CHAPTER 2
Months later, Claire found herself lying on a hospital bed, drenched in sweat, her body trembling as waves of unbearable pain crashed through her.
"Push!"
The nurse's voice echoed in the room.
Claire cried out, her fingers clutching the bedsheets so tightly they nearly tore. Her entire body shook as she pushed with everything, she had left in her.
The pain was everywhere, sharp, consuming, relentless.
"This… this is the most painful thing…" she gasped, her voice breaking into sobs.
Her vision blurred, her breathing uneven, and in the middle of it all… one face filled her mind.
Sebastian. His voice, his promises.
The way he once looked at her as though she mattered, and then the same man who told her to get rid of their child.
A tear slipped down her temple as she cried out again, her body arching with the intensity of the pain.
But even in that moment… something hardened inside her.
I will survive this…
And one day… you will pay for everything you did to me.
"Just a little more! You're almost there!" the nurse urged.
With a final, desperate scream, Claire pushed.
And suddenly…
A sharp, fragile cry filled the room.
The sound of a newborn baby.
Claire's body went still, her chest rising and falling rapidly as tears streamed down her face.
"My… baby…" she whispered weakly, a faint smile forming through her exhaustion.
But before she could even process it...
"Keep pushing, ma'am! There's another one coming!"
Claire's eyes widened faintly.
Another?
Her already weak body trembled in disbelief.
Twins…
"I… I can't…" she cried, shaking her head slightly as another wave of pain tore through her.
But there was no turning back.
"Sebas…tian!!!" she screamed, her voice echoing in the room as she gripped the sheets tightly, summoning every last ounce of strength within her.
And then... Another cry.
Her second baby.
Tears rolled freely down her cheeks as her body finally gave in to exhaustion. Her vision blurred completely, darkness slowly creeping in as everything around her faded.
When Claire opened her eyes again, everything felt heavy.
Her body ached in places she didn't know existed, and even the slightest movement sent waves of pain through her.
But she was alive.
"Claire…"
Her father's voice was soft, filled with emotion. She turned her head slightly and saw him beside her, holding her hand tightly before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"Congratulations," he said, his voice thick.
Claire's eyes filled with tears as she managed a weak nod.
"My babies…" she whispered.
With effort, she slowly sat up, her heart racing as her eyes searched the room, until they found them.
Two tiny figures lying peacefully in a crib. Clean, fragile and beautiful.
Her breath caught.
"They're twins… baby girls," her father said softly.
A soft, broken laugh escaped Claire as tears streamed down her face.
"They look like me… right?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Her father nodded, smiling gently.
"Yes… they do."
Claire stared at them, her heart swelling with a love so powerful it almost hurt.
She was a mother now.
Despite everything… she had brought life into the world.
A week passed.
Claire spent every moment caring for her daughters, feeding them, bathing them, holding them close as though they were the only things anchoring her to this world.
Because in truth… they were.
Their father was out there somewhere, a billionaire living his perfect life, unaware… or perhaps unwilling to care… that he had two daughters.
Two lives he had abandoned.
Claire gently placed the babies in their crib after feeding them, her movements soft and careful.
"So… what are their names?" her father asked quietly.
Claire looked at them, a small, genuine smile forming on her lips.
"Maja… and Janelle."
Her father smiled. "Beautiful names."
But his expression soon turned serious.
"Claire…" he began carefully. "What happens now?"
She didn't respond.
"You know our situation," he continued, his voice heavy. "We don't have enough to take care of two children. Not like this."
Claire's hands tightened slightly at her sides.
"Their father is a billionaire," he added. "He has more than enough to provide for them. You need to go back to him… tell him the truth, that they're twins. He should take responsibility for his children."
Silence filled the room.
Claire's expression slowly hardened, her gaze shifting back to her daughters. Her heart ached, but not with weakness this time but with something stronger, something dangerous.
"I can't do that," Claire whispered, her voice trembling as she pressed her hand against her chest. "He warned me… never to go back to his place. Sebastian and I… we're done for a very long time now. I… I'll do everything I can to raise my daughters well."
She swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall. Her chest tightened as she looked at Maja and Janelle, sleeping peacefully in their crib, innocent and unaware of the storm around them. Sebastian was already married. She couldn't expect him to care… She had to focus on her girls. On surviving. On giving them a life, no matter how difficult it becomes and when the right time comes, she would reveal the truth: who their father really was, how unworthy he had been, and the cold choice he had made when he tried to erase them before they were even born.
Her heart no longer trembled with sorrow. It hardened with resolve.
She would make sure Sebastian regretted everything, without ever touching her daughters again.
And when he comes crawling back… he would find not a trace of mercy left in her.