Chapter 73
I had almost turned my office upside down trying to find a specific document. Running my hands through my hair, I groaned and went back to the shelf where the portfolios were filed neatly. A knock on my door made me pause, glancing in that direction.
"Millie, great timing," I said, heaving a sigh as I placed the portfolio back on the shelf and sat down on the couch.
Confused, Millie closed the door and walked toward me. "What's wrong?"
"I've been looking for one document about Margot's company. Remember the investor meeting we had last time? I know I left it here, didn't I?"
Millie laughed softly. "Genius," she said. "You brought it back home after the meeting. Maybe you left it in your room. Why don't you go check? I'll look through my files in case we both misplaced it."
Smacking my forehead, I laughed, almost embarrassed. "Right." I stood up. "I'll check my study when I get home. Call me if you find it here, alright?"
"Yes, boss," she teased, laughing. "Oh, also, Dione's back at the house since they're on school break. You ready to introduce her to your wife?"
Grabbing my handbag, I turned to Millie with a smile. "Yes—and the day after tomorrow, I'm going to tell her."
"Good for you," she said, nodding approvingly.
"Anyway," I sighed, "I definitely need to leave to check whether that document's at home. Thanks for today, Millie." I rushed out of my office and headed to the elevator.
When the doors opened to the lobby, I stepped out and went straight to the parking lot. Sliding into my car, I turned the ignition on and started the drive home. A smile played on my lips as I thought about our upcoming wedding anniversary.
Pulling up to the garage, I noticed Aurora's car already parked in its usual spot. "Oh," I murmured to myself. "She's home early today." Shrugging, I turned off the ignition and got out of the car.
As I entered the house, an eerie silence greeted me, making my brows rise. "Why is it so quiet in here?" I whispered, glancing around for any sign of her. "Is she in our bedroom?"
Walking down the hallway, I headed for the master bedroom. I knocked before opening the door. "Ro—" My voice cut short when I saw it empty. Stepping inside, I placed my handbag on the console and moved to the bathroom, knocking before twisting the knob—no one.
"Where is she?" I sighed, stepping back into the hallway. I was about to head toward my study when I froze. The nursery door stood wide open.
I stopped at the doorway and saw Aurora standing in front of the dresser, holding a familiar folder.
"No..." I whispered under my breath, recognizing it instantly. I stormed inside and snatched the ultrasound printout from her hands, clutching it against my chest. "What the hell are you doing in here?" I hissed, my heart pounding painfully.
No. No, no, no. She wasn't supposed to find out this way. My mind raced as I tried to process the look on her face—shock, betrayal, heartbreak.
Aurora pointed at the paper, her finger trembling. "That," she said, voice barely audible. "That's our child."
Hearing her say those words shattered whatever resolve I had left. She knew—she already knew. Then she pointed at the dresser, and my stomach dropped when I saw what she meant. Documents. Scattered. Not just the ultrasound.
"Sol..." her voice cracked as she wiped her face harshly. "The embezzlement, the shell accounts—everything. You're the reason?"
When our eyes met, I saw disappointment, pain, and everything else I feared to name. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. My voice had left me.
"Sol!" she yelled, and I flinched at the sound.
Her eyes were streaked with tears, her face flushed.
"Lies stacked on lies! You manipulated my company's bankruptcy?
You planned everything! You forced me to sign those clauses, forced me to marry you!
You controlled everything?!" Her voice broke, raw and furious.
"Was any of it real, Sloane? Or was everything we had just part of your goddamn game? "
Seeing her like that made my own tears fall.
I could feel what she felt—because I'd been there long before she ever was.
"You don't get to stand there and play the victim, Aurora.
It's your fault!" I shot back, voice trembling.
"Marcello Bianchi siphoned your company's funds, and all I did was leverage it against him. That's how he embezzled everything!"
I only did it for her—to show her Marcello Bianchi's true colors, and to find a way back into her life! I never meant for it to go this far.
