Oliviaโs POV
โOlivia, dearโฆ can you hear me? Itโs me, your mother.โ I heard my momโs panicked voice through the mind link.
โAre you okay? Whatโs going on? Do you remember me? Itโs your mother!โ
I frowned, realizing I had forgotten to tell her about my plan.
โMother, calm downโฆ Iโm fine,โ I said softly.
There was a beat of silence, then a soft, shaky sigh of relief from her end.
โYouโre sure? Alpha Levi just contacted me through the mind link. He said youโre suffering from memory loss and false memories.โ
โThatโs what I made them believe, Motherโฆโ I murmured, lowering my voice as I moved toward the window. โBut Iโm fine. Completely fine.โ
Her confusion pulsed through the link. โWhat? Oliviaโฆ what are you talking about?โ
I exhaled slowly, watching the wind play with the leaves outside. โIโm pretending. Faking the memory loss. Itโs part of the plan. I want them to let me go.โ
โOliviaโฆโ her voice dropped, almost to a whisper. โYouโre lying to your mates? Your Alphas?โ
โYes,โ I said, firm and cold, โBecause itโs the only way theyโll let me go. If they think I donโt remember themโdonโt love themโtheyโll loosen their grip. And when they do, Iโll finally be free.โ
Her silence stretched too long. Then she said carefully, โAnd what if they find out? What if they realize youโre faking it?โ
โThey wonโt,โ I said sharply. โTheyโre too focused on trying to fix me. Too wrapped up in their guilt and desperation to notice whatโs right in front of them.โ
โAnd if they do?โ she pressed, her voice tight. โLennox isnโt the forgiving type. Louisโฆ heโll be angry. And Leviโโ
โI donโt care, Mother! I will go on with my plan. All I have to do is continue playing the lovesick part with Gabriel and keep begging them to let me go to him. Once they do, the rest will be history,โ I said.
She was quiet again. But this time, I could feel her pride, even through the worry. โIs Alpha Gabriel aware of your plan?โ she asked, and I frowned.
โNo, Mother, I havenโt had the chance to talk to him yet, but now that youโve reminded me, I will,โ I assured her.
โOkay. Tell me what he thinks,โ she said, and I nodded, even though I knew she couldnโt see it.
โIโm so proud of you, my little angel, and I believe your father is proud of you tooโwherever he is,โ Mother said, her voice filled with pride. Tears gathered in my eyes, but I held them back.
โMother, Iโm preparing a surprise for you. Donโt worry, you will see it soon,โ I said, referring to my plan to expose Anitaโs father.
โI canโt wait,โ she said with a chuckle. โThe Alphas want me to come back, but donโt worry. I will tell them I got food poisoning and will have to rest for the next few daysโฆ donโt worry, I will act well.โ
I chuckled. โOf course, Motherโฆ I got my acting skills from you, remember?โ
We both laughed softly, and I felt some of the heaviness in my chest lift.
โSoon, youโll see the surprise Iโm preparingโฆ just stay patient.โ
โI canโt wait,โ she said with a chuckle, and with that, our mind link faded.
I stood there a moment, letting the silence settle in. My heart slowed, calm and steady.
Thenโknock knock knock.
I already knew who it was.
I turned and walked to the bed, carefully sitting down, arranging the blanket over my legs. I kept my expression soft, my posture a little weak, just enough to look fragile.
โCome in,โ I called out gently.
The door opened.
First in was Lennox, holding a thick novel. His soft eyes scanned my face carefully before he stepped closer.
โYouโll be bored in here,โ he said quietly, offering the book. โThisโฆ might help. Itโs a good one.โ
I smiled politely, taking the book from him.
The moment I looked at the cover, I felt a jolt. It was the exact same novel I gave him on his seventeenth birthday. The same one I annotated, marked with little hearts and underlined quotes. I never knew he still had itโฆ and it seemed so new, like heโd preserved it somewhere. I thought he might have thrown it away.
A tiny glint of happiness sparked inside me, but I didnโt let anything show on my face.
โOh,โ I said softly, flipping it open casually. โLooks interesting. And itโs romance.โ
I looked up briefly and caught the pain in Lennoxโs eyes. But I blinked it away, pretending not to notice.
Then came Levi, stepping in with a small speaker. โI figured you might want music,โ he said, setting it gently on the bedside table. โIโฆ uh, made a playlist. You can listen if you want.โ
I glanced at the speaker, then picked it up. As soon as the screen lit up, I saw the playlist name: O&L Vibes.
My chest tightened, but I forced it down.
โThis is nice,โ I said lightly. โThank you. Itโll help with the silence.โ
I couldnโt believe he still had this. He looked like he wanted to say more, but didnโt. He just nodded and stepped aside.
Then came Louis, walking in with a small tablet. He handed it to me carefully. โI downloaded a movie,โ he said with a nervous smile. โYou might like it. Itโs called Flip.โ
I blinked. Flip. My favorite movie. When it first came out, Louis had found a way to get an early download just for me. We watched it together three times in one night.
But now, I only smiled, tilting my head slightly. โHmm. Havenโt seen it before. Thanks, Louis.โ
He looked as if he wanted to say something, maybe remind meโbut instead, he just nodded slowly.
The room fell quiet as all three brothers stood around me, all three staring with a look of warmth in their eyes. The last time they all looked at me this way was before my fourteenth birthday.
โApart from being married to Gabriel and being his mateโฆ is there anything else you remember?โ Lennox suddenly asked, and I frowned, looking up at him. There was a certain look in his eyes, and I could feel itโsomething was coming. And it wasnโt going to be good.