Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 163

Lisa's POV

When I reached Fiona’s apartment, I swear my legs almost gave out under me. The whole way there I’d kept telling myself I would be strong, that I wouldn’t let anything show on my face, that I would just sit down, maybe smile, pretend I was fine until I could slip away into some corner and break down properly. But the moment her door opened and I saw her, all of that resolve shattered like glass.

“Lisa?” Fiona blinked in surprise when she saw me standing there. She was still in her casual clothes, her hair tied up in a loose bun, a faint crease on her forehead as though she had been sleeping or trying to rest. “What are you doing here this early? Calla didn’t say—”

Her words cut off because my throat burned and I couldn’t get anything out. Instead my chest heaved, and before I even knew it, hot tears were spilling down my face.

“Lisa, hey—” Fiona rushed forward, her hand pressing against my shoulder as she pulled me inside. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

I wanted to answer. God knows I wanted to answer, but the sob clawing up my throat ripped whatever words I had away. My knees buckled, and I fell against her couch, clutching at my chest like I needed to hold myself together or I’d completely fall apart.

Fiona crouched in front of me immediately, her arms wrapping around me in that protective way she always did whenever I was upset. “Lisa, sweetheart, you’re scaring me. Talk to me, please. What happened? Did someone hurt you?”

Her voice—soft, concerned—broke me even further. The dam inside me burst, and I cried so loudly I almost scared myself. My body shook violently, sobs tearing out one after another. It was ugly, it was messy, but it was all I had left in me.

“I—I can’t,” I gasped between cries. “I can’t do this anymore, Fiona. I can’t—”

She hushed me gently, stroking my hair as if I were a child. “It’s okay. Let it out. Don’t hold it in, just cry. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

Her soothing only made me cry harder. My fingers dug into her shirt as I leaned into her shoulder, soaking her with my tears. Every breath came out jagged, my chest rising and falling too fast, the weight of everything I’d been carrying pressing down on me until I thought I’d collapse completely.

“Lisa, whatever it is, we’ll figure it out,” Fiona whispered against my ear. “You don’t have to face it alone. You never did. You have me.”

But her kindness, her warmth, only triggered me more. Because wasn’t that the problem? I had trusted, I had believed, I had given pieces of myself away to people who pretended to care, and now… now I was the fool left with nothing but the sharp edges of betrayal.

“They lied to me,” I choked out, my words muffled against her shoulder. “All of them. Every single one of them, Fiona. They played me, and I was too stupid to see it.”

Her arms tightened around me, and I felt her flinch at my words. “Lied? Who? Lisa, what are you talking about? What did they do?”

“They knew,” I whispered, then raised my voice because the whisper didn’t feel like enough. “They knew, Fiona! About everything! About me! About what I was feeling! And they just—just stood there pretending like I meant something to them when I didn’t. I was a game. A distraction. Nothing more.”

Her breath caught, and she leaned back a little, gripping my shoulders firmly so she could look me in the eyes. “Lisa, stop. That’s not true. I don’t know what happened, but you are not nothing. Do you hear me? You’re not nothing. Whoever made you believe that—”

“They didn’t need to make me believe it!” I snapped through my tears, my voice breaking apart. “I saw it. I saw the proof. I left it behind in that room because I couldn’t bear to hold it anymore. I couldn’t breathe in there. I thought if I stayed even one second longer, I’d lose my mind.”

Her eyes softened, but confusion swirled inside them. She cupped my face, forcing me to stop avoiding her gaze. “Lisa, you’re shaking. You’re scaring me so much right now. Tell me what you found. Please.”

I closed my eyes, trying to breathe, but all I saw was that note I had left behind, the truth spilling across paper, the little stick I had clutched in my trembling hands when I’d first realized what it meant. My throat locked, fresh tears burning down my cheeks.

“I can’t, Fiona,” I whispered brokenly. “I just… I can’t say it out loud yet. It hurts too much.”

She sighed and pulled me back into her arms again, rubbing slow circles on my back. “Then don’t say it. Not until you’re ready. Just stay here with me. You don’t have to explain a thing until you want to. You’re safe now.”

Safe. That word hit me like a knife because I hadn’t felt safe in a long time. Not truly. Not with the constant pull between trust and doubt, not with the gnawing fear that maybe I didn’t belong anywhere. I clung to her as if she were my anchor in a storm I couldn’t escape.

My sobs slowed a little, turning into hiccuped cries, but my body still trembled. Fiona shifted us so I was lying against the couch while she sat beside me, stroking my hair with the kind of patience only she had.

“Do you want some water?” she asked softly. “Or tea? Something to calm you down?”

I shook my head, sniffling. “No… just… don’t let go. Please don’t let go.”

“I won’t,” she promised immediately. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I buried my face against her lap, and she hummed gently, her fingers threading through my tangled hair. The sound reminded me of when I was younger, when I used to crawl into her bed after nightmares, and she would hum until I drifted back to sleep. I wished I could go back to those days when things were simpler, when betrayal wasn’t a word that could cut me open.

Minutes stretched into what felt like hours, the silence broken only by my uneven breathing. Eventually, Fiona spoke again, careful, measured.

“Lisa, I don’t know what they did or why you left, but I do know you. And I know you don’t cry like this unless your heart feels like it’s been torn apart. If they hurt you this badly, then I don’t want you going back there. Stay here. Stay with me. You don’t need them.”

Her words made my chest tighten. I wanted to say yes. I wanted to accept her offer and never look back. But even as I lay there, tears drying on my cheeks, I couldn’t stop the ache in my chest—the ache of still caring, of still loving despite everything.

“I wish I could hate them,” I whispered bitterly. “I wish I could erase every memory, every smile, every time I thought I was special. But I can’t. I hate myself for still feeling anything at all.”

Fiona’s hand stilled in my hair for a moment, then she leaned down, pressing her lips gently against the crown of my head. “Loving isn’t weakness, Lisa. It’s what makes you human. Don’t punish yourself for having a heart. The only thing wrong here is how they treated it.”

Her comfort unraveled me again, and silent tears slipped down my face. I didn’t sob this time; I just cried quietly, my body exhausted from the storm. My chest hurt, my eyes burned, but in Fiona’s arms, I allowed myself to let go just a little.

For once, I didn’t try to be strong. I didn’t try to hold it together. I just let myself be broken.

And Fiona… she didn’t try to fix me. She just held me through it, and that was enough.