My voice trembled, cracking between anger and desperation. "Besides... you walked away when I needed you most. Do you even know what that did to me?!" I yelled.
Aurora let out a bitter laugh that broke into a shaky breath.
"I left because I had my reasons! How many times do I have to tell you that, Sol?
!" Her voice cracked. "I thought I was protecting you—not leaving you to crawl into bed with schemes and—" she gestured at the folders scattered across the floor.
"God, this! I've been chasing clues, working my ass off to find the mastermind behind the embezzlement, thinking someone in my company was colluding with Monsieur Bianchi.
And it turns out... it was my wife all along. "
The disappointment in her voice was palpable, slicing through the air.
But I couldn't stop myself. Why did she get to blame me for everything when she was the one who let her guard down in the first place?
She trusted people simply because they'd been around long enough to fool her.
"Protecting me?" I spat. "You call abandoning me in the middle of hell protecting me? Do you know what it's like to bleed out alone, Aurora? You left me while I was carrying our children! You left me to rot while I fought for both of us!"
She froze, her eyes widening as she stared at me for what felt like forever.
"Children...?" she repeated softly, disbelief coating every syllable.
"There were two? Where are they? Why didn't you tell me?
" She took a step closer, but I instinctively stepped back, needing even the smallest distance between us.
My brows furrowed. What was she talking about? I had told her mother I was pregnant. And yet, when Aurora found out, she had me hurt—ordered her men to hurt me.
"Sol!" she shouted, dragging my attention back to her. "Why didn't you tell me? Those are my children, too! Where are they?!"
I stared at her, my body trembling. No. No, she had to know. I told her mother... her mother should have told her. Unless—no. No, that couldn't be...
My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
A cold realization twisted inside me, and I swallowed hard before whispering, "Yes.
They were twins." My voice rose to a broken hiss.
"They died because you weren't there! Because you chose to vanish instead of holding onto the family we were supposed to have!
You don't get to blame me for doing what I had to do to survive! "
"What?" she breathed, clutching her chest. "Died? Death?"
I laughed—a sound that tore out of me like glass—though tears streamed down my face.
The memories came crashing back, the ones I had tried to bury because they hurt too much.
They still did. "It's your fault I lost them.
All of it. Every bit of suffering, every sleepless night, every betrayal—it's your fault!
I fought tooth and nail to survive, to get my revenge on you. .. and it's all because of you!"
She looked at me, shaking her head, tears spilling freely. Maybe she was pretending not to know. Maybe she'd just forgotten. Maybe her mother never told her the truth. My fingers tightened around the ultrasound paper pressed against my chest.
"No. No, Sol!
" she cried, voice breaking. "Don't you dare put that on me!
I bled for this life—for this love—and you—" her sobs cut through her words, "you turned our home into a crime scene, into a mausoleum of secrets.
You've destroyed everything, Sloane. Everything! "
With what little strength I had left, I stepped toward her.
"Destroyed it? You left me with nothing but ashes, Aurora!
Shall I remind you?" My voice shook with rage and grief.
"You gave me a cheque—for what? For my service?
" My finger trembled as I pointed at her.
"Don't you dare pretend you're innocent.
You don't know the weight I carried—every lie, every goddamn choice I made—it was all to survive! "
I shoved her hard. She stumbled but didn't fall, only stared at me, wide-eyed and trembling.
"You hurt me without even knowing I was carrying your future heirs!
" I screamed. "You left me—never knowing I could give you what you always wanted.
I planned everything: delivering our children safely, juggling my master's degree, three jobs—and yet you, out of all people, dared to lay a hand on me while I was pregnant?
! You're the one who killed our children! Our children!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" she whispered, confusion flickering across her face.
Through my tears, I looked at her—and saw it. She didn't know. Not really. Not until now.
But my anger got the better of me. I wanted her to admit the truth—that she had ordered Marcello Bianchi to hurt me while I was pregnant. Because why else would Marcello Bianchi have known who I was, if not because of her?
"Why are you blaming me for everything?
