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Liv's POV
I was still devastated as the despairing look in my eyes spoke volumes about my current state of mind. I felt miserable after everything Max said and did to me and I couldn't seem to shake off the feeling.
I placed my palm on the floor as I tried to help myself stand up. I slowly walked inside the mansion back to my room. Surprisingly, my eyes got locked with Ryder's.
I had left him in my room and he was still in there. I guessed he had been waiting for me. One look at me and his eyes narrowed in confusion. He moved towards me and turned my chin to the other side, trailing his finger down to my neck.
The frown on his face deepened. "What happened to you?" he asked and I shook my head.
"It's nothing" I lied through my teeth as I brushed past him, striding towards my dressing mirror. I grabbed my makeup brush and a blush powder as I dapped on it, applying it on my chin to cover up the mark.
Ryder didn't say a word to me as he kept on staring hard at me. I could see him through the mirror and when he proceeded to walk towards me, I began to act as though I was invested in what I was doing.
He placed his hand on my shoulder and I stopped applying the powder on my face. I bent my head down. He held my arm and suddenly spun me around to face him.
"You are such an awful liar Liv" He gritted, trying to control his anger. All he needed was for me to say the name of the person. Staring at Ryder, I knew he would do anything to keep me safe.
I sighed as the memories came flooding back. I wanted to tell him his brother did this but I said something else instead.
"I tripped and fell" I aired out, knowing fully well I lied through my teeth as I forced the trembling corner of my lips into a tight smile.
"Don't lie to me Liv" His tone came out pleading and desperate, but for some reason I didn't feel compelled to say it. Was I trying to protect Max?
"Stop it Ryder? I told you I'm fine".
He turned me around swiftly, making me look at the mirror and then he lifted my reddened chin and the powder I applied barely covered the damage. I squirmed, pressing hard on my lips due to the pain from the contact.
"This doesn't look like fine to me," he let out after accessing me thoroughly "Liv I want to know the truth" he insisted and I felt irritated at his forced questions. I forcibly removed my body from his hold, pushing him away.
"What is wrong with you Ryder? I told you everything is fine with me yet you're still trying to mess with my head!" I snapped at him as he stared at me with a confused expression displayed on his face.
I didn't stop. "That's what you all do, try to get into my head. I can't even think straight anymore because I have 3 men who wouldn't stop making my life more complicated!"
"I care about you and that's why I've been insisting for a long time. You know I would never care so much for a person that isn't you"
"Then you guys should stop trying to control me!" I didn't even know where the rage came from but it felt good because I was sick of it all. "I told you it was nothing so it's indeed nothing Ryder. Deal with it"
He sighed in frustration. "Liv you need to calm down"
I took a deep breath as I stared at the door. "I want to be left alone. Leave Ryder"
"Liv please just listen to me" he voiced out and I let out a loud sigh.
"No more talks from you. I'm losing my mind right now and I bet you don't want to see more of it so use the door and leave quietly" I warned.
He was hesitant, but he still walked towards the door. He glanced up at me while I swiveled my head in another direction as he walked out.
I slammed the door shut the moment he left. My kneel crumbled as I slipped my body to the floor. I was shaking all over, not from just fear, but anger. I was angry at Max for doing this and also myself for letting him do this
And worse of it all, I wasn't even mad. How couldn't I possibly be mad? I should see him as a monster but I didn't. I still loved him and it made me wonder if I was sane in the head. Was this what the mate was all about? Mental and physical torture?
I sniffed, wiping the tears from my eyes, but they still flowed freely.
I grabbed the pillow and I bit hard on it in order to muffle my loud sobs. I didn't want anyone to hear me crying and address me as weak.
Obviously, anyone who addressed me as a weak person was right because I only knew how to cry my eyes out without trying to find any solution for my unending problems.
I really didn't have the faintest idea of what came over Max. Why he treated me like that? He had to know I was hurting. Maybe I was just stupid for letting me hurt him and there I was helplessly crying over it.
