Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 189

Andrei & Natalia

Andrei

The security footage didn’t lie. Lilith’s miscarriage had nothing to do with Max and Jane, and she’d been willing to let two five–year–olds take the blame for something that wasn’t their fault.

The recording Natalia had played was even worse. Lilith had drugged her at the banquet and planned to film her being taken advantage of, all in a bid to destroy her reputation completely. All this time I’d believed that that good–for–nothing Alpha had drugged her, but… Now I knew the truth.

And the worst part? Lilith had tried to kill the twins. My children. She’d lured them away from safety and pushed them into that lake. Jane had nearly died.

The evidence was overwhelming. Lilith needed to be punished for what she’d done. But she’d also just had a miscarriage, lost the baby we’d conceived after our one night together. Even after everything, I couldn’t just abandon someone who was bleeding and in pain.

Although if I was being completely honest with myself, there was a small part of me that felt… relieved. The pregnancy had complicated everything. It had tied me to Lilith in a way I didn’t want, especially now that I knew what she was capable of.

With the baby gone, I could make decisions about Lilith based purely on her actions, not on some misguided sense of obligation to an unborn child.

But first, she needed medical attention. Then I’d decide what to do with her.

I planned to keep her under guard until I figured out her punishment. She’d proven she couldn’t be trusted, that she was dangerous to Natalia and the twins. I wasn’t going to give her another chance to hurt anyone.

“Let’s go home,” I said quietly, helping Lilith to her feet.

I could see the confusion and hurt in Natalia’s eyes as she watched me walk away with Lilith. She probably thought I was choosing Lilith over her and the twins again. But she was wrong. I just needed time to handle this properly, and preferably without an audience.

We were halfway across the parking lot, Lilith whimpering and sniffling on my shoulder, when I saw Natalia loading Max and Jane into a car. She looked exhausted and angry, her shoulders tense as she buckled Jane into her car seat. The twins both looked subdued, probably overwhelmed by everything that had happened.

I needed to explain. Needed her to understand that I believed her, that I was on her side. That I just needed to deal with Lilith carefully.

“Take her to the car,” I told the guard who was escorting Lilith. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”

Lilith’s eyes went as wide as saucers, and she reached for me. “Andrei, wait-”

“Don’t.” I stepped out of her way before she could touch me, then, ignoring her protests, I jogged over to Natalia’s car just as she was about to get into the driver’s seat.

“Natalia, wait.”

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Chapter 103

She snapped her head toward me and narrowed her eyes. “What?”

“I believe you. About everything. I just need some time to decide how to handle Lilith properly.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Right. Of course you do.”

“I’m serious. The evidence is clear. She drugged you, she tried to hurt the twins–”

“And yet you’re still taking her home.” Natalia slammed the car door and faced me fully. “Even with all the evidence laid out in front of you, you’re still choosing her. Just like you always do.”

“That’s not what this is-”

“Yes, it is.” Her eyes were blazing now. “You don’t actually care about me or the twins as people. All you want is custody of the children. The documents Mila found proved that.”

I stared at her. “What documents?”

“The custody paperwork. The preliminary filings to establish your parental rights so you can take Max and Jane away from me.”

“I never filed any custody paperwork.”

“Don’t lie to me, Andrei. Mila found the documents. Someone’s been laying the groundwork to file for custody, and the timing matches up perfectly with when you found out about the twins.”

My mind raced. I had never filed anything related to custody. I’d wanted to be part of the twins‘ lives, yes, but I’d never intended to take them away from Natalia. They belonged with her.

“Natalia, I swear to you, I never filed any custody documents. I never intended to take the twins from you.”

She studied my face, looking for signs that I was lying, “Then who-

“I don’t know. But it wasn’t me.” I stepped closer. “And I’m not taking Lilith home because I’m choosing her. I’m taking her to get medical attention, and then I’m going to decide how to punish her for what she’s done. She tried to kill our children. You think I’m going to let that slide?”

Natalia’s expression shifted from anger to confusion. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. For a long moment, she just stared at me in silence.