" Aurora's voice trembled, torn between fury and disbelief.
"It was your choice to chase after me! You're the one who wanted to marry me—for what?
Revenge? Sloane, are you even thinking straight?
You manipulated everything I have just to get me back?
Is this some twisted show? All to make me taste my own medicine for leaving you twelve years ago? I didn't even know I got you pregnant!"
"Of course you wouldn't!" I shot back, tears streaming down my face.
"Remember when you said you were flying out of the country to visit your mother alone?
Right before your flight... what did you do?
You fucked me! And then, when you came back—what?
You left me. Broke up with me. Said you were done playing around, said you only used me.
I was about to tell you I was pregnant!"
"But you didn't."
"Why?" I demanded, my voice shaking.
I had reached out to her a million times, but she never once tried to listen.
And when I told her mother to tell her, what did she do?
She ordered her men to hurt me. "What's the point of knowing now, Ro?
Would you have stayed? Would you not have left me if I told you? "
Aurora's lips trembled as she nodded. "I would."
A bitter laugh escaped me as I shook my head. "Too late." I took a step back, my body trembling. "You left me with a broken heart. You left me with broken hope. You left me... and you killed the children who were supposed to be the proof of my love for you."
I sniffled, tears spilling freely. We stood there—so close, yet so far. It felt like the walls between us had grown thicker, higher, impossible to climb.
"I can't—" Aurora's voice broke. "I can't process this. Not all of it. Not now. I can't." She stepped back.
My heart shattered with every step she took. "Ro, wait." I reached out to her. "Please... just listen to me. Please, let me explain—"
She took another step back, shaking her head. "Explain? How do you explain this?" She gestured helplessly between the ultrasound in my hand and the scattered documents on the floor. "How do you explain loving me while planning to ruin me at the same time, huh, Sol?"
"Because I loved you so much, it killed me!" I cried, my voice cracking under the weight of everything I had buried for years. "And when you left, I didn't know how else to survive!"
Aurora didn't say another word. She just looked at me—her gaze blank, distant, like every trace of warmth had been stripped from her soul. Then, she gave me a smile, a ruined, fragile thing, before turning away.
"Ro!" I called out, trying to move, but my legs wouldn't obey. "Ro, please! Come back!" I pleaded, my voice breaking.
But instead of turning back, she slammed the door behind her—with finality. The sound echoed through the room like a gavel sealing my fate.
My knees gave out, and I collapsed to the floor, clutching the ultrasound to my chest as if it were my only salvation. Sobs wracked my body until there was nothing left—only the hollow ache of a love that had already died.
?·???°???°???·?
Leaning my hands on the sink, I bent over as nausea climbed up my throat, and I vomited. I coughed hard, my hands trembling as I twisted the faucet open and rinsed my mouth and the sink. Splashing my face with water, I stared at my reflection.
"Sloane?"
A voice outside the washroom made me flinch. "Are you alright?" one of my coworkers asked.
Clearing my throat, I wiped my hands and face, then turned off the faucet. Opening the door, I forced a small smile. "I'm fine—just... maybe another adjustment from pregnancy." I sighed as we walked back to our station.
She tilted her head, rubbing my back. "Did you get your ultrasound today?"
I hummed and nodded, grinning. "It's fraternal twins."
Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! Congratulations, Sloane."
"Thank you," I said with a shy smile.
"But did you try to reach out to your ex? It's twins, can you take care of them alone?"
Her question made me freeze. "I..." I swallowed hard, but before I could say anything, the door chimed as a customer entered. "Hello, good afternoon," I greeted, smiling as the customer browsed through the store shelves.
"I've been trying to reach out," I murmured to my coworker, leaning in with a low voice, "but she won't budge. How the hell am I supposed to tell my ex that I was left pregnant?"
"Have you tried calling your ex's parents? They could help you, you know. Just tell them you're pregnant."
I bit the inside of my cheek and exhaled. "I already did. I told them about the pregnancy, but... I don't know. I haven't heard back." I forced a smile at the customer who approached the counter with a few items.