Everyone was aware of Max's erratic behavior, but I didn't know he would ever hurt me. Everything that had happened in my life had made me believe that even if Max's temper resulted in killing me, I would always forgive him because I was the only woman who had the softest of hearts.
I felt desolate and alone in my room, surrounded by the memories of everything that had happened in my life as it only deepened my dismal state of mind.
I cried my eyes out and if I was to look at my reflection in the mirror, my eyes would be extremely swollen.
I was left wandering around my own thoughts that I didn't know when I drifted off to sleep but I hoped never to wake up with the hopes that I would have immense peace in the afterlife.
I heard a loud knock and I stretched my body. I sighed because I didn't want any distraction, I just wanted to be alone for as long as I could be.
I knew it could either be the triplets or a guard who had been sent to inform me to come down for dinner.
I couldn't even get out of bed then how could I bring myself downstairs? Even if I managed to step down from my bed I wouldn't be leaving my room for any reason. I would just inform whoever was at the door that I wouldn't be having dinner and no one would try to force me to do so.
"My lady, are you in there?" I heard a familiar voice call out to me and it instantly clicked in my head that the voice belonged to Charlotte.
I jumped down from the bed, almost losing my balance if I didn't hold onto my stamina. I rushed to the door and twisted the knob, pulling it open to reveal Charlotte who looked at me with a weak smile litted up at the corner of her lips. I held her wrist and pulled her inside the room, slamming the door shut.
"Charlotte are you alright? I heard what Max did" I asked, my voice laced with concern.
"I'm alright, there's no need for you to get worried" she assured as I led her towards the bed.
"Charlotte sit" I instructed and I noticed the hesitation in her eyes. She was skeptical. I didn't know if she in fact saw me as too important to share a seat with me. Did she forget I was just an omega? I rolled my eyes at her behavior, pulling her hand and guiding her to sit.
She plopped her ass onto the bed. I looked at Charlotte's body intensely as I began to examine it to see if she had any injuries that needed to be tended to.
She spoke up uncomfortably.
"You shouldn't be doing this. I'm meant to be the one attending to you not the other way round. What if anyone sees us? then I would be in a lot of trouble" she complained as she tried to stand up from the bed but I pressed hard on her shoulders, plopping her ass back on the bed.
"Don't say a word to me because I won't listen to you Charlotte. So just sit down quietly and let me do my job, you're in this mess all because of me at least please let me rectify it" I insisted.
"But __" she trailed off as she looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. I didn't realize what she was staring at and it made me uncomfortable.
She halted up to her feet and grabbed my arms, guiding me to sit on the bed as she squatted before me, placing her hands on my chin.
"My lady, what happened to you? Your chin is bruised" she asked.
"Actually I...." I said in stutters. The memories came flooding back. The rage in his eyes made me shudder. The venom in his voice made me breathe heavily. I was scared of him, too scared to even think about him. Tears welled up in my eyes and my throat felt constricted.
I took a deep breath "Everything about me is a total mess. I have four men in my life and I'm so confused about who to pick because I'm in love with all of them, but everything is too toxic for me and I need some breathing space" I voiced out as Charlotte placed her hand on my chin and I winced in pain.
"Does it hurt so much?" she asked and her face expressed concern towards me.
"It does hurt a whole lot. It really hurts Charlotte" I said not knowing what pain was greater. The one on my chin or the one in my heart.
"Did one of them do this to you?" she questioned and I nodded my head slowly.
"My lady if that's the case then you shouldn't hurt herself for love. For a relationship to pass through the sands of time two partners should be submissive to each other. One partner can never make things work out and even if you try, everything would be futile and you'll just end up hurting yourself" she divulged and I looked up at her.
I knew what she was saying was nothing but the truth but deep down inside my heart I didn't agree with her words and that was the problem.
After everything Max did to me, I was meant to see him as a monster, but instead of that, I kept on thinking to myself. Maybe it was me. If I had let him have his way this wouldn't have happened.
Maybe it wasn't his fault. Maybe it was mine.