CHAPTER 56: BLAME GAME

Just when I thought I finally had control... life reminded me how easily everything can slip through my fingers.

I’d been too sure of myself. Too sure that this second chance was enough for me to crush Camilla and walk out of the mess she created. But the truth waiting underneath my plans was so much darker quiet, patient, like something hiding beneath deep water... watching... waiting.

That’s when it sank in.

Camilla’s goal was never just me.

Ending my life was only one step she needed. A small step. To her, I had always been nothing more than a piece she moved whenever she felt like it. Her hunger reached far past jealousy or revenge it reached into things that shaped the entire pack.

If I hadn’t come back, I would’ve died without ever knowing. I would’ve left this world thinking she acted out of rage. Thinking she was just a sister who went too far. I would’ve never seen the truth.

That thought made every inch of my skin tighten.

She wasn’t just clever. She was dangerous.

Lewis must’ve sensed the drop in my energy. His hand brushed mine before he quietly took it, his warmth settling the sharp shaking in my fingers. "Are you hungry?" he asked, voice low.

His touch steadied me, enough to breathe again. I shook my head. "I’m okay." But my eyes stayed on Jeffrey. Everything depended on what he chose next.

Without thinking, my grip on Lewis tightened. He didn’t pull away. He just let me hold on, grounding me with his calm presence.

The room had turned silent. Heavy. Everyone waited for the same thing

Jeffrey’s decision.

Should Camilla keep the baby?

The doctor’s words replayed in my head. If Julian’s strength kept fading... if his body didn’t recover... this child might be his only chance to leave anything behind. This wasn’t only about him anymore. This touched the entire future of the Hale pack.

After a long quiet moment, Jeffrey finally spoke. "This isn’t something I’ll decide alone. Bring in the Morrigans."

"Yes, Alpha," someone said before rushing out.

Minutes later, the Morrigans walked in with Camilla beside them.

The moment Vivian saw the bruise on her cheek, everything shifted. Julian had hit her hard the night before, and normally, with the healing balm the family kept in every house, the swelling should’ve faded fast. But she hadn’t treated it. She left it dark and angry on her skin.

On purpose.

Her makeup barely covered it. She wanted pity. She wanted eyes. She wanted to twist the room before she even opened her mouth.

A person who can injure themselves just to play innocent... that is the kind of person you’re right to fear.

And just like I expected, the moment she stepped in looking small and miserable, the Morrigans softened instantly. All their old frustration evaporated like it had never existed.

Vivian rushed over, gripping her daughter’s hand. "What happened to your face?"

Camilla gave me a quick glance sharp, knowing before opening her mouth to spin the lie she had prepared. "It wasn’t Riley’s fault, it was "

I stepped in before she finished. I was done letting her script the room.

"Mrs. Morrigan," I said calmly, "I’m the one who should apologize. I brought Camilla some chicken soup since she hadn’t eaten all day. She must’ve felt overwhelmed. When I offered it, she accidentally spilled it on me. My hand was burned."

Right on cue, Jane jumped forward loud and honest, just the way I needed. "Exactly! Mrs. Riley brought that soup herself, but Miss Camilla threw it and it splashed everywhere! Her hand is still red from it terrible injury."

Vivian’s mouth opened ready to scold me but she froze mid-breath. Jane’s interruption knocked her off balance. For a second, she didn’t even know whose side to take.

Then her expression flipped.

She turned to Camilla, sharp irritation in her eyes. "What is wrong with you? Someone came to care for you, and you hurt them? Mrs. Riley, I’m truly sorry. Our daughter... she’s been spoiled since returning. Please forgive her."

Camilla went rigid.

She didn’t expect that. She thought she had already won the room.

Camilla had no choice but to swallow her pride. She could feel the room slipping away from her, and for once, she didn’t have control. So she forced a soft, shaky smile and said, "Riley, last night was my fault. You’re kind... please don’t take it to heart."

I smiled back just as gently. "Camilla, don’t be so formal. We’re family now, right? Even if my hand got burned, I wouldn’t blame you. I know you didn’t mean it."

I lifted my hand a little so everyone could see the angry red skin. The swelling, the blister forming near my thumb... it spoke for itself.

She hadn’t expected that.

I wasn’t playing helpless just playing smart. The way she always had.

Lewis had made me use ointment last night, but once he left, I wiped it off and irritated the skin a bit more. Not fake just... honest and amplified. Enough for the injury to tell a louder story.

Jeffrey spotted it right away. His face hardened, and the temperature in the room dropped with his stare.

"You still haven’t learned your lesson, have you?" he said to Camilla, voice cold enough to cut.

He was furious. If the Morrigans weren’t standing here, I knew he would’ve done far more than scold her.

His health had weakened these last few years, forcing him to stay at the rehabilitation center more often. That left James and Vicky with too much influence at home. And James forever swayed by Vicky had looked away every time Camilla crossed a line. Even when she mistreated me openly, he’d brush it off or pretend he didn’t see.

That was how she grew so bold. So reckless.

And even now, even after everything I’d endured, part of me still carried the sting of it.

She was never truly punished. Not once. A little scolding at best. Then everything repeated again and again.

James’s indifference, the Morrigans’ constant protection... that’s how we ended up here.

If Jeffrey had been home more, things would’ve been different.

But he hadn’t been blind either. Gune kept him informed. And now, for the first time... it felt like he was stepping in not just for me now, but for all the hurt I swallowed before.

Camilla lowered her head immediately, pretending to be small and ashamed.

"Please don’t be upset, Jeffrey," she whispered. "I really didn’t mean it. Riley’s fine now, and that’s all that matters."

He didn’t even look at her.

Instead, he gently took my injured hand. His touch was careful, but even that made a sharp spark of pain shoot through me.

"Ouch..." I breathed.

His eyes softened with concern. "You remind me so much of that girl... Now that you’re Mrs. Hale, you must carry yourself with strength. You speak for this household. If you’re always soft, people will step on you. Do you understand?"

His words hit something deep inside me. I nodded. "I understand. And I’ll do better. Please sit you need to rest."

I helped him lower onto the couch. The moment he settled, his entire presence shifted. Stronger. Older. A true Alpha reclaiming his place.

He looked around the room, gaze sharp.

"I called all of you here today," he said, "because we need to settle the mess these two created."

His eyes landed squarely on Julian.

"You started this," Jeffrey said. "So tell me how do you think this should be handled?"