Chapter 78
ARIA
The hospital room door burst open as Richard and Elaine rushed in, their faces etched with worry that melted into pure relief the moment they saw me sitting up in bed. Despite the medical bandages covering half my face, I could read every emotion crossing their features. Matthew appeared behind them, his arm protectively guiding a very pregnant Olivia through the doorway.
The second Olivia's eyes met mine, her composure shattered completely. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she froze in the entrance, one hand pressed to her mouth.
"Hey, Liv," I said with the best smile I could manage. "It's just a few scratches. Don't tell me you can't recognize your best friend anymore."
She practically flew to my bedside, wrapping me in the tightest embrace possible without disturbing my IV line. Her entire body trembled as she sobbed against my shoulder.
"How are you even alive?" she choked out between tears. "They told us you were dead. Uncle Richard and Aunt Elaine searched everywhere and only found a piece of your dress!"
I rubbed her back gently, overwhelmed by the warmth of human contact after days of thinking I'd never feel it again. Having Olivia here, solid and real and crying over me, felt like a miracle I didn't deserve.
Richard stepped closer, his voice thick with emotion as he began to explain.
"The reports of Aria's death were premature," he said carefully. "When she went over that cliff, I mobilized every search and rescue team in the state. We feared the worst—that the ocean had claimed her."
His voice cracked as he continued, and I closed my eyes, remembering those terrifying moments of free fall. The sensation of plummeting toward certain death, the scream ripped from my throat, the absolute certainty that my life was over.
"We found her caught in the branches of an ancient pine tree growing from the cliff face," Richard explained. "The tree somehow broke her fall and held her suspended above the rocks. It was almost as if..." He paused, glancing at me meaningfully. "As if Aaron was still protecting her."
The mention of my father sent a sharp pain through my chest. Dad had died, but somehow, I felt his presence in that moment on the cliff. His voice in my head telling me to hold on just a little longer.
"Christine wasn't so fortunate," Elaine added quietly. "She either hit the rocks below or was swept out to sea. The search teams are still looking, but..."
No one needed to finish that sentence. Christine—the woman who had stolen my identity at birth, murdered my father when he discovered her crimes, was gone. I searched my heart for even a flicker of grief and found nothing but cold satisfaction.
"We brought Aria directly to Matthew's private medical facility," Richard continued. "The entire staff signed confidentiality agreements. Especially regarding Blake."
"We planned to inform you once Aria was stable," Elaine explained, taking Olivia's hand. "We couldn't risk any information reaching Blake's ears."
Olivia nodded fiercely. "Good call. Blake doesn't deserve to know she's alive anyway."
I raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Haven't you heard the latest gossip?" Olivia's voice dripped with disdain. "Your loving husband might be permanently disabled. His left hand is completely mangled." She paused, clearly savoring the next part. "And social media is absolutely buzzing with photos of him and Emma on romantic dates all over the city."
The familiar cocktail of love and hatred burned through my veins—that toxic combination only Blake could inspire. I had loved him so desperately, had sacrificed everything trying to earn even a crumb of his affection. Our contract marriage had been my pathetic attempt to stay in his orbit, to make him see me as more than a business arrangement. Instead, he'd spent three years making me feel invisible while Emma remained his eternal obsession.
"How convenient," I said, my voice sharp with years of accumulated bitterness. "His wife is supposedly dead, and he's already playing house with his precious Emma. Did he even bother with a mourning period?"
Olivia snorted. "You're better off without that bastard, Aria. You always have been."
She was absolutely right. I'd wasted the best years of my life loving a man who saw me as nothing more than a convenient wife—someone to handle his social obligations while he pined for another woman. The realization didn't ease my pain; it crystallized it into something harder, sharper. Something I could use.
Olivia's gaze drifted to my abdomen, where a small but unmistakable bump was visible beneath the hospital gown. "And the baby?" she asked softly, her voice filled with concern.
I placed both hands protectively over my stomach. "The babies are fighters, apparently. They're determined to stick with me." I tried to keep my tone light, but emotion threatened to overwhelm me. "Turns out they inherited their mother's stubborn streak."
"Babies?" Olivia's eyes went wide. "As in plural?"
I nodded. "Twins."
"Oh my God!" Olivia squealed, momentarily forgetting the gravity of our situation. "Our kids are going to grow up together! This is absolutely perfect!"
Her enthusiasm was infectious, and I found myself smiling despite everything. That was Olivia—always finding light in the darkest moments.
"There are still risks due to the toxin exposure," Matthew interjected, slipping into his professional demeanor. "But both fetuses are developing normally. The pregnancies appear stable."
I remembered the ultrasound from earlier, seeing those tiny forms moving on the screen, hearing the strong, rapid heartbeats that filled the room. I'd been mesmerized by the visual proof of life growing inside me despite everything that had happened.
"I thought about ending it," I admitted quietly, staring down at my hands. "Taking myself and them out of this nightmare."
The room fell silent. No one judged me for the dark thoughts that had consumed me while hanging from that cliff, believing I had nothing left to live for.
I continued. "But then I felt movement. So tiny, but so determined. These babies were fighting to live."
I took a shaky breath, feeling strength flow back into my voice.
"I'm going to have them," I said firmly, tears blurring my vision. "I'm their mother. Even if they're born with complications from the poison, I'll love them unconditionally. I'll give them everything I never had."
I understood now what my father had been trying to tell me. The tree that caught me on that cliff—it was his final gift, his way of protecting me, telling me to live. For myself. For my children. For the future he'd never get to see.
"Dad saved me," I whispered. "Even in death, he was still protecting me."
Elaine squeezed my hand. "Aaron never stopped loving you, even when he couldn't tell you the truth."
I nodded, thinking of how my father had discovered the baby switch, how he'd wanted to tell me the truth when Christine decided he had to die, how he'd been silenced before he could expose her crimes.
Olivia grabbed my other hand, her own eyes brimming with tears. "You won't be alone in this. I'll be with you every step of the way."
She grinned through her tears. "Besides, what if these babies are born with superpowers from the toxin? How cool would that be?"
I couldn't help but laugh, and that laughter chased away the last shadows of despair. "Superhero twins?"
"Exactly! The Toxic Twins!" Olivia paused. "Okay, that sounds like a death metal band. We'll workshop the name."