“What do you mean the entire private wing has been bought?!”

A woman in her late twenties’ voice cracked like a whip across the reception desk. The loud slam of her fist made the receptionist stumble backward with one hand flying to her chest.

“I’m sorry, madam, but it was reserved this morning by—”

“Reserved?! My sister is bleeding out and in early labor! She’s carrying twins, for God’s sake! This is an emergency!”

Poppy Mascot could barely follow the shouting. The world tilted violently as another wave of pain tore through her abdomen.

Her warm blood soaked through the thin hospital gown, sticking to her thighs. With her vision already blurred at the edges, the harsh white lights above turned into smeared halos.

‘Not now… Please, not now.’ she whimpered inwardly, biting her bottom lip to subdue the contraction.

Before she knew it, strong hands lifted her onto a gurney. Someone shone a light into her eyes, but she could hardly feel it. All she could focus on was the sharp kicks inside her.

Her babies fighting to survive!

“Poppy… Pops, keep your eyes open!”

A familiar hand grabbed hers tightly. Through the haze, she saw her stepsister’s face hovering above her. Her eyes wide with what looked like concern.

“You’re going to be okay, sister,” her sister, Jill, whispered fiercely. “The babies will be fine. Just stay with me.”

Poppy squeezed back weakly, clinging to that small comfort. She was grateful her husband hadn't shown up yet.

The gurney wheels screeched as they rushed her down the corridor. Fluorescent lights streaked past like falling stars. Every movement sent fresh agony through her body.

She was vaguely aware of being moved onto a bed until the bright lamp above burned her eyes.

“Where… where are they taking me?” she rasped, voice barely audible.

“Just calm down. You'll be fine.”

Laying on the narrow bed, Poppy's legs were being forced wide apart by two nurses. A doctor in a white coat stood between them, his gloved hands moving into her body.

“You’re doing fine, Mrs. Mascot. Just breathe. When the next contraction comes, I need you to push.”

On any other day, the humiliation and exposure would have made her want to crawl out of her skin. Today, she barely registered. All she cared about were the two lives fighting to survive inside her.

These were her first babies to cross seven months. She couldn’t lose them now.

“Push!” the doctor commanded.

And she pushed.

Hours seemed to blur into one long scream of pain. Sweat drenched her hair and the sheets. Her body trembled violently with every contraction.

Jill stood beside her, gripping her hand tightly. “One more! The first one is almost here!”

With a final, guttural cry that tore from her throat, Poppy pushed.

A sharp, faint wail cut through the room.

“It’s a boy!”

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. Before she could catch her breath, another wave slammed into her. Her body was failing. Poppy shook her head weakly while her hands fell to the side from the gone strength.

“Come on, Pops. Push for the baby. Just one more time.”

Gathering the last shreds of her will, she gave everything she had left.

Moments later, the second cry joined the first; smaller, but just as fierce.

“It’s a girl!”

For one precious moment, Poppy smiled weakly. Her chest flooded with overwhelming love as she caught a blurry glimpse of her babies. They were here and alive.

Then Poppy's body finally gave out.

…

Beep… Beep… Beep…

“Pops? You awake?”

Poppy's eyelids fluttered open. The first thing she was aware of was the sterile smell of the hospital filling her nostrils.

“Jill…” she whispered hoarsely.

Her stepsister leaned over her, smiling gently. “Hey. You scared us for a second there.”

“My babies…” Poppy's voice cracked. “Where are my babies?”

“They’re fine. Both of them. Healthy and strong. Just relax, okay? You need to rest.”

Upon hearing that, the tight knot in her chest loosened a little. Despite not being here, she was still anxious about Will.

Will had threatened to take them away the moment they were born. With the help of her demonic mother in-law, she had fallen into early labour from stress.

Prior before, Poppy already prepared herself for the worst.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she thought about the plane ticket she had hidden and the modeling job from Made-In-York waiting for her; after job hunting like a mad woman.

