Chapter 169: 169 - just breathe
169
~Lisa’s POV
I stood there, my heart beating so fast I could barely breathe. The room felt tight, heavy with stares, whispers, and questions. My hands shook, but I clenched them together in front of me, trying to keep myself steady. I didn’t even have the strength to turn and ask Belinda if she was really behind everything. I wasn’t in the mood for that. My head was already spinning.
Kael’s voice broke the silence, sharp and angry.
"Damon, why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you tell us she’s pregnant?"
Rowan’s voice followed, harsher, louder.
"Why the hell did you keep something like this from us, Damon? This isn’t a small thing!"
My throat went dry. I swallowed hard, looking at the three of them. My chest tightened. Damon didn’t even flinch at their anger. He stood calm, his eyes on me, protective, but the storm between his brothers was getting worse.
Belinda’s lips curved into a small, cruel smile. She tilted her head like she was watching a play she already knew the ending to. Her voice dripped with mockery.
"So... you all just believe her? Really? Just like that? You really believe what Lisa is saying?"
My stomach turned. She wasn’t even shaken. She was sassy, bold, like she had nothing to lose.
Rowan glared at her. "Shut up, Belinda."
She raised her brows, pretending to look wounded.
"Don’t talk to me like that, Rowan. I’m only asking if you’re sure. Because..." She let her words hang in the air before she smirked again. "Because that pregnancy isn’t yours."
Her words cut through me like a blade. My knees felt weak. I clenched my dress tightly in my hands. I could barely look at her.
Kael snapped, shouting at her. "Don’t you dare say that!"
But Belinda only shrugged, calm as ever. "Well, I’m only telling you the truth. She probably doesn’t even know who the father is. You’re just making yourselves look foolish."
I bit my lip so hard it almost bled. Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. My voice came out in a whisper, broken.
"Why are you doing this, Belinda... why?"
She didn’t even look at me. She looked at the triplets, her eyes glittering with satisfaction.
Damon finally stepped forward, his voice low but steady.
"Enough. Lisa already told me about Luca. She told me how he tried to force himself on her. And I know about the pregnancy. I’ve known for a while."
Rowan’s head snapped toward him. "What?"
Damon’s eyes didn’t leave mine. His voice softened. "She wanted to keep it a secret. She begged me not to tell anyone. And I respected that. But I knew. I’ve known. And I also know she’s not lying."
Belinda’s smirk faltered for the first time, but she quickly regained it.
"Oh, so Damon is the knight in shining armor now? How sweet."
Rowan’s jaw clenched. His fists balled. His voice came out like thunder.
"Lisa! Why? Why would you keep this from us? From me? From us?!"
Kael’s voice was louder, filled with pain and rage.
"You’re carrying our baby, and you thought it was right to hide it? You thought it was right to lie to us?"
Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision as I stood trembling under the weight of their anger. My lips quivered, my voice barely steady as I tried to speak through the sobs choking me.
"I... I didn’t want to cause trouble," I whispered, my chest tightening with every word. "I didn’t want more fights. Everything was already messy and..."
Kael’s roar shook the room, cutting me off. "Messy?" His chest rose and fell sharply, his whole body shaking with fury. "Messy? You thought keeping our child a secret was better than trusting us? Better than telling us the truth?" His words tore into me, sharp and merciless, and my heart cracked beneath the weight of them.
Rowan stepped closer, his eyes burning into mine like fire. His voice came out harsh, trembling at the edges. "How dare you?!"
I gasped, clutching my stomach, shaking my head furiously as if I could erase the pain I was causing them. My voice broke as I tried to explain. "I wasn’t trying to deceive you! I swear! I was scared, I didn’t know what to do..."
"Scared of what?" Rowan snapped back, his voice a whip. His face was twisted in pain and rage, and his hands trembled as if he was holding himself back from breaking apart. "Of us? Of me?"
The word slipped from me before I could stop it, raw and desperate. "Yes!" I screamed, the sound ripping from my throat. "Yes, I was scared! You guys already made my life a living hell!"
The room went silent for a moment. My chest rose and fell fast, my sobs breaking through my words.
Damon’s voice thundered as he stepped right in front of me, shielding me like he always did, his eyes flashing dangerously at his brothers.
"Enough! You’re blaming her when she’s already breaking in front of you. Can’t you see her? She’s shaking, she’s crying! She didn’t lie.... She was protecting herself. She’s been through enough pain already!"
Belinda’s laugh cut through the tension, sharp and venomous, echoing around the room like poison. She folded her arms, her smile twisted with mockery.
"Protecting herself?" she sneered, her eyes narrowing at me. "Oh, please. Don’t be so gullible, Damon. She’s not some helpless little angel....you’re all blind. She’s manipulating every single one of you, and you’re too stupid to even see it."
I looked at her through blurred tears, whispering.
"Why... why are you doing this to me? Why can’t you just leave me alone?"
She smirked again, crossing her arms.
"Because you don’t belong here, Lisa. You never did."
My heart twisted painfully. I wanted to scream, to fight back, but my body was already too weak. My hands moved instinctively to my stomach as a sharp pain shot through me.
I gasped loudly, clutching my belly. "Ahh!"
Rowan’s eyes widened. "Lisa? What’s wrong?"
Another wave of pain hit me harder, and I screamed, falling to my knees.
"My stomach! It hurts..."
Kael rushed forward, his anger instantly replaced by panic.
"Lisa! No, no, no...! What’s happening?"
Damon grabbed my arm, trying to steady me. His face was pale, his voice desperate.
"Lisa, look at me! Breathe! Just breathe!"
Belinda’s smirk faded, her eyes wide for the first time. She stepped back, silent.
I cried out again, the pain unbearable, my vision spinning.
"Please... it hurts... it hurts so much..."
Rowan’s voice broke, loud and frantic.
"Call the doctor! Now!"
My vision blurred completely. My body shook, the pain tearing through me like fire. I gasped one last time, whispering through my sobs.
Then everything went black.