<h4>Chapter 686: We dont hate you</h4>


    Levi’s POV


    ?I stood there and watched Olivia work. The flesh knit together before my eyes. Muscle, skin, bone—seamless. Not a mark was left behind. Her power was terrifying in its precision: incredible, controlled, and divine.


    ?The girls’ breathing slowly evened out. The tightness in their faces softened. Their small fingers loosened their grip on my shirt as the pain left their bodies. Then, as thest of the magic faded, they both slipped into a deep, healing sleep. Theirshes rested against their cheeks, their faces pale but peaceful.


    ?Olivia exhaled slowly, brushing her fingers gently over their hair. "They’ll sleep for a few hours," she said quietly. "The magic drained the shock from their systems."


    ?Olivia stepped forward softly. "You all should leave. Let me stay with them."


    ?I nodded once. We filed out of the room, and the moment the door closed behind us, the air changed. It turned sharp. Heavy.


    ?"Say it," I muttered.


    ?The silence stretched. Then, Lennox spoke first.


    ?"You see what your games caused?" he said, his voice dangerously calm. "The girls were hurt, Levi."


    ?Louis stepped forward, no longer the peacemaker. "How far were you going to take this?" he snapped. "They are children. Your pride almost got them killed."


    ?Their words hit hard. I clenched my jaw. "It’s not my fault," I shot back. "Where were the guards? Why weren’t they watching the house? How did two little girls walk out without anyone noticing?"


    ?Lennox’s eyes red. "Don’t you dare turn this on us," he growled. "If it wasn’t for your stupid game, they wouldn’t have felt desperate enough to follow you."


    ?"They followed because they chose to!" I barked back. "I didn’t tell them toe!"


    ?"You pushed them!" Louis roared. "You ignored them for days! What did you think was going to happen?"


    ?"They needed discipline!" I thundered.


    ?"They needed their father!" Lennox shot back.


    ?The wordsnded like a punch. My chest tightened. For a split second, guilt flickered. Then, Louis said something that made the room go still.


    ?"If this is how you’re going to be," he spat bitterly, "then maybe you shouldn’t have woken up at all."


    ?The silence that followed was suffocating. Even Louis seemed to realize what he had just said. My body went cold.


    ?Louis’s face drained of color. "I didn’t mean that," he said quickly, stepping forward. "Levi—I didn’t mean it like that."


    ?Lennox turned sharply toward him, his gaze sharp and warning. "Watch your mouth," Lennox said quietly.


    ?Louis swallowed hard, looking at me now. "I’m sorry," he said again. "I was angry."


    ?I didn’t answer. Because the truth? It hurt. Not because I believed him, but because a small, broken part of me wondered if they had all been better off while I was asleep. And then I remembered saying these exact words to Lennox.


    ?Lennox’s jaw was tight, but his voice lowered slightly. "Don’t take to heart what Louis said..."


    ?I looked at my hands. They were still shaking. "I would never hurt them," I said hoarsely.


    ?"We know," Louis said quietly this time. "I’m sorry for what I said... I didn’t mean it."


    ?I nodded and didn’t say a word. I just turned and walked back to my room, Louis’s words echoing in the silence of the hallway.


    ?Hours passed. I sat in the darkness of my room, staring at my hands, seeing the ghost of the blood that had been there earlier. Eventually, the moonlight shifted across the floor, and I knew I couldn’t stay away any longer. I needed to see them.


    ?I walked to the girls’ room and pushed the door open quietly. I expected to see them sleeping, but instead, two pairs of bright eyes snapped toward me.


    ?"Father Levi!"


    ?The cry was simultaneous. Before I could even take a step into the room, they were out of bed—limping slightly but moving fast. They collided with me, their small arms wrapping around my waist and legs, clinging to me as if I might dissolve into mist if they let go.


    ?"You came back," Lyra sobbed into my shirt. "We thought you were going to leave again."


    ?I sat on the edge of the bed, pulling them both into myp. "I’m here. I’m right here."


    ?"We don’t hate you, Daddy," Lana whispered, her face red from crying. She looked up at me with raw honesty. "We were just... we were so angry. You weren’t there. You wouldn’t wake up, and everyone was sad, and we thought you didn’t want toe back to us."


    ?"We were mean because we wanted to hurt you back for leaving," Lyra confessed, her voice small. "But we don’t want to be mean anymore. We’ll be good girls. We’ll listen. We’ll be kind—just please don’t ignore us. Please don’t look away again."


    ?My heart, which I had tried so hard to keep guarded and "disciplined," finally shattered. I tucked their heads under my chin, my own eyes stinging.


    ?"I’m sorry," I rasped. "I was angry too. But I will never, ever look away again. I promise."


    ?Lana pulled back slightly, her big eyes searching mine. "Do you love us, Father Levi? Even when we’re brats?"


    ?I managed a small, tired smile and kissed the top of her head. "I love you more than anything in this world."


    ?"More than anything?" a soft, teasing voice drifted from the doorway.


    ?I looked up to see Olivia leaning against the frame, her eyes shimmering with relief and affection. She had been watching us.


    ?"Even more than me, Levi?" she teased, though her smile was full of warmth.


    ?I looked at my daughters, who were now giggling through their tears, and then back at the woman whom I love more than my life.


    ?"It’s a different kind of love, Olivia," I said, my voice steady for the first time all day. "But tonight? Yeah. Maybe even a little more than you."


    ?Olivia let out a softugh and walked over, resting her hand on my shoulder. For the first time since I’d woken up, the house didn’t feel too big. It felt just right.


    ?