Chapter 1:
"I will have to report this to the police, Freya. These wounds on your body are quite serious. Do you want to risk your life protecting someone who does not deserve it? You're too young for all this." Dr Guna stated.
"I'm fine, Doc." Freya replied, pulling her blouse sleeves to cover her bruises.
The doctor sighed. "If I should ever find out that anything of this sort has happened to you again, I am reporting it straight to the police, whether or not I have your consent or that I am the doctor in charge."
"I... it won't happen again. I... I promise." She stuttered.
"It better be so. If you still want to be a mother, then you must learn to protect both yourself and the baby. I am very sure that this is why you keep having those miscarriages. Now that we're done with this In-vitro fertilisation (IVF), you'll have to be very careful about your wellbeing. Be sure to come back in two weeks' time, and let's see if the IVF transfer was successful or not, okay? I'll give you some meds for your bodily sores."
"Thank you, Guna. I'll be sure to protect this baby and myself. You know how long I've wanted this. Thanks for everything."
"Don't mention it. Just stick with your promise." The doctor then prescribed some medicines for her patient and sent her off after that.
Freya sighed as the doctor's words weighed on her mind all the way home. It's not that she's such a masochist who enjoys being ill-treated, but marriage issues aren't that simple.
You can not just choose to leave all because you do not like one thing or the other. One must learn to do everything in their power to make it work.
And that is exactly what she's trying to do. If the IVF becomes successful and she's able to give her husband a child as he has always wanted, maybe he and her in-laws will be less harsh on her, right? Right?
"Hmm." She sighed as she opened the main gate to enter into her matrimonial home.
She believes that things will change once she gives her husband an heir.
***
Two weeks later.
"Doc, Sir Raghall has arrived." A nurse informed the doctor.
"Let him in." Dr Guna said as she readied herself to meet with the self-made billionaire who owns a multi-industry conglomerate.
"President Raghnall, please... have a seat." She stuttered. Silently praying that this conversation will go better than all the various unpleasant scenarios playing in her head.
"I thought we were scheduled to meet tomorrow, so what's the emergency that made you call me to come here today instead?" The visitor asked as soon as he sat down, directly facing her.
Guna summoned all her courage to break the news. "I'm very sorry, President Raghnall, but there's been a problem with the In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) process."
From her formal addressing of him, her client discerned that whatever she had to tell him was serious and likely unpleasant.
"What is it, Guna? Is the surrogate mother pulling out of our agreement?"
"No. No. It's just that your sperm got mixed up with another man's, and as such, it is yours that had been used to fertilise his wife's eggs instead of her husband's, sir."
"What!? How could that be? You're joking, right?" Raghnall was bewildered.
"I wish I were." Dr Guna braced herself for some harsh words, but his reaction was rather reasonable.
"Who are the couple? Why didn't you invite them to this meeting too so we can all talk about this together?"
"Um... the lady is a patient of mine, but her husband can be quite a difficult person. I'm too afraid to inform them right now, as it could cause her too much stress. She has a history of having miscarriages, so I fear this revelation will also contribute to that."
"So, what are you implying? You want me to stay out of my child's life for their sake or what? Are you insane!?"
"No. That's not what I mean. Just... just keep this a secret until the baby is born, please. I don't want her to miscarry this pregnancy, too, in the process of you guys fighting for custody. Please."
"Hmm." The man remained quiet for a while before asking. "Until she gives birth, you said?"
"Yes, Raghnall. Just until she delivers the baby successfully. It would not be too late to claim your child by then. Please."
"Alright. Send their particulars to Cedric, including a picture of them and their home address."
Dr Guna was glad that he had taken the news well, but she was hesitant about his request.
"I need to make sure that my baby is in good hands, don't I?"
"Sure. I'll text you their address, but please don't approach them yet until her delivery..."
They were suddenly interrupted by Raghnall's bodyguard, who just burst into the consulting room.
"Sir, there's a problem at the office, and they're requesting your presence immediately. It's about the former manager who fled the country."
"Alright, Cedric. Let's go then."
***
TimeNews@12pm:
"Sorry, to our dear viewers, but this just came in from our correspondents in Falltown. Two large planes collided in Northern Maniak just this morning, and unfortunately, all 138 passengers on both flights did not survive.
Our reporters are still at the scene as of now. We'll be giving you the updates if anything else gets released. So stay tuned..."
"Oh my God!" Freya, along with many others who were waiting at the outpatient department (OPD), exclaimed.
"Poor souls... may they rest in perfect peace." Some added sadly.
The radio sound faded into the background as a hospital staff member came out and called out for the "next person."
Freya immediately got up from her seat to go into the consulting room, but then her yo-yo toy fell down from her lap in the process and started rolling away, so she chased after it.
"Gotcha!" She said with a big smile as if catching her toy was such an accomplishment. She did not even notice the tall figure that she had just bumped into due to the excitement.
