Bella’s POV
I locked eyes with Hugo, determined not to let him see any weakness. He needed to understand that his manipulative gas wouldn’t work on anymore.
"Absolutely not. This entire disaster started because of your actions," I said through gritted teeth, watching as the arrogance slowly drained from his expression.
"I keep telling you, I had no idea what was happening," he repeated for what felt like the hundredth ti, clinging to the sa pathetic excuse he’d been using since this ss began.
"That’s exactly the problem. You refused to believe when I tried to tell you the truth. Now look where we are. You got played like a fool, and you nearly destroyed everything I care about," I shot back.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Derek fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable with the tension crackling between us.
"What’s the big issue here? Even if the DNA tests prove the children are biologically ours, that doesn’t an we’re going to rip them away from you. You’re being completely dramatic about this whole thing," Derek interjected, his voice carrying an edge of frustration.
"Dramatic?" The word ca out sharper than I intended. "I don’t want my children connected to either of you. Have you already forgotten how quickly you rejected them? And before you start listing your precious reasons, save your breath. I don’t want to hear them. I went through hell, and you both had countless opportunities to step up, but you chose not to."
Part of knew I was being harsh. These two n had risked their lives to save mine once upon a ti. But with Derek especially, I’d crossed lines that couldn’t be uncrossed. I’d stolen from his father’s office, betrayed his trust in ways that still made my stomach turn. The fact that he’d never confronted about it only made wonder when the other shoe would finally drop.
"Look, I just want to focus on my children right now. The problem is, they won’t let take them ho," I said, letting exhaustion seep into my voice.
"Why would that be a problem? These kids have werewolf blood running through their veins. Don’t you think they’d be better off growing up sowhere they can be themselves safely, instead of in the human world where discovery could an death?"
Hugo’s words hit like a physical blow, delivered with brutal honesty that made my chest tighten.
Before I could form a response, Jack appeared with both children trailing behind him.
"Mommy, we don’t have to leave! This is so exciting!" they called out, practically bouncing with joy.
Their celebration drew every adult’s attention to . I could feel the unspoken questions hanging in the air. Why were my children thrilled about staying instead of hosick and desperate to return to their normal lives?
I didn’t owe anyone an explanation. Not yet, anyway. I could keep them guessing as long as necessary.
"I can take them downstairs if you’d like. You can finish whatever needs to be discussed here and et us later," Jack offered diplomatically.
"Actually, I think we’re finished here," I replied.
But just as Jack started to guide the children toward the door, soone burst into the room, effectively trapping us all.
Camilla.
She looked absolutely wrecked. Obsidian purple circles shadowed her eyes, which were swollen nearly shut from crying. Her face was blotchy and red, lips chapped and bleeding slightly. Her nose was raw from constant wiping. I recognized this look from years of knowing her it was what happened when she cried for hours on end.
"I’ll get the kids settled in the car," Jack said quickly.
The way his gaze bounced between Camilla and made it clear he could sense the explosive tension building. Her disastrous interview had made her feelings about his return painfully obvious to everyone.
As Jack disappeared with the children, I straightened my spine, preparing for Camilla’s inevitable attack. I expected her to scream at , to bla for ruining whatever fantasy she’d built in her head.
But she completely ignored my existence.
Instead, she marched directly to Hugo with single-minded determination.
"Why haven’t you answered any of my calls?" she demanded, her voice cracking with desperation while completely disregarding everyone else in the room.
Hugo’s hands settled on his hips. His face remained expressionless, but the muscle jumping in his jaw betrayed his anger.
"You made look like a complete fool and a liar," he stated coldly, his tone explaining exactly why he’d been avoiding her attempts to contact him.
"How did I do that? I told you she was the one who started everything!" Camilla protested, still desperately trying to rewrite history in her favor.
"The children told what really happened," Hugo replied with deadly calm. "And I’m not stupid, Camilla. The mont I walked back into that dining room, I could feel how the entire atmosphere had shifted. You lied straight to my face. Did you think I was so far away during that phone call that I couldn’t hear anything? I was right outside the door. I heard enough to know exactly what went down. I gave you one chance to tell the truth, and you chose to lie instead."
The color drained from her face so quickly I thought she might faint.
"I just got a little emotional," she stamred, her voice barely above a whisper. "When I saw her there, acting so comfortable with my parents, I just"
"Now they’re your parents?" Hugo cut her off ruthlessly. "Weren’t you the one insisting they were her parents too? That she needed to see them because they missed her so desperately and wanted to make ands? You really expect to believe you weren’t setting her up for another one of your cruel gas?"
Watching Hugo finally confront her was the most satisfying mont I’d experienced in months. Even though I was still furious about everything that had happened, seeing her face real consequences for once felt like justice.
She looked completely unhinged, unable to process this new reality where her actions had actual repercussions. For years, she’d hurt and walked away unscathed because no one dared challenge her. But this ti was different, and the shock was written all over her face.
"Then you went ahead with that interview," Hugo continued relentlessly, "just to make sure you buried everything completely. Even after I explicitly warned you last night not to breathe a word about the werewolf situation to anyone. I told you to make it clear to your parents that if they spoke about it, you’d cut all contact. I was crystal clear about this. I warned my own family too, and they kept quiet. But not you."
He continued detailing the damage her reckless behavior had caused, and I found myself staying silent. I could have jumped in, could have humiliated her the way she’d done to countless tis, but I didn’t need to. Hearing these words from Hugo was destroying her more effectively than anything I could have said.
Camilla started sniffling pathetically, shaking her head in denial while doing everything possible to look pitiful and desperate. She even clawed at her own face, leaving angry red marks from her nails. When Hugo showed no reaction to her theatrical display, she stared at him in complete disbelief.
"I’m so sorry," she whispered brokenly. "Please, I can fix this. I’ll do another interview and tell everyone I was just emotional and said things I didn’t an. Would that help? Please?"
The desperation in her cracking voice made the rest of us shift uncomfortably. Standing there watching their relationship implode was painfully awkward, but I refused to move. I wanted her to feel every bit of that humiliation with there as a witness.
What Hugo said next left everyone in the room stunned.
"No," he said with quiet finality. "It’s over."
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