The nurse's calm expression suddenly turned to confusion. “Baby? Are you pregnant?”

My heart beat froze. “Of course, I’m pregnant. Please tell me my baby is fine.”

“Umm….Ma’am, calm down please. Let me get the doctor right away.” The nurse concluded, rushing out of the room.

Panic drowned me as I waited. In a few minutes. Dr Jason, a young looking man walked in with a concerned face.

I felt a sting of fear, his expression didn’t look encouraging.

“Mrs. Sinclair, how are you feeling now?” He asked, gently touching my bandaged head.

“My baby,” I said desperately. Please tell me my baby is fine?”

Dr. Jason stepped backwards and checked the clipboard. He stared at me with intense eyes that suddenly sent chills down my spines.

“We ran some tests and your babies are still there but….” He paused, folded his hands together.

“Babies?” I asked, happily. “I’m having twins?”

“Yes, you’re. But you have to listen to me.” He said, bringing back a worried face.

“But what, Doctor?” I curiously asked. Now, I have mixed feelings. I was happy I’m having twins but I didn't know what he was about to say next.

“The trauma from the accident caused you some complications,” he said. “You are currently at a high risk for miscarriage and you can’t afford to stress your body at this point.

I felt like my world was crumbling right in front of me. “What are my chances?”

“Honestly, it’s less than %50. You need to be on a complete bed rest, any kind of strain including emotional distress could cause you to lose the pregnancy. So, avoid anything that would upset you.”

Tears flooded my eyes but couldn’t drop. “Can I see my husband? He needs to know about this.”

“Sure you can, let me quickly get him for you.” Dr. Jason said, gently patting my cheeks before leaving.

Somehow his words managed to calm me down but his touch was more comforting. I felt connected in a way that I had never done with a stranger.

I immediately reached for my phone and dialed Natel’s number but the call went straight to voicemail. I tried multiple times but got the same results.

“Where on earth is my husband?” I whispered, staring at the phone in shock.

“I can’t wait for Natel’s arrival anymore, I have to find him and tell him about our baby.” I said, as I slowly made my way out of the room with the support of the wall. The hallway was extremely busy with a lot of visitors and medical staff. Their loud voices made my head ache even more, I began to wish I could walk faster, away from their noise but a particular conversation made my steps freeze.

An elderly woman was speaking to a young man seated beside her while they waited to see their loved ones.

“How long have you been here?” I said.

“About 5 hours now, my wife had surgery this morning. What about you?”

“I’m waiting for the news about my granddaughter,” she smiled before replying. “she also had a minor surgery but i must say. I’ve been watching this famous hockey player. That young man with dark hair and a perfect hair line. His wife was rushed into the emergency room last night and he’s been here all night.”

“Really?”

“Yes, dear. It’s the most thoughtful thing I’ve ever seen. His wife was involved in an accident and he's been telling the nurses how much he loves her and she has saved his life. You can just see the pure love in his eyes.”

“I love intentional couples, they make companionship beautiful.” Another lady added. “That’s rare these days. Most men would have gone home, they can’t endure hospital smells. But not him. That’s true love.”

I stood speechless, my body suddenly became too heavy for my leg to carry. These strangers thought Lina was Natel's wife, they were praising him for being a romantic partner while his real wife stood in pain and confused.

I forced myself to keep walking, my heart was breaking but I still needed to find Natel at all cost. I didn’t know how to grow out of my ugly duckling situation. At this point, the emotional shock was making me dizzy and I frowned at my pain while laying on the wall for support as waves of nausea washed over me.

“You look a mess but don’t worry, I intend to make your life a living hell while you watch me take your darling husband.”A voice said, breaking me out of my deep thoughts.

I turned around to find Lina staring at me from behind with an evil smirk.

I stared back at her in shock. She was wearing a hospital gown but her words didn’t sound like someone who was in pain.

“What are you talking about? Haven’t you done enough harm already?”

Lina smiled coldly. “You heard me right, you have no idea what’s coming for you.”

For some reason I wasn’t surprised by her words, I should have known right from the beginning. “Are you threatening me?” I asked, still trying to understand the situation.

“It’s not a threat. I know what I want , so watch me take what rightfully belongs to me without lifting a finger.” She said, “Just so you know, Natel and I used to be college lovers before you came into the picture to destroy things.”

I was so angry that I reached out towards her, wanting to grab her throat for answers but Lina had other plans. The moment she saw my hand coming near her, she immediately brought out a surgical stainless steel and cut her hand with it. Flinging it to the ground, as she fell dramatically to the floor.

“Natel.” She screamed out loud. “PLEASE HELP ME!”

Before I could react, Natel came running down the hallway. His eyes didn’t glance at me for a second, rather he brushed my shoulder so hard, I tripped and fell with my stomach landing on the floor with a devastating force.

The pain was immediate, I was gasping for breath in silence as I felt an intense burning sensation in my abdomen. I could feel something warm and wet between my legs and I knew something was wrong.

“This can’t be happening,” I whispered, holding my stomach tight. no! Not my babies please.

“What happened? Nurse,” Natel shouted for help, trying to stop Lina’s bleeding. “How did you get hurt?”

“Natel, I really don’t know what I've done to Clara to deserve this. I was only trying to apologize to her for meddling in your affairs earlier in the car.” Lina pretentiously cried. “I didn’t mean to offend her but when I tried to apologize she brought out a surgical stainless steel and attacked me.”

“She what?” Natel screamed in disbelief and anger as he looked at me with Lina still in his arms. “Why do you keep messing things up, Clara? It’s all your fault.”

“I just wanted to make things right between us,” Lina cried out, with tears rolling down her eyes. “I admire your relationship so much but your wife seems to misunderstand me. She just wanted to hurt me”

Even with the pain in my stomach that was getting worse, I was irritated by her fake tears and was slowly losing consciousness. “Natel,” I whispered, my voice breaking with desperation. Trying to reach him but he wasn’t listening. “Our babies….Help!”

Natel played deaf ears to my cries, he was more focused on Lina, while the medical team rushed to assist her. Within seconds, Dr. Jason came for me. He grabbed my hand and gently carried me up. With blood soaking through my hospital gown as I pressed my hands tightly against my stomach, as if I could somehow stop the bleeding.

“I need two nurses in room 204 right now, she’s losing her baby.” He ordered.

Darkness began closing in on me. The last thing I saw before my vision went blank was my husband still holding Lina’s hand with a lot of concern, believing her lies while I lost out. I had dreamed of surprising him with a child that was meant to change everything.

“I will never forgive you, Natel, I promise.”