Piper’s POV
“Karen! Piper! Come here quick!” Erin Smith, Megan’s mom, yelled.
Mom and I rushed to the living room. After returning from the hotel, I immediately told mom everything, and she cried while saying that this incident was a trap that would make both of our lives suffer and I would lose my right as the heir to my grandma’s wealth.
Since I saw Megan’s body language in the hotel room this morning, I finally realized that all of this was just a trap set by Megan.
When I arrived in the living room, I saw Aunt Erin standing with her arms folded across her chests. A smile of happiness was on her lips. Meanwhile, grandma sat on the sofa with Megan. She put her arm around her as if she was the only grandchild who had done nothing wrong.
“Yes, mom,” Karen, my mother, said.
“Grandma,” I said.
“Leave the mansion this instant and never appear before me again. I’m disappointed in both of you. Now tidy up your things. The maids will help you,” she replied.
Mom immediately knelt before grandma, holding her legs. With her face wet with tears, she pleaded, “Mom, please don’t kick us out. We have nothing and we don’t know where we will live. Please forgive Piper’s mistake.”
And for the third time, grandma banged her wand on the floor. “No second chances for her. She has tarnished the good name of the family that has been preserved for generations. Get out of here!”
“Hey, get out of here. Do you want to see mom’s heart disease flare-up?” Aunt Erin said with a sly smile.
I approached mom, touching her trembling hand while looking at her puffy face and eyes, “Mom, let’s get out of here.”
After packing our things, we walked back to the living room. The maids handed me two suitcases containing my and mom’s belongings. Before stepping out of the mansion, we stood before grandma, “Grandma, we’re leaving. Take good care of yourself.”
As I expected, she turned her face away and answered nothing. That afternoon, it poured. The maids provided two umbrellas for the two of us.
After the gatekeeper opened the gate for us, my mother and I hurriedly ran in the rain to find a place to shelter from the rain and cold wind.
“Mom, let’s take shelter over there,” I invited as I pulled two large suitcases.
Mom and I crossed the highway and took shelter on the porch of a closed shop. It was still a clear sky, but the highway around the mansion was silent. Only one or two cars passed in front of us.
Our clothes were wet from the rain, and our bodies were shaking from the chilly wind. Our faces and skin looked pale and even our lips turned a darker color. I couldn’t let mom be in this condition or she would get sick.
And all I could think about was calling Ethan and asking him to let us stay in his empty villa. I hurriedly took my cell phone from my backpack and called him expectantly.
Moments later, Ethan answered my call with a cold and distinct tone of voice, as if reluctant to talk to me.
After explaining the problem I was facing and revealing my reason for calling him, he was silent for a while. My heart was beating quite fast. Mom stood beside me while clenching her hands into fists. I could see hope burning in her eyes.
After clearing his throat a few times, Ethan finally decided not to lend us his villa for a reason, namely because we no longer had any relationship. And he didn’t care where we lived or where we went. Even though I insisted on paying him, he still refused. Then, he hung up rudely.
Hearing his refusal and harsh words made me so sad that tears gathered at the edges of my eyes and were ready to spill out. However, I tried my best to stay strong and calm, even though I was sad and disappointed. This was all a misunderstanding. If only Ethan would have given me a chance to explain. Maybe things would have been different.
Mom looked at me with a hopeful and questioning gaze. I let out a long breath as I clutched my phone to my chest.
“How was it?” mom asked.
I shook my head. Mom bowed her head with a sad look on her face.
“I’ll try calling Lisa,” I said as I rushed to dial her number.
“Didn’t you say she was going to Greenmore?” mom asked.
“She told me that. I’ll try calling her because she’s our only hope.”
After the ringtone rang a few times, Lisa picked up the phone and luck was still on our side because Lisa had just returned from Greenmore last night. Mom’s originally sad face now turned happy.
After briefly explaining our condition, within thirty minutes, Lisa came and took us to her empty apartment. Along the way, I told her everything that happened to us while wiping away the tears that wouldn’t go away.
