Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Verity:

"If that were the case, there probably would’ve been some sign of a struggle," I said quickly. "I know Gigi is gentle and feminine, but she can be fierce when she has to defend herself. She wouldn’t have gone quietly."

I continued before anyone could dwell on the possibility.

"And if someone had abducted her, they would’ve done something about her phone or GPS. They wouldn’t just leave everything intact in the car."

I wanted the kidnapping theory shut down immediately.

The last thing I wanted was for Gigi to gain that kind of sympathy.

"Anyway, the problem is that earlier, we were still able to track her GPS and follow it this far. But now that we’re here, where do we go next?"

I glanced at Jaguar.

Ragnar remained silent, but he looked incredibly restless, constantly running his hands through his hair.

For a moment, he seemed to zone out.

Then Theodore looked at me before straightening his posture.

"You need to go home," Ragnar told me harshly.

"Brother, it’s okay. She’s only trying to help. Her intelligence could actually be useful. Look at the points she just made," Jaguar quickly defended me.

Theodore nodded in agreement.

"Don’t tell me whose intelligence I need and whose I don’t," Ragnar snapped. "Tell her to go home."

"Brother, you can’t do that. She’s not a child."

It was the first time I had ever seen Theodore openly disagree with Ragnar, and certainly the first time he had done it so loudly.

Ragnar actually did a double take.

I noticed Theodore secretly clench his fists, probably because Ragnar’s angry stare was enough to make him nervous.

But at least he didn’t back down.

And I certainly wasn’t going to volunteer to leave.

I wanted Theodore and Jaguar to argue with Ragnar over me.

Why would I try to resolve tension between the brothers when I could let it grow instead?

"Well, then she’ll have to tolerate whatever insults come her way herself," Ragnar replied.

For a second, I thought he was threatening me.

Apparently, Theodore and Jaguar thought the same thing because both of them looked offended.

"I never expected something this petty from you, Ragnar," Theodore said after a brief pause.

Jaguar’s eyes widened.

Even Ragnar looked genuinely hurt.

Theodore had taken a very clear stand for me.

But it turned out that all three of us had misunderstood what Ragnar meant.

I realized that the moment someone tapped my shoulder so harshly that it barely felt like a tap at all.

I turned around.

Everything happened within seconds.

Stella Hill stood behind me, glaring.

Before I could say anything, she lifted her hand and struck me across the face.

I could have stopped the slap.

I chose not to.

The second her palm landed against my cheek, I let my body go limp. My injured foot was already hurting, so I stumbled and nearly fell before a pair of arms caught me.

Jaguar held me upright while Theodore immediately stepped between Stella and me.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" Theodore shouted.

Stella covered her mouth, visibly startled by the force of his reaction.

"This is the woman because of whom my daughter is gone!" she screamed back. "Ever since she entered our lives, everything has become a mess. I’m sure she taunted Gigi. She probably reminded her that her own brother had once been accused too and told her this was karma coming back for her family."

My gaze shifted to the side as Mr. Gavin Hill approached us.

His eyes briefly landed on me, narrowing before he looked back at his wife.

"That was completely uncalled for," Jaguar snapped, moving protectively in front of me.

I pressed a hand against my cheek and lowered my gaze.

This time, I wasn’t pretending.

That slap had genuinely hurt.

What angered me even more was knowing I could have defended myself and had deliberately chosen not to.

But what else could I do?

I needed to be the victim.

I needed everyone to see just how cruel these people could become.

"So this slut decided to show up too," Gavin spat.

My eyes immediately squeezed shut.

I didn’t even want to look at what was happening anymore.

"That’s enough," Ragnar finally intervened.

"Why is it enough?" Gavin demanded. "Ask her why she went after my son in the first place. Maybe there were other victims, but she still went to him willingly, didn’t she? Look at the body she’s made for herself. She probably used it to entice him."

When I opened my eyes again, Gavin was staring directly at my body.

Suddenly, memories from the past came rushing back, and my fists clenched at my sides.

This man had watched me grow up.

I had practically been a child in front of him.

And yet, once I became an adult, this disgusting man had allowed his intentions toward me to change.

"So you’re defending your son?" Ragnar shouted, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

"Your son was abusing her, blackmailing her, and planning to rape her. That’s why she was there in the first place. And your response is to blame her?"

His voice rose even further.

"Your wife just walked up and slapped her, and in the same breath, the two of you cry about your daughter being a victim while treating another victim with complete contempt."

The force of Ragnar’s words silenced everyone.

Even the warriors had turned their attention toward the family.

I closed my eyes as a few tears slipped down my cheeks.

"And here we are, standing in front of you like fools, drowning in guilt, while you treat a victim like this yourselves," Theodore added, refusing to hold back.

"If the two of you don’t leave this place, the search stops," Jaguar warned, taking it even further. "Everything stops until you’re gone."

Stella was still crying, but Gavin looked furious.

He lifted his head and opened his mouth as if he wanted to argue, then shut it again.

"Fine. We’re leaving," he muttered.

"No. One minute," Ragnar cut in.

Gavin stopped.

"Your wife is going to apologize to Verity before she leaves."

No one objected.

Stella hiccupped through her tears before turning toward me.

"I’m sorry. I was just emotional."

That was all she said before hurrying away, with her husband following close behind.

Ragnar looked at his brothers.

"Well, now you know why I wanted her gone. I was not being petty."

Then he turned and walked back toward the warriors.

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