Hailee’s POV
I couldn’t breathe. It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room, like life itself was draining from my body. My chest tightened, and I pressed a trembling hand against it, trying to steady my breath, but it didn’t help. The doctor’s words kept echoing in my head.
"Each boy has a different father."
I blinked, unable to believe what I’d just heard. My eyes darted toward the three n standing across from . They weren’t saying a word. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide and filled with the sa disbelief I felt. Nathan looked like soone had ripped the ground out from beneath him. Callum’s jaw was tight, his knuckles white at his sides. Dane just stood there, frozen, his face unreadable, but his eyes, his eyes were full of quiet shock.
For a mont, I thought one of them would yell. That Nathan would shout like he always did when hurt. That Callum would demand an explanation. That Dane would walk out in anger. But none of them did. They just stood there, silent, broken, and confused.
Then, slowly, one after another, they turned away. Nathan was the first to move, his footsteps heavy as he walked toward the door. He didn’t even look back. Callum followed, his hands still trembling, his shoulders stiff with anger he couldn’t bring himself to show. Dane paused for a second longer, looking at like he wanted to say sothing, but then he turned too.
The door shut softly behind them.
And then, I was alone.
The silence that followed was deafening. It pressed against my ears, my chest, my soul. I could still hear the faint beeping of the machines, the quiet voices of nurses in the hall, but in my world, everything had stopped.
I turned my head toward the ceiling, my vision blurring with tears. "I destroyed everything," I whispered to no one.
My sons... my beautiful boys. Each of them, Oscar, Oliver, and Ozzy, carried a piece of the n I’d hurt.
A sob escaped before I could stop it. I covered my mouth, but it ca anyway, soft, broken, full of everything I’d held in for years. And for the first ti since the crash, I wished I hadn’t survived. At least I wouldn’t have to face all this.
Fear twisted in my chest, sharp and suffocating. What if they hated so much that they took my sons away? What if they said I wasn’t fit to be their mother? What if they turned them against ? The thought made my stomach turn.
I couldn’t lose them. I couldn’t. They were all I had left.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I ripped the IV needle out of my arm. The pain stung, but I didn’t care. Blood dripped down my hand and onto the floor as I stood, my legs shaking under my weight.
"Miss, you shouldn’t," a nurse gasped when she saw stumble into the hallway.
"I need to see my sons," I said, my voice hoarse and shaky.
She hurried toward , panic in her eyes. "Ma’am, please, you’re bleeding! You need to go back to bed."
"No!" I snapped, pulling away from her grasp. "I’m going to see my sons!"
Before she could stop , I pushed past her and followed the sound of voices, voices I knew too well.
Nathan. Callum. Dane.
They were standing near the ergency wing, just coming out of the room where my boys were being treated. I froze when I saw them. Their faces were grim, their eyes darker than I’d ever seen. The nurse’s footsteps echoed behind , but I didn’t move. I just stood there, bleeding, shaking, terrified.
When Nathan turned and saw , his eyes widened for only a second before they hardened. "Hailee, go back," he said sharply.
I shook my head. "I want to see my sons."
"You’re bleeding—"
"I said I want to see them!"
The nurse tried to step forward, but Nathan’s voice suddenly bood through the hall.
"Keep quiet, Hailee!"
The words hit like a slap. His tone wasn’t just angry, it was filled with raw pain.
Everyone in the hallway went still. The nurse froze. Even Callum and Dane turned toward him in shock. Nathan’s eyes burned into mine.
"You’re a bitch," he said, his voice trembling with rage. "You’re wicked. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?"
Tears blurred my vision instantly. "Nathan—"
"Because of you," he shouted, stepping closer, "I lost ten years of my son’s life! Ten years, Hailee! While I was out there thinking he didn’t exist, my blood, my boy, my son was growing up without !"
My heart broke in my chest. "Nathan, please—"
"Don’t!" he yelled, his voice cracking. "Don’t you dare say a word. I don’t want to hear another lie from your mouth. You kept him from , and now you think you can cry and make it better?"
He pointed toward the ergency door. "You’re never seeing Oscar again. Never."
The words shattered .
Before I could stop myself, I ran to him, grabbing his arm, my voice shaking. "Don’t you dare, Nathan! Don’t you dare say that! They’re my sons, mine! I carried them for months! I almost died bringing them into this world!"
His eyes flared with fury. "And whose fault is that?" he shouted back. "Did I tell you to keep it a secret? Did I tell you to run away and raise them alone? Did I tell you to let us live like fools for ten years?"
