chapter 182
Hannah's POV:
William's face hardened. "I heard everything you said, Hannah."
His voice was quiet but firm. "I need to set something straight—I helped you that day because I felt sorry for you, nothing more."
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his face. "That hotel was one of the Sullivan properties. I arranged for you to stay there because you needed help, but I never came to your room that night. "
"That was Susan's birthday," William continued, his eyes finding his wife's. "We spent the entire night together, remember?"
Susan's eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering across her face.
For a moment, she seemed caught off guard by the question, perhaps still processing everything she'd just learned. She didn't speak, but her expression softened almost imperceptibly as memories of that day surfaced.
The brief silence between them spoke volumes. But her silence was all the validation he needed.
His gaze turned back to me, hardening. "Twenty-two years ago, when you showed up at our doorstep with Tori in your arms and that DNA report... I couldn't believe it. I couldn't understand how I had betrayed my family when I knew I hadn't."
William's voice cracked slightly. "But that report was like a death sentence. It tore our family apart. And later... we lost our daughter in that car accident."
He took a deep breath, shoulders straightening as if a weight had been lifted.
"Today, I can finally breathe again. I never betrayed Susan. We never truly lost our daughter. My only regret is arranging that hotel room for you that night."
His eyes pierced mine. "But now, I wish I had never saved you at all."
The words hit me like a physical blow.
I started shaking my head violently, my mind refusing to accept what he was saying.
"No, no, NO! You're lying!" I shrieked, my voice raw. "It had to be you! You were just drunk—you don't remember! How could it not be you? WHO ELSE COULD IT HAVE BEEN?"
Susan simply turned away, her face a mask of stone.
She had what she came for—the truth about her daughter. She wasn't interested in my suffering or my explanations anymore.
William gave me one last look of disgust before following her toward the door.
"WAIT!" I screamed, lunging forward only to be immediately restrained by strong hands. Lucas's men had been waiting, watching the entire time. "You can't just walk away! STOP!"
I thrashed against their grip, my voice breaking as I shouted after the retreating figures. "Why does everything have to be my fault? WHY DO I HAVE TO LOSE EVERYTHING?"
Tears streamed down my face as my knees gave way, the guards' hands the only thing keeping me upright.
"At least I raised your daughter! While my own daughter will never come back to me!"
But they were already gone, the door closing behind them with a final click.
The men tightened their grip on my arms.
I slumped in defeat, knowing with bitter certainty that my life would now become a special kind of hell—one where I couldn't escape, couldn't end it, couldn't do anything but face the consequences of my actions.
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Susan's POV:
After dealing with Hanna, William and I rushed back to the hospital.
I sat silently, my clothes still damp from the lake water, my face as pale as death itself. My chest felt hollow, as if my heart had been physically torn out.
Diana shot me a disapproving look.
"Your leg injury hasn't even healed properly! Running around like this will put you right back in that wheelchair permanently. Is that what you want?"
I couldn't respond. What did a leg injury matter when my daughter was fighting for her life behind those doors?
The surgery doors burst open, and a female doctor rushed out, her face etched with urgency.
Lucas was already at the doorway, his imposing presence unmistakable despite having been ejected earlier when his powerful Alpha aura had begun interfering with the medical equipment.
"Whatever you need me to do, just tell me," he demanded, his voice tight with restraint.
The doctor's exhausted eyes held a mixture of relief and concern. "The infant has been delivered successfully," she announced. "However, due to the premature birth, the baby will need to remain in a sterile incubation chamber for some time."
"What about Tori?" Lucas asked sharply, his hands clenching into fists. "What about my mate?"
The doctor's expression grew grave. "The patient is experiencing severe hemorrhaging. We're doing everything possible, but her condition is extremely critical."
I lurched forward, grabbing the doctor's arm with desperate strength.
"You have to save her! Do you understand? Save my daughter!" My voice broke as I continued, "I'll do anything—give anything. Just don't let her die when I've only just found her!"
"We're doing our absolute best," the doctor assured, gently but firmly extracting herself from my grip.
She backed toward the surgery doors. "I need to return immediately."
Before any of us could say another word, she disappeared behind the titanium doors, the mechanical hiss of their closing seeming unnaturally final in the silent hallway.
"Please..." My voice dropped to a broken whisper. "My daughter needs me."
The word hung in the air like shattered glass. Daughter.
The hallway fell silent. I could feel every eye on me, the collective shock rippling through the room like a physical force.
I turned to face Diana, tears streaming unchecked down my face. "Mom, Tori is my child. She's my baby girl I lost twenty-two years ago."
Diana's eyes widened, her mouth falling open in disbelief.
"It was Hannah," I choked out, the confession tearing from my throat. "That demon switched our babies. She made me... oh God, I hit my own daughter with these hands."
I stared at my palms in horror, the reality of what I'd done crushing me.
"I struck her face. I told her she wasn't worthy..." My voice broke completely. "If she doesn't make it, I'll follow her. I swear I will."
Diana stumbled forward, her face transforming from shock to wild joy and then crumpling into worry.
"That's why she smelled so familiar the first time I met her." She rushed to the surgery doors, joining me in my desperate plea. "Tori! You can't die now, sweetheart. You don't even know I'm your real grandmother..."
Owen maintained his composure, though his voice trembled slightly. "We can't simply take Hannah's word as truth. That woman is too cunning for her own good."
Matthew stepped forward, his medical training overriding his personal feelings.
"Actually, there's strong evidence supporting this. Earlier when Susan tried to donate blood for the transfusion, she was rejected because direct blood relatives would cause a severe rejection reaction in Tori's current condition."
"So..." Owen's voice was barely audible. "Tori truly is our lost bloodline? The Shepherd Pack's missing daughter?"
Matthew nodded solemnly. "From a medical standpoint, it's almost certain. "
I pressed my forehead against the cold metal doors, my voice a broken whisper. "Please fight, my beautiful girl. Your mother is waiting for you. Please, just this once... come back to me."