Chapter 24: Chapter 24 Truth and Consequences

Hugo’s POV

Her scream cut through me like broken glass. Every word that poured from her mouth made my skin crawl with shame. I wanted to fight back, to tell her she was wrong about some things, but I couldn’t force the words out.

The raw anguish in her eyes crushed any argument I might have had. Nothing made sense anymore. The pieces of this puzzle refused to fit together.

"So before we close this Chapter forever and pretend none of this happened, is there anything else you want to say?" Her voice dripped with venom as a single tear traced down her face.

We stood there like statues. Speechless. Guilty as charged, all of us. Well, maybe the others more than me.

I had been caught in her web too, but I kept that to myself.

She was laying out her pain, her wounds, everything she had endured.

My friends and I had carved our names into that suffering.

"Since we’re done here, I need you to hand over the medicine. My children are waiting for it. The custody arrangement stays exactly as it is."

Her voice carried an authority that hadn’t been there before.

"Not one of you showed up when I delivered those babies by myself.

None of you wanted these children then. You’ve built your perfect lives without us. How about we keep it that way? You stay out of mine, I’ll stay out of yours." She was rewriting the rules right in front of us.

"We’ll handle this like business partners. Nothing more. Parker, just the other night Hugo made it crystal clear you wanted nothing to do with Tara. So what’s with this dramatic performance?" She threw my words back at me like daggers.

Parker’s head snapped toward me, his eyes boring holes through my skull. I locked my jaw tight and refused to meet his stare.

But I hadn’t lied to her.

He did say those exact words.

What was wrong with passing that information along?

"The bottom line is children are dying. I came here because you promised better treatment and the tools I need to save them. That’s all this is about." Her final verdict rang out.

She wiped that lone tear away with one finger, flicking it off dismissively as she rose from her chair.

This wasn’t the same quiet girl who used to take everyone’s abuse without fighting back. This wasn’t the Bella who got picked on and called crazy.

She had transformed into a warrior. But what had driven her to risk everything?

Had my friends really been worth all the hell she went through?

"We’ll meet at the lab tomorrow," she announced coldly, her heel clicking against the floor as she marched toward the mansion.

The three of us remained frozen in place, watching her retreating figure. That same Bella was now a force of nature wrapped in motherhood.

"Why the hell did you tell her I didn’t want anything to do with Tara?" Parker rounded on me the second she was gone.

"Because that’s exactly what you said, isn’t it? You made it clear to both of us that you wanted nothing to do with her or the baby.

I held off on telling her because I figured it would be uncomfortable for you to say it yourself." The lie rolled off my tongue easily, masking my real intentions.

The truth was I had weaponized that information to wound her, to remind her that the man she chose that night had rejected both her and their child.

"Or am I making this up? You literally told us you didn’t want the baby, but now you’re acting wounded that she kept you out of the child’s life." I pressed harder, refusing to let him play victim.

His shoulders sagged in defeat because he knew every word was true. His eyes dropped to the ground in shame.

"I only said that to you two," he mumbled, exactly what I expected from Parker.

"Enough. This whole situation is insane." Derek shot to his feet, hands planted on his hips.

We formed a triangle, staring at each other, finally seeing the destruction we had caused all those time ago.

"She carried my child. I have a child. I’ve spent time aching to hold a baby, and I had one this whole time... You two can’t possibly understand what this means to me." Derek’s voice cracked.

But I knew better. He was only emotional now because his current partner couldn’t give him children.

Back then, he hadn’t wanted a child with Bella. He had only wanted one night.

"Right, because he’s your heir, isn’t he?" I watched his face darken with threat.

"Seriously, what’s your problem, Hugo? You can’t pretend you were any better than the rest of us." Derek fired back, and I couldn’t help but laugh at his pathetic attempt to manipulate me.

"But isn’t that exactly what happened? I told you we shouldn’t go through with it. Don’t you remember that night? Don’t you remember the discussions that led to us all sleeping with her?" I squeezed my eyes shut and balled my hands into fists.

They both stared at me with blank expressions.

The worst part was it all began when they found her diary. While their hopes soared, mine crashed and burned.

That’s when I discovered she didn’t just have feelings for me. She was in love with all of us.

Every moment I thought I was special crumbled to dust.

"What happened before doesn’t matter. We all made the same choices. Right now, we need to work out..." Derek’s words died in his throat.

We watched his face go pale with realization.

"I don’t know what to think. Tara is my daughter, but Bella drew her line in the sand. She’s here for the cure. Maybe we should respect that boundary." Parker’s voice barely reached us as he avoided our eyes.

Of course he would say that. He already had children and a wife, and he would never risk upsetting his controlling mother or his possessive spouse.

There was nothing left to fight for. Bella had established her terms. Our pride was too massive.

Our sins were too deep. We had lost the right to question her decisions.

"Before we all walk away and pretend this is fine, just remember that she fled because that night destroyed her world, because she almost lost those babies, and because her family and the council were ready to murder her and the children."

Derek’s broken whisper hung in the air.

That truth silenced us all. As I looked at the guilt etched into their faces, I knew mine reflected the same devastation.