Bella’s POV
The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "I’m just pointing out that if their families despised so much, maybe they should have thought twice before sleeping with . Protection would have been smart too."
Hugo’s jaw tightened, his stance unwavering. "Don’t pretend like safety wasn’t an option for you."
Heat flashed through my chest. "Here’s the reality. None of you wanted children back then. Now that you’re all grown n with your lives together, suddenly a baby sounds appealing. That’s what bothers most." My palms grew damp as I rubbed them together, fighting to keep my voice steady. "All this ti is plenty of ti to fall out of love with soone, even when they claid every word was real. Congratulations. You succeeded in cutting that love right out of ."
His expression shifted slightly. "You weren’t exactly honest either. You fabricated stories just to stay close to us. Even lied about being pregnant in the first place."
My defenses shot up instantly. "I said what I had to because none of them wanted around." The words caught in my throat. "None of you wanted around."
The mont I included him in that statent, I watched his tongue click against his teeth with smug satisfaction.
"That’s not what you told that particular night."
Sothing in his tone made my blood run cold. He raised both eyebrows, waiting like a predator watching its prey stumble.
"I told you the truth." My voice ca out stronger than I felt. "I rember exactly what happened. I went to each of you that night and announced my pregnancy. One by one, all three of you made it clear I wasn’t wanted. So I have no idea what revisionist history you’re trying to sell ."
The mory burned fresh in my mind, as vivid as if it had happened yesterday instead of years ago. I’d replayed that night so many tis it felt like an open wound that refused to heal.
Hugo uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees. His stare bored into mine with unsettling intensity. "Wrong. Completely wrong. You specifically told that you didn’t want as the baby’s father."
The accusation hit like a slap. He was stating sothing I had absolutely no recollection of saying, and the boldness of his lie left speechless for a mont.
"That’s not what happened." My voice cracked slightly as I fought back. "I told you I was pregnant and you said you didn’t want the baby."
His scowl deepened. "Now who’s making up stories?"
Anger boiled over. "Are you kidding right now? Is this because Derek and the other two had their excuses ready, but you’ve got nothing? No convenient story to hide behind? So you’re just going to sit there and lie to my face about what you said that night?"
Instead of backing down, he had the audacity to chuckle and shake his head with theatrical sarcasm. The sound made my skin crawl.
Maybe he’d spent these years rewriting history in his head, casting himself as the victim instead of the villain.
"I need to understand sothing, Bella." His tone carried an unnerving confidence. "Do you genuinely not rember what happened? Or are you playing gas with ?"
The certainty in his voice sent chills down my spine.
"Rember what exactly? I rember that night perfectly. I rember you telling you knew soone who could help get rid of the baby." I watched his face drain of color and felt a mont of vindication. Finally, the truth was surfacing.
"That was a lie," he said quietly.
"Right. And you have zero proof it was a lie." I forced myself to take a steadying breath. "Look, I didn’t co here to rehash ancient history. I ca to discuss what Derek’s been saying lately."
But Hugo wasn’t finished. He never knew when to quit, never stopped pushing until he claid victory in every argunt.
The difference was, I wasn’t the sa broken girl who’d let him win before.
"Bella, you told flat out that you didn’t want involved. So stop putting my na on your list of n who wronged you that night."
This ti he snapped with real venom, and I felt sothing inside go still. He looked so absolutely certain that doubt began creeping in despite myself.
"When did I supposedly say that?" My voice ca out rougher than intended, exhaustion weighing down every word.
He straightened, his tone becoming eerily calm and asured. "When I texted you. I sent you a ssage, and you responded by saying..." He stopped mid-sentence when I held up my hand.
"You texted ? When exactly? What did it say?"
A strange sensation crawled up my spine. The air in the room seed to thicken as the conversation took an unexpected turn. This was completely new information, and it made my stomach churn with unease.
"That day you left. After you told us about the pregnancy and then claid you were lying about it. After you walked out, I waited a while and then sent you a text. I told you I wanted to be the father of your children. You responded by saying you’d rather abort the baby than let be involved."
He delivered this information in that sa steady, controlled voice, as if the mory was crystal clear in his mind.
The problem was, his version of events was impossible.
"There’s absolutely no way I responded to you that night." A bitter smile tugged at my lips despite the anxiety clawing at my chest.
"It’s fine. I’m not going to hold it against you now," he said gently, probably sensing my distress.
"No, Hugo, it’s not fine. There’s no possible way I could have responded to you." I watched him run both hands over his face in frustration until I added the crucial detail. "Because I was already long gone before any ssage could have reached . And I didn’t even have my phone with ."
His head jerked up, and I watched horror and panic flood his features.
"It’s the truth. I never received any text from you." Tears stung my eyes as I wondered why he’d lie about sothing so devastating, forcing to relive that nightmare all over again.
"Bella, I swear I had a conversation with you. Your response ca back, wait, look at this." Panic saturated his voice as he fumbled for his phone.
The screen lit up, displaying an entire conversation thread between us.
"I never deleted it. Not once in all these years," he whispered.
When our eyes t across the space between us, both of us were crying.
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