Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121: Really Leaving

Hailee’s POV

I sat on the edge of the bed as tears gathered in my eyes. My chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.

"Hailee... don’t you think you should tell him? Tell them the truth," Mother pleaded softly, her voice trembling with worry. She wasn’t just worried for me—she was worried for them.

I shook my head slowly, my lips trembling. "I can’t, Mother... I can’t." My voice cracked as I lowered my head. "I’ve already made my decision. There’s no turning back."

Mother sighed, the sound heavy and pained, as though the weight of my choices rested on her shoulders too. She shook her head, her eyes glistening. "They will be so devastated."

I swallowed hard, my mind spinning with the faces of the three men who had given me their hearts. Dane. Nathan. Callum. What would become of them? Would they hate me for the rest of their lives? Would they curse my name each time they remembered me? My stomach twisted with the thought, guilt pressing into every corner of my chest.

Before I could answer her, the door to my room burst open.

"Hailee!" Lila’s voice rang out, panicked and trembling. She rushed inside, her eyes darting between me on the bed and my mother beside me. Her breath came fast, her expression frantic, as though she’d run the whole way here.

Her gaze landed on the half-packed bag at my feet, and her lips parted in shock. "You’re really doing it?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

I froze, my heart skipping painfully. Mother released a soft sigh. "I’ll leave you two to talk... but Hailee, Peter will be here soon, so be quick."

She squeezed my hand gently before slipping out of the room, the click of the door closing behind her leaving a heavy silence in her place.

Lila stood there, her chest rising and falling quickly, her eyes glistening as they locked on me. She took a hesitant step forward, then another, until she was right in front of me.

"Hailee..." Her voice cracked. "Tell me this isn’t real. Tell me you’re not really leaving."

I looked away, unable to bear the pain in her eyes. My throat burned, my heart splintering under the truth I couldn’t soften. "I have to, Lila. I don’t have a choice."

She frowned and sat beside me, her voice breaking. "What happened... you were supposed to stay until after our last exams."

I nodded faintly. "Yes... but they had a change of plans... they want me back home," I whispered.

Lila’s face fell, her lips parting as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words. Her eyes searched mine for answers, but when I looked away, her gaze drifted lower.

And then she saw it.

Her breath caught sharply. Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes widening as they locked on the faint purplish mark staining my neck. "Hailee..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "That’s a hickey."

I froze, my chest tightening. My fingers instinctively brushed against the spot, heat rushing to my face. For a moment, I thought about denying it, but the look in Lila’s eyes told me it was pointless. She already knew.

Hot tears burned down my cheeks as I clung to her. My body shook, and I buried my face in her shoulder. "I’ll miss you too, Lila," I whispered, my voice breaking. "So much."

For a moment, neither of us moved, caught in the ache of goodbye. But then reality pressed back in. I couldn’t linger. Time wasn’t on my side. Slowly, I pulled away, my hands still gripping hers tightly.

"Lila..." My voice wavered as I searched her eyes. "They’ll be worried about me. So worried. And I can’t leave them like this, not without something. I need your help."

She blinked at me, wiping at her wet cheeks. "Help? How, Hailee?"

I swallowed hard, gathering the courage. My heart thudded painfully. "I want you to record me," I said quietly. "I need to leave them each a message. Dane. Nathan. Callum. They deserve to hear from me—even if I can’t tell them face-to-face."

Her lips parted, shock rippling through her expression, but she didn’t refuse. Instead, her gaze softened with sadness and concern, and she nodded. "Okay," she whispered. "I’ll do it. For you."

I swallowed hard and wiped my face with the back of my hand as I straightened myself on the edge of the bed. Lila moved in front of me, her hands already steady as she positioned her smartphone toward me.

"Are you ready?" she asked softly.

I drew in a deep, shaky breath, forced my body to still, and nodded.