My best friend and I gave birth at the same time. I joke about setting the two kids up together. My husband’s face darkens instantly. He looks at me, dead serious. “They’re siblings. They can’t get married.” I freeze. I must’ve heard him wrong. Ethan smiles, light and easy, like he’s talking about the weather. “On our wedding night, after we were done, I drugged you. She covered your face with her bra, and we did it right next to you. All night long.” “That’s the night you both got pregnant.” “Funny how you two ended up in labor at the same time. Must be fate.” My mind goes blank. I slowly turn toward the next bed — Sienna, my best friend, fast asleep. When I was twenty, I took fifteen stab wounds to save her life. She told me she’d owe me forever. Ethan shifts, blocking my view. His tone is casual, almost bored. “Relax. Sienna won’t fight you for anything. We’ll all just live together. To the public, you’ll still be Mrs. Foster.” Every drop of blood in my body turns to ice. The System’s voice cuts through my head, flat and mechanical: **[Do you wish to abandon the mission to redeem the Villain and exit this world immediately?]** …… My eyes land on Sienna’s wrist. She’s wearing a rosary bracelet. The same one I got for Ethan when he was in that car accident, barely clinging to life. I spent hours on my knees at the chapel, praying he’d pull through. He never took it off. Not once. But when Sienna and I went into labor at the same time, he gave it to her without a second thought. Ethan quietly tucks her hand under the blanket, then turns to me. He wipes the tears off my cheek with his thumb. “You’re a mom now. Why are you still such a crybaby?” I slap his hand away. “Why? Why her? She had a boyfriend! And you just threw yourself at her like some desperate side piece — are you that pathetic?” Ethan shakes his hand out, then looks up at me, genuinely surprised. “You still think her so-called boyfriend is someone else?” Something amuses him. He actually laughs. “There were times you called me — and we were right in the middle of it.” “She’d be shaking all over, biting her lip, trying so hard not to make a sound. So damn hot.” He sighs, almost wistful. “Probably won’t get that thrill again.” I bite down on my lip so hard I taste blood. My throat closes up. I can’t get a word out. It takes forever before I manage to speak, my voice cracking. “You could’ve just told me the truth. I would’ve walked away!” If I’d known sooner, I could’ve left before it destroyed me. Ethan lets out a soft sigh. Something like pity flickers in his eyes. “Well — we did feel guilty about you.” “Remember when you got attacked trying to save Sienna? Beaten, violated until you lost the baby? I was hooking up with her in the car, right around the corner.” “She was freaking out. I had to calm her down. We got so caught up we forgot to call 911.” Something inside my skull snaps. That night. Sienna and I were walking home from a movie. We ran into those guys in the parking garage. I fought them off with everything I had so she could run. I was dead sure she’d get help for me. I held on, gritting my teeth, waiting. When I came to, I was in the hospital. Ethan was holding me, shaking, swearing he’d make them pay. And he did. But now, looking at how calm he is, how unbothered — I realize every bit of that was an act. If it weren’t for some random stranger passing by, I’d be dead. I grab the soup bowl from the nightstand and hurl it at him. It smashes on the floor. Soup splatters everywhere. He made that soup himself last night. He put peanuts in it — Sienna’s favorite. He forgot I’m allergic. The signs were always there. I just never wanted to see them. Ethan stands there, not moving. Soup drips from his hair. He looks pathetic. But he’s not angry. He actually lets out a long breath, like he’s relieved. “Hate me. Resent me. That’s fine. Just don’t blame Sienna. She cares about you so much. She just had a baby — she could get postpartum depression. Cut her some slack.” I dig my nails into my palms until I feel blood. It’s the only thing keeping me from falling apart. The stitches down below are screaming — a constant reminder that he knows damn well a new mother needs rest, needs peace. He just doesn’t give a damn. Not about me. The System’s voice returns, cold and flat: **[Do you wish to abandon the mission to redeem the Villain and exit this world immediately?]** **[If no choice is made within 24 hours, you forfeit and will remain in this world permanently.]** **[Countdown begins…]**
Tears pour down my face. I whip around toward Sienna and scream. “Sienna! How long are you gonna keep faking it? Does screwing my husband feel that good?” Sienna opens her eyes. Her face is ghost white. She won’t look at me. She grabs the pillow and hurls it at Ethan. “How could you tell her? How dare you do this to her?” “I told you I don’t need a title! I was gonna disappear after the baby!” Ethan rushes over and pulls her into his arms, holding on tight. His voice shakes. “I can’t let you go. That’s why I had to come clean. Please, Sienna. Don’t leave me.” “This is all on me. Stay still — you’ll rip your stitches.” Those exact words. He used to say them to me. His mom died when he was little. His dad was never home. All he had was the nanny. And the nanny was a monster. She’d beat him when nobody was looking. She almost beat him to death once. I broke into his house and pulled him out. That’s how I dragged him out of the dark. Later, the nanny came for revenge. She had me kidnapped. But Ethan wouldn’t let go of me. They beat him until he was covered in blood, and he still wouldn’t let go. The adults finally showed up. Got us both out. At the hospital, he held my hand so tight his knuckles went white, whispering over and over: “Don’t leave me, Lily.” Like I was the most precious thing in the world. That’s exactly how he’s holding her right now. Only I’m not the one in his arms anymore. I’ve thought about it before — what I’d do if we hit that seven-year itch. I always figured, worst case, I’d drag Sienna out, get blackout drunk for a few nights, cry it all out, then go right back to loving him. But why — why did it have to be her? Who am I supposed to ugly-cry with now? Sienna shoves Ethan off