I stepped back, shaking my head. "You don’t understand—"
"No," he snapped, "you don’t understand. You took away our right to know. You decided for all of us."
His words pierced deeper than any blade.
Then Callum spoke. His tone was lower, colder, but no less painful. "Tell sothing, Hailee," he said quietly. "How long were you planning to keep this a secret?"
I turned to him, my lips trembling. "I... I don’t know," I whispered.
He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "You don’t know? That’s your answer?"
Dane finally spoke, his voice quiet but full of pain. "You said you wanted to protect them. From who, Hailee? From us?"
I opened my mouth, but nothing ca out. The tears kept falling, but the words were gone.
Nathan looked at once, his jaw tight, his eyes full of hate and heartbreak. "You don’t deserve them," he said softly, almost like it hurt him to say it.
My throat burned as I tried to swallow back the tears, but they kept coming. I could barely stand, the world around spinning.
This was my fear. The very thing I’d been running from. And now, it was happening. I’d lost everything — their trust, their love, and maybe even my sons.
Dane’s voice cut through the heavy silence. His tone wasn’t loud, but it struck deep. "Tell , Hailee," he said slowly, his gaze fixed on . "Were you even married?"
The question froze . My lips parted, but no words ca out. My heart hamred painfully against my ribs as everyone waited for my answer.
Before I could say a word, another voice spoke from behind.
"No."
The sound of it made my blood run cold. I turned quickly, and there he was.
Frederick.
He stood at the end of the hallway, tall and calm, his hands in his pockets, his face unreadable. His presence alone made the air around us heavier. His dark eyes flicked briefly to the n before landing on .
"She was never married," he said flatly. "She’s been with these past ten years."
The words hit the room like thunder.
Nathan stiffened. His eyes widened with disbelief, then narrowed with fury. "What did you just say?"
Frederick didn’t even flinch. He walked closer, slow and steady, his gaze cool. "You heard , Alpha Nathan. She lived with . I took care of her when none of you were there."
"Care of her?" Callum said sharply, stepping forward. His voice carried that calm edge that was far more dangerous than shouting. "You an you kept her away from us?"
Frederick’s jaw tightened slightly, but his tone stayed even. "She wasn’t yours to claim. None of you knew what she went through. Her life wasn’t so open story you were owed a Chapter of."
Nathan scoffed bitterly. "Oh, but it was your story to write, wasn’t it?"
Frederick t his glare with quiet defiance. "It was her choice to stay."
"Her choice?" Callum snapped. "She was pregnant! You knew and said nothing? You let her vanish with our children?"
Frederick’s expression didn’t change. "She ca to broken," he said calmly. "She didn’t trust anyone. Not even herself. You wouldn’t understand."
I felt my heart twist painfully. "Frederick, please," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Stop..."
But he ignored .
Dane crossed his arms, his tone cold now. "Then explain it. Since you seem to know everything, tell us, Frederick—why didn’t she reach out? Why didn’t she tell any of us?"
Frederick’s eyes flicked to each of them, then settled on . "Because her life is complicated," he said softly. "And because none of you would have understood what she’s been through. You all see her as what she was to you, not who she beca."
The tension in the hallway grew unbearable. Nathan’s fists clenched at his sides. Callum looked like he was holding himself back from stepping forward. Dane’s eyes were full of confusion and pain.
Then Frederick turned to , his voice softening slightly. "You shouldn’t be out here," he said. "You’re bleeding."
He reached out, wrapping an arm around protectively. "Co on," he said gently. "Let’s go back to your room."
"Don’t touch her," Nathan snapped, his voice deep and full of possession.
Even now, even furious, he still couldn’t let go of that claim on .
Frederick ignored him completely and guided away, his arm steady around my waist. My body was trembling, too weak to resist.
The nurse rushed forward again, trying to help. "She’s losing too much blood—"
"I’ve got her," Frederick said firmly, steering toward the ward doors.
I glanced back over my shoulder one last ti. Nathan was standing rigid, his eyes locked on —furious, betrayed, but beneath all that, I saw sothing else too. Hurt. Deep, unhealed hurt.
Callum’s expression was unreadable, but his gaze followed until I disappeared around the corner. Dane’s hands were on his hips, his head lowered like he didn’t know what to feel anymore.
And ?
I was shaking, bleeding, broken, torn between guilt and fear.
Frederick’s arm tightened slightly as he guided forward.
"Don’t worry," he said softly, his voice almost a whisper now. "You don’t have to explain anything to them."
But even as he said it, I knew he was wrong.
Because sooner or later, I’d have to.
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