"Ahem... you need to watch where you're going, ma'am..." The man's guard tried to say something, but she just walked past them to the consulting room unawares.
*
"So, what does it say?" Freya asked, all too expectantly.
Her rapt attention was on the doctor seated right across from her. Every body expression the doctor made either added to her anxiety or relief depending on whatever interpretations that Freya gave to it as she impatiently waited to hear what the doctor had to tell her.
It's been two weeks now since her IVF transfer, and she's here to find out what the scan result says.
Dr Guna smiled as her eyes left the computer monter to her patient, and said. "First off, it's positive. You're pregnant with twins."
Freya smiled, but only for a moment as she waited for the 'but' part with bated breath. "Go on, doc. You seem to have something else to add."
"Um... there is a superfoetation issue, but there is no need to worr..."
"Super what?"
"No, wait. It's not a bad thing, so calm down first, Freya. It is just that, from the date of conception stated here, it seems that you were already pregnant before the IVF transfer."
"What!? How? And what does that even mean? Will my babies survive or what?"
"Haha... yeah, Freya, they will. There's no cause for alarm here.
"Oh. Okay. Now that scared the sh*t out of me."
"Sorry about that. But I'll have you start with antenatal visits from next week. Make sure to follow whatever the nurses and midwives tell you. Do remember to also come in for a review in two weeks. Congratulations, and have a great day, friend."
"Thanks, Guna." Freya waved her doctor friend before exiting the room for the next person to come.
She then chattered one of the cabs right outside the hospital and went home, overjoyed that she now housed not just one but two wonderful lives inside her belly.
She placed her hand to her still-soft and flat belly and gently rubbed against it while the car sped away.
*
"Keep the change." Freya said to the cab driver as she exited.
The driver only nodded in appreciation and left while Freya made for her house.
"She's here, momma! She's at the gate!"
Freya heard her sister-in-law's voice coming from inside the house as she tried to open the gate to go in but was met with resistance.
Surprised.
Freya tried to open the gate by herself as she usually does but still no luck. After several tries and still no success, she decided to ring the doorbell to call for the assistance of whichever in-laws of hers that were currently at home.
"Ding-dong. Ding-dong."
"What do you think that you're doing? Do you want to spoil the doorbell or what?" Her mother-in-law asked from the other end of the doorbell phone after answering it.
"I think the gate has been locked from inside, mother. Can you please let someone open it for me? I can't seem to do it from here." Freya said into the door phone at the gate.
"Oh, are you trying to come inside? If so, then don't bother. Look behind you."
Freya was confused, but she did as told.
"Have you seen that van parked over there? All your belongings are in there. Now, tell them where they should take you and leave here this instant."
"What are you saying, mother? This is me and my husband's house. I should leave here and go where? Please stop with the prank and open the gate. I am very exhausted from having spent too much time at the hospital."
"What husband are you talking about? The very one that you just killed? Have you not read the news? Dylan is dead. And you are the cause of it. Now leave the gates before I come and release the dogs on you."
"Mother, what are you implying? My husband is what? How? What are you even saying, mother?"
"Check the news about the plane crash today, Freya. Brother is dead, and we no longer want you in this house, so just leave. It's for your own good that you do so before mother gets there." Her sister-in-law added before disconnecting the door phone.
Freya was finding it very difficult to process what she was being told. Right then, her phone rang.
"Girl, I just heard the bad news. It's all over the media. Arla said the branch manager of Idels Corporation was among the casualties. That is Dylan, your husband, right? Are you alright, girl?"
"I... I don't know... Sienna. Let me... let me talk to you later..."
Right then, Freya heard the clanking sound of the gate being opened, and so she cut the call. "Mother..."
"Don't 'mother' me." Nina, the mother-in-law, said and continued. "It seems that you want to turn me into a wicked person by tempting me to release the dogs on you, isn't it? Is that what you're wishing for so we'll have spectators? Huh?"
The mother-in-law grabbed her by the hand and dragged her away from the gate all the way to the other side of the road.
"Mother... please. I... that's not so. I... I don't have anywhere to go." Freya tried to release herself from her mother-in-law's grip, but she failed due to the loss of strength. She was still in shock. Her head was spinning, and her eyes hurt.
"Take her away from here and be fast with it if you still want to receive the rest of your payment." Nina instructed the two men in the van, then left the still confused Freya with them, before she went back into the house and tightly secured the gate afterwards.
"Ma'am, where should we take you?" One of the two men asked but got no answer as Freya started to walk away from there to nowhere in particular.
Her thoughts were all over the place.
Recounting all the past events that had taken place in her five years of marriage, Freya couldn't help but be more confused and hurt.
Her husband, whom she chose over everyone, is dead. Now, who can she turn to? She only had more questions now and yet no one to give her any answer at all.
Her entire world is now shattered. How does she pick herself up from today onwards?
In her delirium, Freya was slowly drifting off the roadside onto the main road as she walked.
The sound of an oncoming truck honking was heard just a short distance away from where she was, but...