Chapter 2

“Why isn't that jealous woman, Iris, screaming anymore?”

“Sir... is Madam alright? Her screams last night were truly agonizing, heart-wrenching...”

Julian Blackwood took a sip of his broth, scoffing dismissively.

“No one knows Iris better than I do. She’s just faking it for attention! This time, I’m going to teach her a lesson she won’t forget, so she’ll finally leave Seraphina alone!”

Mr. Davis, the housekeeper, glanced nervously towards the attic, stammering:

“But Madam is carrying twins, Sir. The doctor said she needed to be admitted for labor early...”

Julian’s hand, holding the spoon, paused. A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face.

“Is that so?”

He scraped his spoon around the bowl for a moment, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

“Fine. Tell Iris to come out, make me some broth, and then crawl over here to apologize to Seraphina! It’s her due date today, so if her apology is sincere, we’ll send her to the hospital.”

Julian warmed a glass of milk and walked into the guest bedroom.

On the bed, Seraphina Hayes was breathing softly, evenly. The blanket had slipped off her shoulder, and a sliver of cleavage was tantalizingly revealed.

Julian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He stared at her for a long moment, visibly fighting to tear his eyes away, before finally leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips.

Seraphina slowly opened her eyes, stretched languidly, and pouted, her voice a soft, alluring purr:

“Julian~ You’re teasing me again~”

Julian parted his legs, letting Seraphina settle into his lap, his fingers gently tracing her waist.

“How could anyone resist when you look like that?”

Seraphina buried her head in Julian’s chest, purring contentedly.

“But Julian, Iris is carrying your child, and we’re both women. I can’t let you betray her when she’s at her most vulnerable!”

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked up, her face etched with anxiety:

“Iris was screaming so loudly last night, was she going into labor? Oh... even hearing Iris scream in such agony, I still feel envious! To carry *your* baby, Julian – even the pain of childbirth would be a sweet happiness for me.”

Sweet happiness?

My spirit, now a ghost, hovered near them.

The attic floor was slick with crimson blood, a horrifying canvas that covered every inch of the room.

The walls bore deep gouges, raw streaks where I’d clawed in agony, fragments of my broken nails and torn flesh clinging to the plaster.

And below, I’d torn myself apart, desperately trying to bring my children into the world.

When I finally managed to deliver the first baby, he was already still, lifeless.

Blood erupted from the gaping wound in my lower body, and the second baby was tragically stuck there, half-delivered in a ruined, bloody mess.

My hair was matted with sticky blood. Cradling my lifeless, blood-soaked baby, my eyes wide and unseeing, I finally stopped breathing.

I wondered what Julian’s reaction would be, whenever he finally saw this gruesome scene.

But now, he was only concerned with pulling Seraphina deeper into his embrace.

His voice was thick with guilt and self-reproach:

“It's all my fault! I shouldn't have let Iris, pregnant or not, upset you. I swear, this is the last time *that woman* will ever be pregnant with my child! You won't see another pregnant woman in this house, ever.”

“You don't know the lengths Iris went to, trying to manipulate me. She lied, claimed she was terrified of a difficult birth because the twins were so big, even said the doctor insisted she be hospitalized immediately.”

“She's a wilderness survival expert! She can last three days and nights in the wild without food! And she tells me she's *scared* of childbirth?”

My chest tightened in a sharp, agonizing pain, stealing my breath.

A pregnant woman's body is already so vulnerable, let alone carrying twins. From the moment I conceived, the relentless discomfort of this pregnancy had drained me, body and soul.

Several times, my poor health during pregnancy forced me into the hospital to prevent miscarriage.