Apology
“What does Drake have to do with you hating me?”
Anita swallowed hard. “I was too humiliated. He didn’t just say he liked someone else. He looked me in the eye and told me he liked you.”
My eyes widened.
I had no idea.
“He said you were the only girl who caught his attention,” she went on. “Said you were different. I hated hearing that. I felt so… worthless.”
I opened my mouth but didn’t know what to say.
“I wanted to hate him,” Anita continued. “But instead… I turned that hate toward you. I told myself you didn’t deserve him. That you were just lucky. And it didn’t stop there.”
She finally met my eyes again.
“I started seeing how the triplets looked at you too. How Levi always watched you when he thought no one noticed. How Louis followed you with his eyes. How Lennox… well, he was the hardest to read. But he changed around you.”
I stood still, speechless.
“I thought if I could make them like me instead… maybe I could finally win. Be seen. So even when I discovered my father was going to set
our father I could have alerted
as an advantage… they told me once my father becomes the next Beta that I will be adored even by the triplets. So I agreed with their plans and turned my back on you.”
you, but I didn’t… and then my parents used up
I swallowed hard.
“And when I realized there was a rift between you and them, I used it as my advantage… I had no idea what made them hate you, but I utilized it…”
I frowned… is she implying she had no idea about the letters sent to them?
She wiped a tear quickly from her cheek.
“I know none of it was right,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “I ruined everything. I lost the only real friend I had. And even now… I still lost. Because even after all the damage, they still love you.”
196 Apology
She seemed sincere, but I couldn’t ignore the one thing that didn’t sit right.
“The letters…” I said slowly, my brow raised with curiosity. “Are you saying… you didn’t send them?”
Anita’s eyes widened. She shook her head quickly. “No. I swear, Olivia. I had no idea about those letters. Not until everything blew up and they were exposed.”
My eyes narrowed, watching her face carefully for any sign of a lie. But all I saw was fear… and regret.
“I did a lot of things,” she admitted. “I manipulated, I lied, I betrayed you. But the letters? That wasn’t me. I found out just like everyone else when it was brought up. I
was shocked.”
I folded my arms tightly over my chest, still not letting my guard down. “Cut the act, Anita. Tell me what you want. Why are you really apologizing?”
Anita’s lips parted but then closed again, hesitation all over her face.
I scoffed. Of course. Her apology came with a price. She wanted something.
“Anita, I don’t have the whole day… I have to go back to the party.” I said, already sounding impatient.
Anita’s lips parted like she wanted to say something, but then closed again. Her eyes darted to the ground, then back to me.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, then she placed both trembling hands on her
stomach.
“I’m really pregnant,” she whispered.
I frowned.
“I’m carrying their children,” she said, her voice shaking. “Twins now.”
I raised a brow.
“I know I’ve hurt you, Olivia,” she rushed on, tears slipping freely now. “I know I deserve every ounce of your anger. But please… don’t punish them. Don’t let my babies suffer for what I did.”
I stared at her in disbelief, unsure if I should scream or laugh.
196 Apology
“What exactly do you want from me?” I asked coldly.
Anita swallowed hard. “I need your help,” she said. “The triplets… they won’t mark me unless you reject them. I–I begged them, but they prefer my babies… their babies die.
I
Please, Olivia, unless you reject them in the council meeting… only then will they mark me and save my babies lives.
My jaw clenched. I could feel the anger bubbling up in my chest.
There it was.
The real reason.
“I knew it,” I hissed. “You come crawling here with crocodile tears, pretending to be sorry–only because you need something.”
“I’m not pretending!” she cried. “I am sorry. But this isn’t about me anymore. I’m begging you, Olivia, not for me–but for them. They’re innocent. They didn’t ask to be born into this mess.”
3
For a long second, I just looked at her.
Then I gave a short, bitter laugh.
“Don’t worry,” I said flatly. “You don’t need to beg.”
Anita’s eyes flickered with hope.
“I was going to reject them anyway.”
Her face froze.
I stepped closer, just enough to look her directly in the eye.
“Not because of you. Not because you asked. But because I’ve finally realized they don’t deserve me, not after everything that happened.”
Her mouth fell open slightly, like she wasn’t expecting that.
“I’ll reject them,” I said. “And after that, you can have them. You can have all of it. The titles, the bonds, the mess.”
I turned and walked out on her. As I made my way back to the living room where the party buzzed on, my eyes caught the wall clock–and I realized it was just few seconds.
196 Apology
to 10 pm.
Instantly I remembered the letter, and without a second thought, I turned and took the back stairs that led to the rooftop.
