Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Theodore:

I had been sitting in my room, feeling as though something was missing.

It was as if there were a void in my life, as though I hadn’t done something I was supposed to have done days ago.

There was only one explanation.

Verity.

I hadn’t seen her in what felt like almost a week.

Ragnar had arrived, and because of that, it seemed I couldn’t see Verity anymore either.

She had probably gone home exhausted, alone to the house where she lived, where that fucking Dr Roman Wells was probably visiting her.

I was still shocked that she had started dating him.

I guessed it had happened after I decided to take a step back from her.

I had done it for Gigi.

But I suppose it had been an emotional mistake.

Gigi was incredibly important to me, but that didn’t mean I had to change my entire life because of her.

Especially when it came to Verity.

What a huge mistake I’d made.

That day, I had even called my ex and ended up having a one-night stand with her.

But it wasn’t the same.

After that, I realised all over again that no one could ever take Verity’s place.

Ragnar had decided to have dinner late.

By the time the food was ready and served, all the guests had already eaten and gone to bed.

That meant it was just Ragnar, Gigi, and me.

Gigi had arrived after everyone else had gone to bed so she could spend some time with Ragnar.

I finally came downstairs and joined my brother at the dinner table.

"I missed you, bro," I said as I sat down, my eyes searching for Jaguar.

Usually, whenever one of us returned from a long trip or an important project, we all had dinner together.

So Jaguar’s absence meant he had to be dealing with something important.

"You know, I had everything prepared for you in just one hour," Gigi purred, pulling her chair even closer to Ragnar.

He smiled at her before lowering his gaze.

Something about him had changed.

I wasn’t sure whether I was imagining it or simply reading him wrong.

Maybe he was just exhausted, but he looked like he was carrying some kind of burden.

Normally, he would shower Gigi with compliments because we all knew how sensitive she was.

This time, though, he only gave her a smile and said nothing.

Gigi began filling his plate with steak, pasta, and everything else she had asked the maids to prepare.

He quietly thanked her with a head nod.

The way Gigi looked at me made me realise she had noticed the same thing I had.

Then Ragnar picked up his knife and fork.

It was as though he had forgotten how to use them.

He struggled just to cut a piece of steak.

When he finally managed to take a bite, he chewed it as though it were the hardest thing in the world.

The whole situation felt wrong.

I was afraid Gigi would take it personally at any moment.

What was he doing?

I couldn’t make sense of his behaviour.

"Actually, everyone went to bed earlier because Jenna said she had to study in her room," I said, repeating what I’d heard from her mother earlier about why Jenna had been spending more time in her room nowadays.

I felt a little bad for her because Gigi had told me she was still trying to find herself.

Whenever I smiled at Jenna, she’d become so shy around me that I almost laughed.

"Oh, really?" Gigi asked, nodding.

"What about her entry test? Is she studying for it?"

I nodded, grateful that Gigi’s attention had shifted away from Ragnar, who was still chewing the same bite several minutes later.

At any moment, she might ask whether something was wrong with the food.

Then Ragnar started coughing.

The way he clutched at his chest made it look as though he was in a great deal of pain.

"Ragnar, are you okay?" Gigi panicked, reaching for him.

I quickly handed him a glass of water, but he immediately pushed it away.

"I’m fine," he said through gritted teeth.

He didn’t look fine.

Not at all.

"Ragnar, are you okay?" I asked again, completely confused by what was happening to him.

"Take me to my room," he managed to say.

Every time Gigi tried to touch him, he gently pulled away.

At one point, tears began to stream down her face.

I didn’t know what to do or how to take care of both of them.

I quickly wrapped Ragnar’s arm around my shoulders and helped him towards his bedroom.

As we walked, I glanced back at Gigi and gestured for her to stay calm.

"I don’t want her —-to see me in pain," Ragnar said with difficulty.

That was when I turned to Gigi and gave her a small nod, silently telling her that he wasn’t pushing her away because he didn’t love her.

If anything, he loved her enough that he didn’t want her to see him suffering.

Once we reached his bedroom, I laid him down on the bed.

He immediately grabbed at his arm, shoulder, and chest.

A terrifying thought struck me.

"Are you having a heart attack?" I asked, panic rising in my voice.

"I— I don’t know," he grumbled.

As I reached for my phone, he grabbed my wrist.

"It’s like—something that’s mine is being taken away from me," he whispered before letting his head fall back onto the pillow.

"What? Did your wolf tell you something?" I asked.

He simply closed his eyes.

It wasn’t an answer, but somehow I understood that the feeling had come from deep inside him.

I didn’t know what to think.

Maybe he wasn’t thinking clearly.

Or maybe he really was having a heart attack.

Nothing about this made sense.

"Jaguar," he suddenly whispered.

Goosebumps spread across my skin.

"Is he okay? Call him," Ragnar pleaded.

"We need to get you an ambulance. You’re not well," I said, unlocking my phone to call emergency services.

But Ragnar tightened his grip on my wrist.

"Call Jaguar."