Three Alphas Beg For the Triplets They Never Wanted

Chapter 32: Chapter 32 Storm Breaks Tonight

Hugo’s POV

The moment I spotted Camilla sitting comfortably in our living room, I knew trouble was brewing. Bella would make me pay for this visit, and she wouldn’t hold back.

In the past, she might have questioned me quietly, maybe given me a disappointed look before letting it go. But that version of Bella was gone. The woman who had returned to me was fiercer, more determined, and frankly, impossible to predict. The second I walked Camilla to her car, I could feel the storm building.

Bella refused to eat dinner. She kept herself busy with the children, moving around the house like she had urgent tasks that couldn’t wait. But I saw through her act. Everyone else might have believed her sudden burst of maternal dedication, but I knew better.

When she practically ripped Zack from my arms, the gesture felt like a physical blow. Her fingers brushed mine as she took him, and the coldness in her touch made my chest tighten.

Sleep was impossible. My mind kept replaying the way she had looked at me, like I had betrayed her in some unforgivable way. The confusion gnawed at me until I couldn’t stand lying in bed any longer.

I had to face her.

When I reached her door, what I found stopped me cold. She looked wounded. She was trying to hide it behind that stubborn mask she wore so well, but pain flickered in her eyes like candlelight.

It made no sense. She had never cared about my relationship with her stepsister before. Hell, she had practically pushed us together. So why did she look like I had stabbed her in the back?

Then she said the words that cut deeper than any blade.

"Why do you look so miserable? It’s not like we’re ever going to accept each other as mates."

The casual cruelty in her voice made something inside me snap. She saw my expression shift, saw how her words landed, and I hated that she had that power over me.

"I’m not miserable," I snarled, my teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached. "And I’m not affected by anything you do, Bella. It’s not like I’d ever want you in my life anyway. If I had wanted that, don’t you think I would have made it happen years ago?"

The words tasted bitter as they left my mouth. I was lashing out, trying to hurt her the way she had hurt me. It’s who I am when I’m cornered. Strike first, strike hardest.

With Bella, the urge was even stronger. She had been my anchor once, and when she let me fall, the betrayal had nearly destroyed me.

"Then why are you here?" She crossed her arms, and that gesture made her look more confident, like she had found her footing again.

"What you did with Zack was completely out of line," I said, switching tactics because I wasn’t even sure why I had come to her room in the first place.

Why did her pain matter to me? Why did I care how she reacted to my engagement?

"What do you mean? He’s my son." Her voice rose, sharp with indignation. "Have you forgotten what I told you? You’re supposed to stay away from the babies. They’re not yours. None of them are."

She delivered those rules with the same authoritative tone she always used, as if my opinion didn’t matter at all.

"Well, I don’t follow your rules anymore," I shot back. "Zack is my son too, and I’ll decide who gets to spend time with him."

That landed. I watched her confident expression crumble, her eyebrows drawing together in a worried frown.

Her eyes went soft with concern, and I found myself studying her face like a man dying of thirst stares at water he can’t have.

"You want my child around Camilla?" The disbelief in her voice was unmistakable.

"Camilla isn’t some kind of monster," I said, my voice dropping lower. "She was there for me when no one else was."

The moment I brought up the past, Bella took a step backward, like I had physically pushed her.

"Really? She was there for you?" Her tone turned urgent, almost desperate. "When exactly was that? Where was I while she was taking such good care of you?"

"Probably off with your other friends," I threw that in her face, watching her eyes turn ice-cold.

Her lips pressed into a thin, hard line before she pointed toward the door, then pressed her hand against her chest.

"Or maybe I was being tormented by your precious girlfriend," she snapped, throwing her past suffering at me like a weapon.

That hit its mark. Guilt twisted in my stomach, the way it always did when she brought up what Camilla had done to her.

Every time she mentioned those days, she reminded me of how much she used to cry, how broken she had looked.

But things were different now. I couldn’t just end things with Camilla to make Bella feel better.

Camilla had been just a child back then too.

"Her mother was manipulating her," I said harshly. "Do I have to keep explaining this to you?"

She started laughing, actually clapping her hands together like I had told her the best joke she’d heard all year.

I couldn’t figure her out. In the past, she had made it crystal clear that she wanted me gone, wanted me to be with her sister. But now that I was doing exactly what she had demanded, she was furious.

"Now get out. I need to sleep," she hissed.

I could tell she was done with me. She turned away and walked toward her bedroom without another glance.

She didn’t even wait to make sure I left. She just disappeared into her room, closed the door, and turned the lock with a sharp click.

I stood there for several seconds, staring at the closed door. Then I finally made my way back to my own room and collapsed into a chair, frustration eating at me from the inside.

My phone buzzed against the table.

Fiancée: Are you okay? Is she really angry with us? I hope she won’t sabotage the research. If I had known she would react like that, I wouldn’t have visited.

I stared at Camilla’s message for a long moment, then typed back with tired fingers.

Me: It’s fine. She’s fine. I talked to her. She wasn’t bothered by anything.

Complete lies. Every word of it.

Fiancée: Okay, that’s wonderful. I really hope she softens toward us soon. Maybe she could even visit her parents.

I stared at that text, my mind going blank for a moment. Then my phone started ringing.

"You didn’t answer my last message," Camilla said when I picked up. "Don’t you think she should visit her parents at least once?"

"Weren’t your parents abusive toward her, Camilla?" I reminded her, skepticism creeping into my voice.

"I know you believe I’ve changed," I said carefully. "And I know you were young back then. But the others were fully grown adults. And I remember what your parents wanted to do when they found out about her pregnancy. It didn’t sit right with me."

I tried to keep my voice calm, but deep down, the thought of anyone trying to hurt my children made my blood run hot.

"You believe her version?" Camilla asked quietly. "Hugo, their reaction was just like any normal parents’ reaction. My mother was only worried about her future, nothing more. You trust me, don’t you, Hugo?"

Her voice turned soft, the tone that always made me want to close my eyes and forget whatever we were arguing about. freewebnøvel.coɱ

In that moment, I realized I didn’t want to keep fighting with her about Bella.

"I can suggest that she visit her parents," I finally said. "But the choice is hers to make."

I said it to end the conversation, to give her what she wanted to hear.

But I knew tomorrow would bring more complications, especially after the way Bella had reacted to my engagement.