Chapter 41

I needed to stall them for at least fifteen days.

Tonight, my heart is tight as I remember that I will finally meet my babies. That wretched woman will have her brats, and I will finally be able to get rid of her. Pavel told me not to approach until he gave the green light, but I have my own plans. Poisoning everyone was a success; they’re all feeling exhausted, and now I’ll act. I’ll sneak out.

"I’ll make that filthy rat pay. Tonight, I’ll take my babies!" I think.

***

POV Tatyana

Like a bird flying through the blue sky, the days passed—some in gray tones, others as dark as night. I’ve spent so many days sleeping, which is why my body aches so intensely. Dr. Zima helps me get out of bed.

"Come on, it’s time for the babies to be born!"

"Already?" I exclaim, startled.

"Yes! Take a shower and put on this surgical gown."

I’m too weak to question him, so I just let him help me with the shower and the change of clothes. After finishing, he takes me to the operating room.

"Is there even a medical wing here?" I ask as I enter a large space fully equipped with state-of-the-art medical devices.

"This place has everything! A true military hideout for any escape. Come, lie down here."

He holds my weak body and helps me lie down.

"My stomach feels like it’s about to explode!" I offer a weak smile, trying to mask my growing anxiety.

"I want you to stay calm. I’ll administer the anesthesia and perform the C-section. You won’t feel any pain."

"Alright! They need to be born anyway, right? I’m so hungry…" Dr. Zima looks at me with sorrow. "My stomach hurts endlessly, as if there’s a hole inside me."

"Pavel didn’t allow me to feed you properly," he explains as I glance at my body, noticing how thin and frail I’ve become.

"Will I be able to handle the C-section?"

"Yes, I’ll take care of you!"

He prepares everything, inserts the IV, and administers the anesthesia. My heart tightens, anxiety bubbling in my chest. I stop feeling anything from the waist down as a wave of fear and helplessness washes over me. I want to run, to destroy everything, but I don’t have the strength. I close my eyes, feeling a shred of happiness knowing my babies will live. If I could, I would give my life for them without hesitation.

"This is it. I’m giving my life so they can live. I hope Samuel will be a good father and that they won’t suffer," I think.

The surgery begins, and all I can wish for is Samuel by my side. How would he feel seeing the babies? I bet he’d struggle to hold back tears. I close my eyes, imagining him here. Tears burn and flow uncontrollably as I allow myself to hear his deep, powerful voice whispering in my ear: "I’m here and will never leave your side. They’ll be fine, I promise, my love. I love you."

I cry, feeling the pain in my chest. The anguish, the sense of powerlessness, and weakness form a knot in my throat that suffocates me.

"Don’t worry, everything is fine! I can already see the babies!"

An overwhelming, crushing sensation makes me tremble. I suffer silently, crying, feeling desolate. I feel dead inside thinking I won’t hold my children in my arms. I’m overwhelmed with pain, with grief. But for a brief moment, it all vanishes when I hear my first baby cry for the first time. A mixture of terror and joy fills me. A surge of genuine happiness radiates through my heart.

"I’ll place them in the incubators, and once I’m finished, I’ll show them to you."

I hear another sweet, unforgettable cry as my second baby is born. Words cannot describe the extraordinary, powerful feeling of hearing their cries. My third baby enters the world, and I’m overwhelmed by so much emotion.

"Congratulations, Tatyana. You had two boys and a girl."

I sob uncontrollably, knowing I have two princes and a princess. My voice breaks as I say their names.

"Magno, Alek, and Sarah Colt."

My moment of joy is interrupted by a sharp pain. I close my eyes, trying to endure it.

"Relax, it’ll pass soon. It’s just a minor hemorrhage," Dr. Zima says. But my magical moment is shattered when Pavel approaches my babies.

Dr. Zima cleans the babies and writes down the names I chose in the order of their birth. Once he finishes cleaning them, he completes my stitches.

"Can I hold them?" I ask, desperate.

"Beg!" Pavel declares cruelly.

I want to kill him in that moment, but I swallow my pride. All I want is to see their faces.

"Please, please, let me see them, please!" My eyes well up, and tears stream down again.

Pavel approaches me and shows me the babies.

"This is baby one, Magno Colt. This one is baby two, Alek Colt. And the third, Sarah Colt," Pavel announces as my children cry uncontrollably. They all look like Samuel, with small eyes and blonde hair, and my heart shatters as I see them.

"I’m not sure what we’ll do with the girl. Is Sarah the name you chose?" Pavel says, scrutinizing my daughter in his arms.

"Yes, it’s Sarah. What? What do you mean, you don’t know what you’ll do with her?"

Dr. Zima adjusts my body and moves me to the examination bed. He carefully sits me up, places pillows behind my back, and covers me with a blanket to keep me warm.

"Maybe I’ll kill your daughter. Women are weak, but I’ll think about it later. For now, I’m focused on you. Kill her, Zima," Pavel commands mercilessly.

"What?" The doctor is startled.

"Didn’t you hear me? Kill Tatyana, now!"

"That wasn’t our agreement. I was only supposed to deliver the babies. I don’t want to kill her."

"She had my grandchildren. Now kill her painlessly. I’ll be merciful," Pavel insists.

"Don’t kill me, please! Let me at least hold my children."

"No, they are my children!" Luara suddenly enters the room, approaching the incubators and looking at the babies as if they were merchandise.

"They’re perfect, except for the girl! You will suffer in my hands, do you know why? Because you’ll remind me of your surrogate belly."