Chapter 87
Faith’s Pov
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+25 Points>
The afternoon light was soft and warm, painting golden stripes across the living room floor. I hummed a little tune, unwrapping the new clothes I bought. The weight of the world felt a little lighter, just for a few hours. I even got Marco a new toy car, a shiny red one, which he was currently crashing through an imagined city on the rug.
“Hey, little man,” I said, sitting beside him. He looked up, his eyes bright with play. “Can Mama talk to you for a minute?”
He nodded, pushing the car aside. “Is it about my new toys? Did you like the tower I made out of pillows?”
I laughed. “It’s even better than that. It’s about Astor.”
Marco’s face lit up even more. “Astor! He’s nice, Mama! He let us stay in his beautiful castle!”
I smiled, my heart feeling full. “He did, didn’t he? And you’re right, it is a beautiful castle. But Astor didn’t just let us stay because he’s nice, Marco. He shares a very special, deep bond with you.”
Marco tilted his head, his brow furrowed in confusion. “A deep… bond? What’s that, Mama?”
I took a deep breath, my hand trembling slightly. This was it. The moment I’d been both longing for and dreading. “It means, sweetheart, that Astor… he’s your father.”
Marco stared at me, then blinked. “My… father? Do I have a daddy?” he whispered, his voice
small.
“Yes, baby,” I said, my own voice thick with emotion. “You have a daddy. Astor is your daddy.”
His eyes, so big and trusting, slowly lit up. It was like watching a tiny sun burst to life inside him. That look, that pure, unburdened joy, that was what I lived for. I would tear down mountains and destroy the whole world, just to keep that smile on his face.
“But… but if he’s my daddy,” Marco began, his happiness mixing with a touch of confusion, “why didn’t he stay with us before? Why didn’t he come to our old house?”
My heart ached with the truth I couldn’t fully explain. “Daddy was working very, very hard, sweetie. He was building this big, beautiful castle for us. He wanted to make sure it was perfect and safe. And now that it’s ready, he can stay with us. Forever.”
I pulled him into a tight hug, burying my face in his soft hair. “How does that make you feel,
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< Chapter 87 my love?”
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He hugged me back, his small arms squeezing me tight. “I’m very happy, Mama! I have a daddy now, like everybody else!” His voice was muffled against my chest, but it was brimming with pure, simple joy.
Then, he pulled back, a new thought bubbling up. “But if Astor is my daddy… does that mean Isabella is my sister?”
My breath caught in my throat. Isabella? “Isabella? Do you know Isabella, Marco?”
He nodded eagerly. “Yes! Yesterday, when you left me with Uncle, he took me to meet Isabella and her mommy.”
My blood ran cold. My stomach clenched. Alice. No. No, no, no. I didn’t want her anywhere near my son. I didn’t know what she was capable of, what twisted games she might play. A cold dread seeped into my bones.
“Was… was her mother mean?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Marco shook his head. “No, Mama. She wasn’t mean. They even offered me cookies and juice. But I didn’t eat them. You always say I shouldn’t eat food from strangers unless you or Grandpa and Grandma say it’s okay.”
A huge sigh of relief escaped me, so strong it almost made me dizzy. Thank the moon Goddess. Thank all that was holy. He hadn’t eaten anything. The thought of Alice poisoning him, doing something awful… it made my hands tremble.
Just as I was trying to calm my racing heart, my phone buzzed on the coffee table. I glanced at it. A private number. My stomach dropped. I knew who that usually meant. Kyle. I briefly thought about calling Astor, telling him everything. No more secrets. Not between us.
But then, curiosity, or perhaps a foolish hope, made me tap the message. What I saw next hit me like a physical blow.
It was my medical records. My name. My doctor’s name. Every detail of my most confidential file from the day I gave birth. That day, I hadn’t gone for any regular check–ups. My stomach had been growing so fast, so unnaturally, a normal human doctor would have been terrified, suspicious. But I still gave birth at the hospital.
And then I saw it. The words blurred, then sharpened, stabbing into my vision. “Twin A… Twin
B…”
Twins.
I gave birth to twins.
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The world spun. I felt weak, lightheaded, like the air had been sucked out of the room. Twins? It was impossible. There was no way. I remembered the pain, the exhaustion, the utter darkness. But two babies?
My hand flew to my mouth, stifling a gasp. No. This couldn’t be real. I fumbled for my phone again, trying to call Kyle’s private number, the one he’d given me long ago. It rang once, twice,
then clicked. No answer.
Panic clawed at my throat. I needed to get out. I needed Astor. Marco. I needed to pick him up, grab my bag, and just go straight to Astor. We had to figure this out.
Just as I reached for Marco, intending to scoop him into my arms, my phone rang again.
Kyle.
I snatched it up, my voice shaking. “What is the meaning of this?”
He chuckled, a cold, dry sound that sent shivers down my spine. “The file is pretty much self–explanatory, wouldn’t you say, Faith?”
“No!” I shouted, shaking my head even though he couldn’t see me. “There’s no way! I didn’t give birth to twins!”
“Oh, really?” he purred, amused. “And how would you possibly know that? You were passed out throughout the birth, weren’t you? Your doctor claimed it was ‘overwhelming‘ for you.” His voice held a mocking tone, knowing full well the real reason I had barely kept consciousness during my wolf–child’s birth was not just human weakness.
“Stop playing games with me, Kyle!” I yelled, my voice cracking. “I told Astor everything! Everything!”
Another laugh. This one colder, sharper. “Is that so? Well, I’m tired of playing hide–and–seek with him. It’s better this way, don’t you think? Now we can fight face to face.”
“You don’t have a reason to fight Astor!” I cried, desperate. “Why don’t you just leave us
alone?”
“You know the reason why I can’t leave you alone, Faith,” he said, his voice dropping, becoming a chilling whisper. “From now on, when I call, you will answer. And if I hear that you have told Astor about this conversation, then you might not get a chance to see your baby girl ever again.”
The line went dead.
My phone slipped from my numb fingers, clattering to the floor. “Baby girl…” The words echoed in my mind. A baby girl. Another child. Mine. Astor’s. Hidden from me.
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I sank to the floor, a puddle of emotions, fear, confusion, and a terrifying, unbelievable hope swirling inside me. My baby girl. Were there really two of them? And Kyle… he had her. He had my other child.