After I scanned everything and the customer paid, my gaze drifted to the television screen mounted on the nearby wall. My breath caught when I saw the person on the screen.
Four months. Four fucking months since she left me. My heart pounded painfully as I stared at her familiar face. I thought I'd been doing fine without her beside me—but it still hurt.
"Ro," I whispered. Seeing her, even through a screen, felt like being stabbed straight through the chest.
My hand instinctively rested on my abdomen. My eyes stayed locked on the screen, my breathing turning ragged, chest rising and falling rapidly as I nearly stumbled backward. Seeing her again, four months after she broke me—it felt surreal.
The way she spoke, the way she moved—everything about her was so familiar. Like a ghost that refused to stop haunting me.
"Sloane."
A hand gripped my shoulder, making me jolt.
My vision blurred, my chest tightening. "I..." I forced a faint smile, tears rushing down my cheeks as I laughed bitterly. "I thought I was perfectly fine after the break-up, but... I guess I'm still not fine at all."
My voice trembled as I wiped away my tears. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on work.
When my shift finally ended, I waved goodbye to my coworker and stepped out of the store. Glancing up at the gray sky, I exhaled, a faint vapor escaping my lips.
Tugging my coat closer around me, I looked down at my small bump. "Don't worry, baby," I murmured. "Mommy will work hard to give you a better future."
As I walked down the pathway, I hummed softly to myself, letting the cool breeze brush against my skin. My brows furrowed when I noticed someone following me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a man. He quickly looked away when he realized I'd noticed him.
My pace quickened. It was late, though the sky hadn't turned completely dark yet. A few people still passed by, but something about his presence made my skin crawl. "Is he seriously following me, or are we just heading the same way?" I whispered under my breath.
Swallowing hard, I slowed down and caught his reflection in a shop window—he slowed too. Just as I was about to run, another man appeared in front of me.
And before I could react, a black car pulled up beside me. A group of men stepped out.
My first instinct was to step back—but alas, the man who had been following me was already standing behind me, and I bumped right into him. A knot formed in my throat.
"W-what do you need?" I asked, my voice breaking as I glanced around, searching for any escape route.
"Monsieur, such a beauty," the man behind me murmured, leaning close to my neck and inhaling my scent.
My body shivered. Another man stepped forward. "Are you Sloane Duvall?" he asked.
"W-what do you want?" I repeated, trying to sound intimidating, though I knew it was useless. My hand instinctively went to my abdomen. "Please... don't hurt me." My voice came out as a whisper.
Who were these people? They spoke to each other casually, as if discussing the weather. I thought it was my chance. I tried to run, but one of them grabbed me and slammed me against the empty wall of an alley.
"Did you think you could just walk away, lady?" one of them sneered, gripping my cheeks so hard I winced.
"Who are you?!" I hissed, my words muffled by his grip. "Please, let me go!"
One of the men stepped back as his phone rang. "Cover her mouth," he ordered before answering.
The man pressed his palm over my mouth. I glared at him and bit down hard on his hand, making him yell in pain.
"Bitch!" another man shouted, punching me straight in the stomach. I doubled over, groaning, clutching my abdomen as tears blurred my vision. The pain was sharp, unbearable.
The man I bit slapped me across the face—once, twice.
"Ms. Aurora, I need to go. I'll call back," the man with the phone said, and his words froze me in place.
What...?
I looked up, swallowing hard. When he turned toward me, recognition flickered through me—I knew him.
"What the hell did you do?!" he roared at the others.
"Monsieur Bianchi, why don't we just throw this woman away?" one of them muttered.
"Let me go!" I hissed, still clutching my abdomen. Between my thighs, I felt something warm and wet spreading. No... no... don't tell me I'm bleeding.
"Goddamn it! We were told not to touch her—just to scare her!" Bianchi barked, smacking the others. "Let's go! Now!"
