Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 90: What’s wrong?

Selena.

I woke up to an unusual silence.

Not the peaceful kind. Not the kind that wrapped around you gently and let you rest.

This one felt... wrong.

My eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the dim light of the cave. For a moment, I stayed still, listening. Waiting.

Nothing.

No quiet breathing beside me. No warmth at my back. No familiar presence that had, somehow, become my comfort.

I pushed myself up, my fingers brushing against the empty space where they should have been.

Cold.

My chest tightened slightly.

They always stayed.

Even on the worst nights. Even when things were uncertain, when tension hung thick between us, one of them was always there. Close enough to remind me I was not alone.

But now...

I swallowed the thought and stood up.

Maybe they were already awake.

Maybe I had slept longer than usual. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

I stepped out of the cave, the morning air cool against my skin. The soft sound of water nearby filled the quiet, along with the faint rustle of leaves.

And then I saw them.

Kael. Edris. Ronan.

They were just outside, resting against the rocks, their bodies stretched out like they had fallen asleep there.

A small smile found its way to my lips.

Relief, warm and soft, spread through me.

They were here.

Still here.

For a second, I just stood there, watching them. Something about the sight felt off, like a picture slightly out of place, but I could not quite name it.

I had expected...

My smile faltered just a little.

I had expected to wake up between them. Like before. Like it had quietly become.

But I pushed the thought away.

They were probably exhausted. The trip must have taken more out of them than they let on.

That had to be it.

I took a step closer.

Then another.

The ground crunched softly beneath my feet.

Ronan stirred first.

His eyes opened, sharp and aware in an instant. They landed on me, and for a brief second, something flickered in them.

Then it was gone.

Kael and Edris woke not long after.

All three of them were looking at me now.

Waiting.

Something inside me shifted.

Still, I smiled, softer this time. "Good morning."

The words hung there.

Kael nodded once.

Edris muttered something under his breath that sounded like a response.

Ronan did not say anything at all.

The smile on my face slowly faded.

That warmth I had come to expect from them... it was not there.

It felt distant.

Cold.

I tried again, a little unsure now. "Are you all right?"

No answer.

Just silence.

My fingers curled slightly at my sides.

"What is wrong?" I asked, my voice quieter this time. "Did something happen?"

Kael glanced away.

Edris sighed, like the question itself annoyed him.

Ronan remained still, his expression unreadable.

My chest tightened.

I looked from one to the other. "Kael? Edris? You went out last night. How did it go?"

"Fine," Kael said.

Nothing more.

The single word landed flat.

I blinked, caught off guard. "That is it?"

Edris shrugged. "Nothing else to say."

The air between us felt heavier now.

This was not them.

Not the way they spoke to me. Not the way they looked at me.

A strange unease crept into my stomach.

"Why are you acting like this?" I asked, the confusion slipping into my voice. "Did I do something?"

No one answered.

The silence stretched again, thicker this time.

"If there is something you want to say," I continued, my voice unsteady now, "then just say it."

For a brief second, something shifted between them.

Kael exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over his face. "We said nothing is wrong."

"That is not true," I said softly. "You are all acting like I am... not even here."

Edris let out a quiet scoff, shaking his head. "Maybe you are reading too much into things."

"I am not," I replied, a little firmer now. "You will not even look at me."

Ronan’s jaw tightened.

"That is enough," he said under his breath, though it did not feel like it was meant for me.

Kael glanced at him. "Just leave it."

"No," Ronan muttered back, low enough that it should have been private, but I still heard it. "She keeps pushing."

The words stung more than they should have.

"I am not pushing," I said, my voice smaller now. "I am asking."

Edris ran a hand through his hair, frustration clear. "It is too early for this."

"For what?" I asked. "For me to talk to you?"

Kael’s expression hardened slightly. "Selena..."

Something in the way he said my name made my chest tighten.

"Just stop," he added quietly.

Stop.

The word echoed in my head.

Edris pushed himself to his feet then, the movement sharp. "Can you not start this so early?" he said, irritation clear in his tone. "It is morning and you are already getting on our nerves."

The words hit harder than I expected.

I stared at him.

Kael stood up next, his expression closed off.

Ronan followed, slower, but just as distant.

As they turned, I heard Edris mutter under his breath, not even trying to hide it this time.

"She was not like this before."

Kael did not respond immediately, but after a moment, he said quietly, "Just ignore it."

Ignore it.

Me.

Ronan said nothing, but his silence felt heavier than their words.

None of them looked at me properly.

None of them softened.

None of them explained.

They simply turned and started walking away.

Just like that.

Leaving me standing there.

Alone.

I did not move.

I could not.

Their cold voices, their sharp tone... it echoed in my head.

A slow, heavy feeling settled in my chest.

Something was wrong.

I could feel it.

In the way they avoided my eyes.

In the way they spoke like I was a burden.

In the way the warmth between us had vanished overnight.

And somehow... that hurt more than anything they had said.

But no matter how hard I tried...

I could not understand why.