Arriving at her apartment, Lisa took my hand and looked into my eyes. “Piper, we’ve been best friends since childhood. I promise I’ll help you and your mom through this.”
I nodded. “Thank you.” Then, we linked our little fingers together as a promise of friendship.
A month after that incident, I found out I was pregnant. It was a soul-shaking realization. I never even thought that one night could make me pregnant. I don’t even remember who I did it with, so how could I hold him accountable if I knew nothing? The tough choice was mine.
But there was no way I was going to abort the baby in my womb because he had been a part of me since he occupied my womb. Even though life is difficult, I will still give birth to this baby and take care of him until he grows up. Maybe this is the way life should go.
I sat on the edge of the bed while wiping away the tears that flowed like a waterfall, lamenting the fate that was not as fortunate as the other girls. Everything that happened to me ruined my life and future.
Suddenly, mom came and sat beside me. She hugged me from the side and leaned her head against my shoulder. “We’ll get through this together. I will always be by your side.” And we cried together.
Eight months later, it was time for me to give birth. Doctor Kevin, who had been taking care of me, told me I was pregnant with twins. God gave me two gifts at once.
After experiencing constant contractions, my mom took me to the hospital. The nurses rushed me to the maternity ward and prepared everything for the delivery.
“Mom, it’s hurt. I can’t take it anymore,” I said as the pain of the contractions intensified. I curled up on the bed, my body shaking from the contractions that came every few minutes.
“Hang in there, sweetie. For the sake of your babies. You will soon see them born into the world. I’ll take care of you here,” mom replied with a panicked look on her face.
Both my hands gripped the headboard tightly. Sweat soaked my body, and I tried not to scream when the pain returned.
“Is her birth canal fully open?” mom asked the nurse who was checking my vagina.
“Just a little more. We’ll call the doctor now,” the nurse said.
Mom gripped my hand tightly and looked at me sadly, occasionally wiping the sweat off my face. Fifteen minutes passed and Doctor Kevin still hadn’t arrived. Mom, who was getting impatient, approached the nurse.
“Excuse me, where is the doctor? My daughter will give birth soon,” mom asked the nurse.
“Doctor Kevin is on his way, arriving shortly. We will examine the patient now. Please calm down.” They went back to check my vagina, and it was time for me to go into labor. Even the amniotic fluid had broken.
“Hold on, ma’am. Don’t push the baby out until the doctor comes,” the nurse pleaded. I nodded weakly.
Not long after, Doctor Kevin arrived in the maternity ward and immediately checked on me. He stood in front of my spread legs. Mom and a nurse stood beside me.
“Ok, now take a deep breath and push hard. One, two, three, Push!” Doctor Kevin exclaimed.
I took a deep breath and pushed hard, but my twins didn’t come out. After two pushes, only the first baby’s head came out. Mom, who was standing next to me, kept encouraging me.
“Piper, you can do it. Let’s push harder,” Doctor Kevin said.
It took three pushes until my first twin came out, then I pushed again to get my second twin out. And instantly, the sound of their loud cries filled the maternity ward.
“Piper, you just gave birth to boy and girl twins! Now you’re a mom,” mom said happily.
“I am a mom,” I said with tears of joy.
“Yes, you are a mom now and they are so perfect.”
I smiled happily even though my body felt very weak, as if all my energy had been absorbed. Then, Doctor Kevin came over and congratulated us, “Congratulations, Piper. Your twins are healthy and perfect.” Two nurses showed them to me. They looked tiny and adorable.
They were healthy and perfect. Thank God.
Then, the nurses took me to the hospitalization room. Mom had spent the night in the hospital with me. Meanwhile, my twins had been taken to a baby room. Finally, the long struggle for nine months had paid off with their presence beside me. Now, mom and I wouldn’t be lonely anymore.
The next morning, when I had just finished eating breakfast, suddenly a nurse came and entered my room in a hurry. A look of fear and panic was drawn on her face.
The nurse stood in front of me. Both her knees were trembling and in a stammering voice, she said, “Ma-madam, something happened to one of your twins. Sh-she died.”