Bella’s POV
The venom in Linda’s voice cut through like a blade as she pointed her finger at my daughter.
"Look at her child! That little girl is nothing but a liar, just like her mother."
Leah’s face crumpled, tears streaming down her cheeks as Zack pressed himself against my side, his small body trembling. The sight of my children being attacked made my blood boil, but I forced myself to stay calm.
"You will not speak to my daughter that way," I said, my voice barely controlled despite the rage building inside .
"She’s just a child. Children don’t fabricate stories," Hugo interjected, turning toward his mother with an expression I’d never seen before.
His defense caught everyone off guard, including . After everything that had happened, seeing him stand up for us felt surreal.
"Why did you wait until I left the room to confront her? What did you even say to her?"
"Children lie when their mothers train them to," Camilla snapped, her voice rising with each word. "When they’re taught deception from birth."
She slamd her palm against the table and shot to her feet, her reaction to Hugo’s protection of explosive and unexpected. Even Hugo looked stunned by her outburst.
"Everyone needs to calm down. Let’s try to resolve this situation peacefully," Debra said, panic creeping into her tone.
She had orchestrated this entire confrontation, and now she could see Hugo becoming increasingly agitated. Linda wore a satisfied smirk, clearly enjoying the chaos she had helped create.
"Perhaps you should examine your own behavior," I fired back at Camilla.
She whipped around to face , one eyebrow arched in challenge.
"I rember exactly how Debra used to coach you in deception," I continued, watching Debra begin to stand, ready to launch into her defense.
"Don’t you dare try to justify your actions," I cut her off sharply. "You were a terrible mother and an even worse stepmother. Your daughter is correct about one thing though - when children turn out damaged, it’s because of their mother’s influence. Camilla learned everything from you."
My hands balled into fists as both won stared at , finally experiencing what it felt like to be the target instead of the aggressor.
"Are you hearing this? Do you see how she’s speaking to ?" Camilla hissed, pointing at while addressing Hugo.
"You’re the one who insisted your sister be here," Hugo shouted at her. "Now you’re acting like she crashed your party uninvited."
Camilla crossed her arms defensively.
"I invited my sister because I thought it was the right thing to do. But she arrived here and imdiately started attacking , making feel worthless. Aren’t you going to ask her why she chose to be so destructive? Why she said everything wrong?"
Before she could continue her tirade, Zack’s quiet voice cut through the tension.
"I never want to co back here. I hate this place. I hate these people."
His words were barely a whisper, but they carried such pain that everyone heard them clearly. Hugo’s face went pale, and the room fell silent.
I imdiately turned and pulled Zack into my arms, lifting him as I started toward the door. But Camilla wasn’t finished.
"Take your children and get out!" she scread.
Her words sent Zack into hysterical sobs, and sothing inside snapped completely.
I set Zack down gently and walked straight toward Camilla with deadly calm. When I reached her, my hand connected with her face so hard the crack echoed through the entire room.
Everyone gasped in shock as Camilla stumbled backward, falling against the table and landing face-first in the red crab sauce. The sticky mixture covered her face, hair, and expensive dress.
"What the hell?" she stamred, barely able to maintain her balance as her mother rushed to steady her.
My father moved forward but remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Then Debra erged from behind her daughter, raising her hand to strike in retaliation.
But my wolf Astra intercepted her wrist with lightning speed.
"You will never lay a hand on again. This ends now," Astra growled.
The voice wasn’t mine - it was deeper, more nacing, and filled with power that made everyone in the room take a step back.
"She has a wolf!" my father announced, his voice filled with shock as gasps filled the room.
In my fury, I hadn’t realized what was happening. Debra looked terrified, backing away with her hands raised as if I might attack.
"Bella, we’re leaving now," Hugo said, appearing beside and gently taking my arms to guide back.
He wrapped one arm around my shoulders while I picked up Zack again. Hugo gathered Tara and Leah in his other arm, and together we marched out of that toxic house.
Outside, I wanted to tell him to put the children down, but waiting for transportation would have ant staying longer. The night felt dangerous, and walking ho with my kids wasn’t an option. Calling a cab seed risky too - most drivers were unpredictable around ogas or strangers.
Once the children were secured in the back seat, I slid into the passenger seat and Hugo drove us away from that nightmare.
I caught sight of Camilla running out of the house, probably trying to get Hugo’s attention, maybe to convince him not to worry about . But it was too late - we were already gone.
During the drive, his phone kept lighting up with her calls, one after another. None of us spoke, and he didn’t answer a single call. I watched him decline each one imdiately.
When we finally arrived at the hotel suite, I told the children to go inside.
Before Hugo could follow, I turned to confront him.
"Let’s go inside and talk," he said quietly, sensing I was about to ask him to leave.
I noticed Serena erging from her suite, clearly trying to eavesdrop on our situation.
With a warning glare, I headed back into my suite.
The mont I stepped inside, I realized I needed to get my children settled before dealing with Hugo. I expected him to be gone by the ti I finished.
However, just as I got them ready for bed, Tara’s question stopped cold.
"Mommy, did we have another sibling?"
"Did you really leave because you didn’t want our sibling?" Zack asked, confusion filling his young voice.
"And Mommy, why do your parents hate you so much?" Leah added.
Their innocent questions transported back to the darkest period of my life with that family.
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