Chapter 4

He responded with a lot of grace and optimism—just as she had expected. He was her childhood sweetheart. Though their marriage hadn't survived, she had been willing to make it work from the very day they first met.

They shared a thirteen-year-old daughter, and it had always been her dream to have all her children with the same father. Now, knowing she could never openly have children with her forbidden lover, she was desperately hoping these twins belonged to her ex-husband.

They had been meticulously planning this pregnancy for an entire year. Every month, during the precise window recommended by her gynaecologist, they would arrange a meetup at his house to have casual sex with the sole purpose of conceiving. Afterward, she would secretly run back to her lover to engage in passionate, wild lovemaking.

With her lover, they had always relied strictly on the withdrawal method to prevent pregnancy. With her ex-husband, however, they had unprotected sex, and he would remain inside her for five minutes afterward to ensure no semen was wasted. Because of this, every fiber of her being urged her to believe that the pregnancy belonged to him.

When he first answered the phone, she didn't reveal the truth right away. Suspecting something was up, he asked gently, “How are you?”

She hesitated. That simple question carried a weight far too heavy to explain, and she fought to keep her composure.

“I’m fine,” she replied, taking a breath before continuing. “I... missed my last period, and I suspect I might be pregnant. I’m planning to go to the gynaecologist to have it checked.”

“What? Come on, that’s amazing news!” he exclaimed, his excitement bursting through the receiver. “If you want, I can take you to the appointment and be there with you.”

She had known he would be thrilled, but she needed to navigate this next step alone. She had to ensure these were his children, and if there was any way to confirm paternity before resorting to a termination, she was determined to find it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here for you every step of the way,” he added softly.

Hearing those words, she finally broke down into tears. They had both wanted this child so badly. They had done everything right according to medical advice to bring this life into the world, and in her gut, she prayed endlessly that these were his babies.

“Dear, go get some rest and let me know when the next appointment is. I’ll be there with you,” he concluded warmly.

A wave of relief and reassurance washed over her, yet it couldn't fully quiet the agonizing confusion in her mind: the twins could still belong to another man.

That night, sleep was impossible. She felt her entire world crumbling around her. She lay awake staring at the ceiling, endlessly doing the math—recalculating dates, cross-referencing her ovulation cycles, and desperately trying to prove to herself that both babies belonged to the man who fathered her first child.

The next morning, she returned to her gynaecologist to deliver her decision.

“Miss Vale?” the receptionist called out. “The doctor is ready to see you now.”

She let out a long, shaky exhale and stepped inside. The doctor sat behind his desk in his well-furnished office, looking up at her with clear empathy. He knew how distressed she was, but he also knew how desperately she had wanted a child over the past year. Under normal circumstances, learning she was carrying twins should have been the happiest moment of her life.

He pulled out her medical records, tracking calendars, and the logged dates of her sexual encounters. They needed to review everything thoroughly to ensure they were making the right decision, especially if this was going to lead to a termination.

Her heart hammered in her chest—a volatile mix of nerves and frantic hope. She prayed the gynaecologist would give her a ray of hope. She needed to know if a non-invasive prenatal DNA test could be performed so early in the pregnancy, especially at less than a month along.

Yet, there was still one staggering detail she had kept hidden from the doctor.

The younger lover—the forbidden man she suspected might also be the father—was a twin himself.