Chapter 89
Faith’s Pov
I was shaking like a leaf and my mind was just going bogus.
+25 Points
Can you go play with the others or maybe draw a picture outside,” I told Marco, running a hand through his slightly messy brown hair.
He beamed at me, already halfway to the door, but then he paused, his brow furrowed with serious concern. “Mommy, can I play with Isabella today? She has a big blue truck.”
The mention of Isabella’s name felt like a hard knock in my chest. Isabella was sweet, gentle, and utterly harmless, a perfect little angel. But she was related to Alice. And right now, trust was a foreign word.
“No, baby. Not today,” I said, trying to keep my voice light and steady.
He pouted. “Why not? Isabella is really, really nice. She let me have the red pencil yesterday.”
I knelt down, meeting his eyes. “I know she’s nice, Marco, but you need to play with the other children today, okay? Stay close to the swings.”
“But why can’t I see Isabella?” he insisted.
I sighed softly. “Because I said so, sweetie. Sometimes Mommies just know things. Go on,
now.”
That was enough for him. He was a good boy, and he trusted me fully. He gave me a quick, sticky kiss on the cheek and then bounced out the door.
I watched him go, the knot in my stomach tightening. It felt wrong to forbid him from playing with someone simply because of my suspicion of her mother but right now I had even bigger problems.
Once the door was closed, the silence rushed in. I was left alone with my greatest dilemma.
Did I give birth to twins?
The idea was crazy. It was impossible. But Kyle’s file looked real, and I may hate the man but till date he has never lied.
I told myself I didn’t trust Kyle, but his words had definitely worked their way under my skin. I needed confirmation from someone who was actually there, someone who had no reason to
lie.
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+25 Points
I grabbed my phone and dialed for Ma and Pa. They were my only witnesses from that day.
They answered immediately, the sound of crashing waves echoing in the background.
“Faith! Oh, honey, it’s so wonderful to hear from you!” Ma’s voice was warm and chirpy.
“We’re having the best time! Thank you again, so much, for insisting we take this trip,” Pa added. “You made this possible.”
A genuine smile touched my lips. “It’s no big deal, truly. I know you two deserve it. I can hear the ocean; it sounds like you’re having a lot of fun, and I know you’re probably busy, but I need to ask you both something important.”
They both chuckled, the sounds of happy ease. “Nonsense, dear girl. We can never, ever be too busy for you. You’re family.”
“Do you remember the day I gave birth? The day Marco was born?”
There was a moment of soft silence on their end.
“Remember it? Faith, that was the happiest day of our lives besides our wedding,” Mr. Gable said, his voice instantly solemn. “Our grandson was born that day. We wouldn’t forget a single moment.”
“Good,” I whispered. “Did you notice anything… out of the ordinary?”
I heard Mrs. Gable shift the phone. “Out of the ordinary? I’m not sure I understand, dear.”
“Well, it was quite normal, wasn’t it?” Mr. Gable mused. “Except that Marco was taken away almost immediately. They said he was weak and needed monitoring. He was whisked straight to the Monitoring Ward, not even the main nursery, and we couldn’t hold him until a couple of hours later. That was hard.” I already knew that but I need more.
I pushed gently. “The staff. The doctors. That moment when they took him. Think hard.
Please.”
Ma’s voice returned, suddenly softer, like she was thinking back across years.
“Well… now that you mention it, Faith, I did think it was strange,” she recalled. “They rushed Marco out in that little sealed crib very quickly, right? But just before the main doctor left, a second nurse, a very tall woman came rushing in. She had another small, empty cart with a sheet draped over it, and she looked terribly nervous.”
“Yes!” Mr. Gable cut in, sounding suddenly agitated. “She barely even looked at us. She just moved around your room and then she wheeled that second cart out the side door of the room, not the main corridor. And she did it so fast, like she was trying to hide it.”
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“It was just such a flurry of movement,” Mrs. Gable continued. “We thought maybe they were just bringing in clean supplies or something. But why use a separate cart, and why the side door?”
A wave of cold dread washed over me, chilling me to the bone. Two carts. Two bundles. A rush, a secret side door.
Why would they need two carts for one baby?
I closed my eyes, fighting against the crushing certainty that was starting to build.
The hospital had said my baby (singular) was weak. But what if one baby had been weak, and the other had been… taken?
“Faith? Are you still there, darling? What’s wrong?” Mrs. Gable asked, her voice now full of
alarm.
I swallowed hard, trying to sound calm even though my hands were shaking. “Nothing is wrong yet, Ma and Pa. I just… I’m going to tell you everything as soon as I make sense of it myself. I promise.”
“Well, you call us immediately if there’s something wrong. We love you very much, sweet girl.”
“I love you too. Enjoy the beach, okay?”
I hung up the phone, dropping it onto the sofa cushion.
My legs felt wobbly. I had to know for sure. I needed official proof, not just the file Kyle had sent, but the files directly from the source.
I called the hospital. My heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs.
I had to wait more than 30 minutes to confirm my details and my file number in order for them to finally tell me they were going to send them on my email.
When the email finally arrived, the file name glowed in the white light of my screen, mocking
- me.
I opened the attachment, trembling so badly I almost dropped the phone.
I scrolled down through the dates, the medication list, and the doctor’s notes. Everything matched what I remembered the time of birth, the weight, the name of the attending physician.
Then I reached the section labeled Fetal Count and Outcome.
My breath hitched in my throat, a painful, dry sob.
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< Chapter 89
The records were identical to the ones Alpha Kyle had sent.
Fetus One: Male. Healthy. Outcome: Discharged to Mother.
Fetus Two: Female. Outcome: Transferred to Specialized Care Unit, Date [Redacted].
It was the exact same file. I had given birth to a boy and a girl.
+25 Points
I leaned against the cold wall in the big living room that seemed too small at that moment, the floor feeling suddenly unsteady beneath my feet.
I didn’t just have a son. I had a daughter.
And she existed somewhere out there, and I hadn’t even known it.
How could I not know? How could I have carried a child for months, gone through the pain of birth, and not known about her existence? the guilt was unbearable.
Where was she? Was she being fed? Was she warm? Was she healthy? Kyle claimed he had her, but he was a manipulative and he haf an agenda. Was she being abused? Was she safe?
This was all my fault. If I hadn’t run away from the Pack, if I had given birth here then none of this would have happened. I had been so desperate for freedom that I lost my own child.
A powerful, fierce, terrifying maternal instinct roared to life inside me. I had only known about her existence for a few hours, but already, I was connected to this child I had never seen. I
would burn down the world to keep her safe.
But how could I save her?
I had two choices, and both were dangerous.
If I told Astor, Kyle would be furious. He would definitely would do the unthinkable.
But if I didn’t tell Astor, I was keeping a massive, life–altering secret from my mate, and that felt like a betrayal I might never recover from. Especially because this is his daughter as well.
Our daughter’s life was at stake. That was the only thing that mattered. I had to protect her, keep her out of harm’s way, and bring her home.