and stumbles over to my bed. Tears running down her face. “Lily, please. Don’t cry. I’ll leave tomorrow. You two can go back to the way it was.” My jaw aches from clenching. My heart is being ripped in two. Sienna used to come from money. Old money. When she was five, her whole family died in a wreck. She was the only one left. Relatives picked the estate clean. Then they dumped her in the system. She went through hell. When I met her, I begged my parents to take her in. Mom and Dad treated her like she was theirs. No difference. She cried over her first birthday cake at our house. I told her, laughing — everything I have, you get half. Half my snacks. Half my fun. Half my mom and dad. Never thought she’d want half my husband too. I grit my teeth. “Get out. I never wanna see you again. You’re nothing but a homewrecker.” The babies start screaming, spooked by the yelling. Their little faces are beet red. I scoop mine up and rock her, shushing. Tears hit the blanket before I can stop them. Sienna buries her face in her hands, choking on sobs. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” Ethan picks up the other baby, jaw tight, barely holding it together. He rounds on me. “Sienna’s been covering for you this whole time. She couldn’t stand to hurt you. She was my fiancée from the start. You’re the one who came in between us.” I go rigid. Ethan did have a fiancée. But he told me himself — she died in a crash. The first time he and Sienna met in front of me, they acted like strangers. Even faked not being able to stand each other. More than once, I begged him to be nicer to her. For my sake. I was so damn proud of myself for smoothing things over between them. Turns out I was the idiot the whole time. What a goddamn joke. I laugh until the tears spill over. I grab Sienna’s wrist and rip the rosary bracelet off. Beads go flying, clattering across the floor. “This is mine. You don’t deserve it.” I pick up my baby and stand. My legs are trembling. Every step feels like walking on shattered glass, but I don’t stop. Not once. Behind me — Sienna’s wailing. Ethan cussing me out. The System chimes in: **[18 hours remaining. Please make your choice soon.]**
I drift down the hallway holding my baby, numb. Frozen from the inside out. I should hate Ethan for the betrayal. I should hate Sienna for the knife in my back. But what kills me most is losing them both at once. I pull out my phone. Open the photo album. Picture after picture. Memory after memory, hitting me like a freight train. Watching the sunrise at four a.m. with Ethan, standing on top of a mountain. Kissing in the lavender fields. Scuba diving in the Maldives. And in every single photo — Sienna’s in the background. What I thought was just the two of us — it was always three. And I never once noticed. I delete over ten thousand photos. I stare at the System panel floating in front of me and let out a bitter laugh. Honestly — what did Ethan even do wrong? He just doesn’t love me. That’s all it is. I hold my baby tighter. My vision blurs again. I’m so sorry, baby girl. I can’t take you with me. Just let me hold you a little bit longer. Ethan’s designer shoes step into view. I look up. He’s watching me, guilt and heartbreak all over his face. Next second, I’m in his arms. That familiar warmth. I break down. I hate myself, but some stupid, desperate part of me thinks — maybe he still cares. Even just a little. “I’m sorry, Lily. I lost my temper. Said stuff I didn’t mean.” “You gotta believe me — I never wanted to hurt you. I was just scared Sienna would take off with the baby.” “Don’t be like this. She hasn’t stopped crying since you walked out…” Sienna. Sienna. Always Sienna. That last little flicker of hope — he kills it himself. Every breath feels like swallowing glass. After a long silence, I cut him off. “Promise me one thing. Take care of the baby. No matter what.” Ethan blinks. Relief floods his face. He cups my cheeks, voice suddenly brighter. “Lily, I promise. I’ll take care of you. Take care of the baby. You just gave birth — look after yourself too…” His phone rings mid-sentence. He picks up. His entire face changes. “Don’t move — I’m coming!” He hangs up. The warmth is gone. His eyes are ice. “Sienna’s baby has a congenital heart defect. There’s no donor match. She was already losing it — and then you went and deleted every photo on Instagram. She thinks you’ll never forgive her. She’s on the roof. She’s about to jump. Are you happy now?” “Come with me. Now.” He grabs my arm and hauls me toward the stairwell. The stitches rip. Pain tears through me so hard I can’t breathe. Warm blood runs down my thighs. The hallway spins. I bite the inside of my cheek raw — just to stay standing. Up on the roof, Sienna’s standing on the wrong side of the railing. Wind whips through her hospital gown. She looks like she could vanish any second. She spots me. Something lights up in her eyes for half a second — then dies. Her face is wrecked with tears. “Lily, my baby’s dying. And you’re never gonna forgive me, are you?” “I have nothing. I have absolutely nothing left.” She sways at the edge. Before I can even open my mouth, Ethan’s drenched in a cold sweat. “Sienna, don’t. Lily knows she was wrong. She came here to say sorry.” I stare at Ethan in total disbelief. This is beyond insane. Sienna doesn’t buy it. Her eyes are glazed, somewhere far away. “You’d never forgive me. Not if you knew. Those men that night in the parking garage — I sent them. If you knew that, you’d want me dead.” Something inside me cracks wide open. I snap. I throw myself at her. Hands grab me from behind and yank me back. I spin around — Ethan. Eyes cold as stone. “She was young. She did it out of jealousy. She nearly killed herself over the guilt — more than once. If I hadn’t pulled her through all that, you’d never have seen her again.” I can’t breathe. He knew. He knew this whole goddamn time. I was drowning, and he just stood there watching. But Sienna — the one who threw me in — he felt sorry for her.
Watch👉 https://cps-front.novelix.live/app-api/ext/new/202607013hecvVP9zR 🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “Novelix” app 🔍 search for “ni673404”, and watch the full series ✨! #Novelix
Leave a Reply