Chapter 163

Carol’s POV

“How could you bring him here, Carol??” Fiona hissed as soon as we were inside her room. I knew she was going to be upset, but I hadn’t expected her to burst into tears when we were alone. She was pacing back and forth in her room, her hair disheveled because of how many times she’d run her fingers through it.

I was busy rummaging through her closet and finding a decent outfit that didn’t make her feel self-conscious. I grabbed a white crop top and a pair of waist-high skinny jeans. I always loved Fiona in this outfit because it showed off her body perfectly. Oliver wasn’t going to be able to resist her in this.

I handed her the clothes and she frowned, still glaring at me.

“He was devasted when you left, Fi,” I told her. “You owe him an explanation and he owes you his time and ears. He’s your mate and I want you to work things out.”

“Is this because you want me to return to the Capitol with you?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at me. “I’m sorry I left, but—”

“No,” I said quickly, holding up my hand to stop her. “It has nothing to do with me and everything to do with you, Fiona. You can’t compare every guy to Ben and—”

“Don’t say that asshole's name, Carol. What is wrong with you? You know his name is forbidden,” she snapped, tears glistening in her deep blue eyes.

I sighed and lowered my gaze.

“I’m sorry. But you have to get over him. Not every guy is like him. Oliver is not him…” I said softly. “It’s been years since you last spoke to him. When are you going to move on…”

“I have moved on,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.

“Have you?” I asked, testing her. “Because you can’t even say his name, Fi.”

She bit her lower lip as it trembled.

I sighed and wrapped her in my arms, hugging her tightly.

“I love you and we both know he wasn’t worth it. He was a jerk, and he played you since high school. I don’t blame you for guarding your heart, but this is different. Oliver is your mate, and he would never hurt you like that. He told me he could never betray you and—”

She pulled away from me, her eyes wild.

“He knows, doesn’t he?” She asked harshly. “You told him about…” she trailed off, unable to speak Ben’s name.

I lowered my gaze, unable to deny the accusations. I did tell him, and I felt badly that I betrayed her trust. But Oliver was also my friend, and he needed to know what he was up against. However, I couldn’t exactly speak those words.

“How could you do that?” She asked, a sob escaping her lips. “He must think so little of me and—”

“He’s here, isn’t he?” I asked, raising my brows. “I told him before he decided to come here. He wants to prove himself to you, Fiona. He cares about you. Please, don’t push him away. Don’t push me away…”

She stared at me, disbelieving for a moment.

“I’m sorry I told him,” I said in a whisper. “But I didn’t know how else to make him see. He was so broken and confused when he found out you left. He needed to know the challenge and what he was up against.”

She looked at the outfit still held and then she sighed.

“Let me get changed,” she murmured.

I nodded and handed her the clothes. I left the room to give her some privacy. Oliver, who was sitting on the couch, quickly stood up when I left the room. His eyes found mine for a moment before he looked behind me at the closed door.

“She’s changing,” I assured him. “She’ll come out when she’s done.”

He sighed and then nodded.

“Do you think I have a chance?” He asked.

I put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

“Just be patient with her,” I told him.

He nodded and took a deep breath.

A few minutes later, Fiona was walking out of her bedroom. She looked amazing in her outfit, and she let her blonde hair down, so it cascaded down her shoulders. But she didn’t put any makeup on, not that she needed it.

She wrapped her arms around her body as she approached us. When Oliver saw her, his eyes lit up and his breath hitched.

“Fiona…” he whispered, his voice coming out hoarse. “You look…” his voice trailed off and her cheeks turned pink.

“I’ll give you some privacy,” I said and started to walk away, but Fiona grabbed my arm.

“No!” She said, a little too loudly. “Please stay…”

I could see how nervous she was, so I sighed and nodded.

“Okay, I’ll sit over here,” I said, pointing to the loveseat.

Oliver cautiously approached her, and she stood her ground, her eyes shifted downward, and her arms still wrapped around herself.

“Fiona, I…” he stopped talking and I knew he was thinking about what I had said in the car earlier. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Why did you leave?”

She lifted her gaze and met his eyes.

“I didn’t think you wanted me there,” she murmured. “I thought I was just doing you a favor. I didn’t expect you to come here.”

He stared at her for a moment.

“Why would you think I didn’t want you there?” He asked. “Fiona, you are my mate… I…” he stopped again and ran his fingers through his hair. “Why did you feel that way?”

She raised her brows.

“When we weren’t having sex, you ignored me. Yeah, we went on a date, but it wasn’t enough. When I woke up the next morning after sex, you’d be gone. I wouldn’t hear from you until you wanted more sex… I felt like I was being used.”

“I’m not going to give you lame excuses for my actions,” he said, which seemingly surprised her. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way and I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about what was going on. I thought I was protecting you from my shitstorm of a life. You are my fated mate and I should have told you everything from the beginning. It was never my intention to make you feel less than anything. I’m not perfect, but I’m not an asshole either. I’m not aiming to hurt you, quite the opposite really. You have no idea how happy I was to meet you. I never thought I would ever find my mate and here you are. It kills me to see your heartbreak and the fact that it was me who did this… I’m so fucking sorry.”

Tears filled her eyes as she lowered her gaze again; I could tell she was losing her resolve. I knew more than anyone how strong the mate bond was, and I knew it would be hard for her to resist him.

He stepped closer to her, also feeling her walls starting to cave.

“I’m not going to lie to you, Fiona. I’m terrified. I’ve never done this before and I never felt like this before. The only thing that kept me going on these last couple of days was knowing that you were waiting for me at the end of the day. I guess it seemed like I was only using you for sex because I was using you to forget about the shitty days I’ve been having.”

Her bottom lip trembled as he closed the gap between them. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers, taking in a deep and shaky breath.

“I thought you didn’t want me…” she admitted, her voice coming out barely a whisper. “I thought I was bothering you and that if I left… maybe you’d be happier.”

He let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.

“Fiona, you have no idea how important you are to me in such a short time. You became my world… I would rather die than hurt you. I’m not just some rich asshole who’s out to hurt you. I’m not your ex.”

She flinched at his words, and he opened his eyes to look into hers.

“If I was facing him right now, I’d end his life for making you cry,” he said with so much seriousness that I got a chill. “I care so deeply for you that it fucking hurts, Fi. Please, don’t shut me out. I want to know every single detail about you. I thought I had time to get to know you, so I never bothered to ask stupid and basic questions, but I regret that now. I’m so scared that you won’t come home with me… I’m scared that I ran out of time, and I’ll never know the woman I’m fated to be with.”

“I’m sorry I left without talking to you…” she whispered, her walls coming down even further.

At this point, I didn’t think either of them remembered I was still there, but I was invested, and I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.

“Don’t ever apologize to me,” he replied, his voice soft and compassionate. He cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. “I was the one who made you feel unwanted. I’ll do anything to make it up to you and prove to you what matters the most to me. I want you to trust me, Fiona. I know it’ll take time, but I’ll protect your heart with my entire life… I just ask for a chance…”

Tears left her eyes as she closed her eyes. She took a shaky deep breath.

“I want to trust you,” she whispered. “But it’ll take time.”

“I’ll wait a thousand years,” he said, closing his own eyes as he took her in.

She nodded, a small smile on her lips.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Okay?” He asked, opening his eyes to peek down at her, I sat up a little straighter, also curious about what she meant.

She nodded and glanced over his shoulder to look at me before looking back at him.

“I’ll come back with you,” she clarified before kissing her lips. Then she murmured, “You’re mine, Oliver Gladwell.”