"Please endure it, Mrs. Anderson. We'll soon get to the delivery room."Eve couldn't register what happened next. All she knew was that she was being wheeled down a long hallway and the pain in her stomach kept expanding with each second. "Eve, please keep up with the pain. I know you can handle it." Ethan continuously stroked her hair while wiping her sweat with the other hand. "It's too painful, Ethan. I think I'm gonna die!" Eve cried. How could she handle this pain? It was the most agonizing experience she'd ever gone through. "You can do it, Eve. I believe in you." Ethan's reassuring words were accompanied by the fear in his voice. It took forever before they finally wheeled her into the labor room. Her gynecologist appeared and the staff lifted her on a bed. "Help me, please! I don't wanna die, Doc!" "You aren't going to die, Mrs. Anderson. It's a momentary pain. Luckily, you're already opened.""C–Can I start pushing?""Yes, please. You can start pushing.""Ahhhhh! I can'
Swapping her with another baby? Eve pulled away and stared at the woman in astonishment. "Mum, what did you just say?" "I'm horrible, right?" Her mother covered her face and sobbed. "I understand if you don't forgive me, Eve. I don't think I deserve it. I wasn't in my right mind, I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought..." She trailed off and kept on sobbing. Eve opened her mouth, but no words came out. The accidental swapping wasn't an accident? Her Mum did that? "M–Mum, why did you..." Eve held back her tears from falling, trying her best to control the sudden grief compounding her heart. "Mum..." "Please don't call me that. I feel bad when you call me by that name. After what I did..." "Do you really hate me?" Eve sniffed. "What did Dad do for you to hate me so much? What did he do for you to abandon me?" "I don't hate you now, Eve." Her mother shook her head and looked up. "I am just ashamed to come near you. I am ashamed to be close to you after what I did." Eve
"Eve, please c–calm down. Your babies must not be far," Elena tried to coax her as Eve sat on the bed the next morning, bawling her eyes out. Ethan had ransacked the whole hospital last night. They'd even alerted the authorities, and all the staff that worked in the nursery were investigated, but... Her babies were nowhere to be found, they were still missing. And the surveillance cameras caught nothing. Everywhere was dark. "Eve." The Stewardess rubbed her shoulders. "Please don't cry, it can affect your health. Even if that person is cruel enough to kidnap the babies, I don't think they'll have the heart to hurt them."Hurt her babies? Eve cried harder. "That is what I'm scared of, Elena. What if they harm my babies!?""Shhhh, it's okay." Elena hugged her and patted her back. "Don't cry, Eve. Let's keep praying. Nothing will happen to the babies, the Young Master is out there with the authorities searching for them." "M–My babies." Eve's lips trembled and she sniffed rapidly. "My
Not every family stuck with each other forever. But forever is like asking for never. They'd all had their ups and downs. The brothers quarreled, not once, not twice, and definitely not thrice. Yet, at the end of the day, they always came back together, standing strong as one family. As Eve lounged on a recliner, staring at the vast ocean ahead, her mind couldn't help but wander to a few years back. Ethan left the company for Wade, but only to manage the one in the other city, as that city was much closer to the island. Well, they frequented here, and often, the whole family gathered here for vacation. "Mummy, I want more." A tiny voice came from her lap and Eve looked down at the baby. She'd almost been convinced that he was sleeping. Her fingers ran through his hair and she removed the straw from her mouth and let him sip the coconut juice. "This is your last sip, Evan. You can't have too much coconut." "Uhuh." The boy nodded and took a sip, but he didn't let go of the stra
Pain. It hurt. Her whole body ached so much as if her bones were breaking inside. Eve opened her eyes and through her blurry vision, the white ceiling loomed above. Her head pounded as she tried to remember where she was. But it was so hard to recall anything when the ache in her head kept increasing. The soft mattress underneath her moved as well as the bedsheet on her. What was she doing on a bed? Her heart stopped beating for a second then it all began coming back. The last time before her eyes closed, Eve could remember herself drowning. Her hands and legs were bound with hard ropes and she was blindfolded. She couldn't even struggle as she helplessly drowned to her death. But now... This pain in her body didn't feel like that of someone who had drowned. In fact, this pain felt familiar as if she'd experienced something similar before. The bedsheet moved again and Eve was now aware of her surroundings. Her eyes strayed to her left and she held her breath to stop
Eve spaced out, and she had the urge to touch him again to make sure he was real. There was a stark difference between his current appearance compared to the last days of their marriage. Because she had caused him so much trouble, Ethan had a hard time focusing on his business affairs despite his resilient attitude. Slowly, he changed from a fine gentleman whom everyone admired to a grumpy drunk whom everyone was afraid to go near. "Eve!" He seemed to be calling out her name for quite a while now because his voice got louder, snapping her out of her reverie. "I said get ready, we're going to the ancestral mansion." His anger had cooled off because he even addressed her the usual way he did. Without waiting for her reply, Ethan walked into the closet. The ancestral mansion.... The memory was as clear as day in Eve's mind. That time when she drugged Ethan, he'd asked her to follow him to the ancestral mansion the next morning, to apologize to his grandfather for leavin
"You've been acting weird since you woke up, unlike your usual self. Tell me, have you developed a new way to achieve your divorce goal?" Eve swallowed and let out a nervous laugh. "Who said I wanted a divorce?" Eve flashed him her sweetest smile. "You're my darling husband, and my only goal is to make you happy. And to achieve that, I must make your family happy, especially your grandfather." Ethan looked more confused than ever. His pupils expanded and he looked as if he was going to have a heart attack. The driver lost control and the car almost slammed into the gates. Eve was thrown off balance and the impact made her collide with Ethan's body who wrapped both arms around her protectively. Her heart hammered against her chest and she could also feel Ethan's heartbeat. "Do you want to lose your job?" Ethan said darkly to the driver who had already regained control of the wheel. "I– I am so sorry, Young Master. Please forgive my mistake," the driver apologized profusely
On hearing the voice, Eve was stunned for a few seconds. The burly man's hand stopped mid-air. "I should believe that you're not trying to harass this lady. Otherwise, I'll be forced to get the authorities," that voice continued. It was none other than Cole. Eve gulped and slowly turned around, her gaze landing on the young man with a gentle smile on his face. The last expression she'd seen on Cole's face was an evil smile as he and Mia revealed all their plans to her before leaving her to her misery. Seeing him now, Eve was forced to recall that memory. "It is not what you are thinking, Sir." Taking in Cole's appearance, the attendant's bitter expression transformed into a friendly smile. "You see, this lady here is a scam. She entered this store not with the intention of buying anything, but to waste our time and make a scene. That is why we are dealing with her." "How much is the painting?" Cole smiled, slipping both hands into his pockets. "Ahh, are you trying to save