The man I'd bitten glared down at me as I crouched in pain. He grabbed a fistful of my hair, slamming my head against the wall before landing another punch on my abdomen. I coughed, blood spilling from my lips.
"Serves you right," he spat, then turned and walked away.
I crumpled to the ground, groaning as the alley grew quiet. My chest rose and fell in uneven breaths. "Ro..." I whispered, broken. "Did you really... did you really have to hurt me like this?"
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I forced myself to stand. Every step was agony. "Help!" I shouted, staggering out of the alley. "Please! I'm bleeding!"
I pressed a trembling hand to my stomach, feeling the wetness between my legs grow heavier. "Please... please, little ones," I sobbed, "stay with Mommy."
"Miss!"
A woman's voice snapped through the ringing in my ears. She looked about my age—maybe younger.
"Miss, please," I gasped, reaching out to her. "Help..."
She rushed toward me, but before I could say another word, my vision went black.
When I woke up, a white ceiling greeted me. I groaned and tried to move, but a sharp sting in my hand stopped me.
"Finally, you're awake."
A woman's voice made me turn my head. I blinked, trying to focus on her face. As my vision cleared, reality struck me like a brick. My eyes widened, and my trembling hand reached for my abdomen. The bump was still there—but something felt horribly wrong.
The woman pressed a button above my bed.
"Thank you," I whispered, my voice cracking.
She smiled faintly. "I'm Millie, by the way. And you are?"
"Sloane," I murmured.
She nodded, her eyes softening. "You were bleeding badly when I brought you here," she said, sitting down on a stool beside the bed.
A lump formed in my throat. "W-what did the doctor tell you? Did they... say anything?" I asked.
Millie sighed, pressing her lips into a thin line. "Actually... I think—"
Her words were cut off when the door opened, revealing a doctor and a nurse. The doctor stepped beside me, checking my heartbeat and taking notes on the clipboard. I swallowed hard, a lump forming in my throat.
"Doctor," I managed to say, my voice trembling. "How are my babies? They're safe, right?" I asked, clinging to the last glimmer of hope.
The doctor looked at me, her eyes soft and careful.
"Ms. Sloane," she began, glancing down at her clipboard.
"According to our records, you've had all your ultrasounds and prenatal check-ups completed.
But..." she paused, her gaze lifting to meet mine, "the bleeding caused significant trauma to your abdomen—and one of your twins didn't make it. "
"What?" I whispered, blinking rapidly. "No. No, that can't be right. You must be mistaken. My babies are safe... they're not—" My voice cracked as panic rose in my chest. "Please, doctor, tell me that isn't true."
She flipped to another page on her clipboard and showed me the ultrasound results.
"We ran another scan while you were unconscious," she explained gently, pointing at the image.
"The baby boy no longer had a heartbeat when you arrived.
But your other twin—the baby girl—is strong. " She showed me the tiny shape of each.
"We call this vanishing twin syndrome," the doctor continued.
"It can happen during the first trimester.
Since your twins developed in separate placentas, the surviving baby isn't affected by the trauma.
If they had shared one placenta, the risk would have been much greater—you could have lost them both. "
"That isn't normal!
" I choked out, my tears spilling freely.
"I was attacked. Someone hurt me. I shouldn't have lost my baby!
" I sobbed, shaking my head. "How—how could this happen?
" My voice broke into a whisper. "Doctor, what should I do?
The other baby... she's fine, right? She's still okay?
But my baby boy—what's going to happen to him? "
The doctor's eyes softened further.
She offered a faint, sympathetic smile before stepping closer.
"Your body has already begun to reabsorb the tissue, Ms. Sloane.
We won't perform any surgery right now—it could endanger your surviving twin.
What we'll do is monitor your hormone levels and the baby's heartbeat closely. "
Her words blurred into a distant echo. I barely heard anything after that.
I lost one of my babies. I lost him. It was my fault.
The doctor kept speaking, but none of it mattered. All I could hear was the silence where his heartbeat should have been. All I could feel was the hollow ache of his absence, and the unbearable truth that he was gone.