One more night, and she would finally be free from Will. And before he would even hear she had given birth, she would already be out of the country.

Poppy let out a strained sigh at the thought of him. She figured to just let herself rest, like Jill had said.

However, a deep, cold voice spoke from the corner of the room, sending shivers down her spine.

“You’re awake. Good.”

Poppy turned her head slowly toward the corner of the room.

The moment her eyes landed on him, her heart violently stuttered!

Will Mascot sat there with his legs elegantly crossed, dressed in a flawless tailored suit as if he hadn’t just run down to the hospital.

His gaze was ice-cold, filled with deep resentment and disdain. Not a trace of warmth. Not a hint of concern for the woman who had just given birth to his children.

Poppy's voice came out weak and trembling. “Will… What are… What are you doing here?”

She never called him. He was supposed to be on a business trip thousands of miles away. He wasn’t supposed to know she had gone into early labor.

Will didn’t answer immediately. He took his sweet time closing the leather folder in his lap, the silence in the room growing heavier with every passing second. Only the steady beeping of the heart monitor echoed like a countdown to doom.

Slowly, he stood up. The sharp click of his expensive leather shoes against the tiled floor sounded like judgment itself as he approached her bed.

He stopped right beside her, towering over her fragile, bloodless body. There was no pity in his eyes — only cold calculation, as though he were looking at something disposable.

He spoke in a tone that was calm yet merciless. “I received news that my wife was planning to disappear with my children. Did you really think you could hide it from me, Poppy?”

Poppy's chest tightened painfully. She struggled to push herself up, but a sharp stab of pain made her gasp. “The babies… Will, please… stay away from them—”

“You’ve finally given me what I wanted,” he cut her off ruthlessly. “Our marriage is over.”

Poppy was taken aback.

“What…?” her lips trembled, together with her eyes widening in disbelief and horror.

Will snapped his fingers. His assistant immediately stepped forward and placed a thick envelope into his hand.

His lips curled in utter disgust. “You tried to run away. You even looked into abortion clinics behind my back… But in the end, you still delivered what the Mascot family needed — twin heirs. Well done.”

“How can you accuse me of something so vicious?!” Poppy's voice cracked with pain and anger. “I never tried to abort them! I—”

Will interrupted coldly, “I don’t want to hear your lies anymore. You have fulfilled your duty. Sign the divorce papers. I want you out of the country before midnight. From today onward, it should be as if Poppy Mascot never existed in our lives.”

He tossed the envelope onto the bed like throwing trash.

Tears of fury and despair burned in Poppy's eyes. “You… you cannot be serious! I just gave birth! I’m still bleeding, and you want to snatch my children away from me? I am their mother!”

Will let out a low, mocking chuckle that sent chills down her spine.

“I don’t keep useless loose ends, Poppy. You will never see my children again. Ever.”

He straightened his tie with indifference and turned to leave, as if she was no longer worth his time.

But just as he reached the door, the thick envelope flew past his head and slammed against the wall.

Will paused. He glanced back with a bored, arrogant smirk at the furious yet powerless woman on the bed.

“I will not let you take them away from me!” Poppy hissed, her voice shaking with raw hatred.

Will's smirk only deepened before he walked out without another word. The door closed with a soft, final click.

And the room fell into a heavy silence.

Poppy lay there gasping, her body screaming in pain from that small burst of anger. Yet the unease in her heart only grew stronger.

Who told him?

She had been so careful — the burner phone, the secret flight ticket, the late-night calls to the modeling agency in New York… How did he find out?

The only person she had trusted with everything was—

A soft, mocking chuckle suddenly sounded from the corner near the plastic bassinets.

Poppy's blood instantly ran cold.

“Jill…?”

Jill didn’t even look at her. Her gaze was fixed on the two sleeping infants with the hungry, possessive eyes of a wolf staring at fresh prey.

She reached out with a perfectly manicured finger and gently traced the edge of the baby girl’s bassinet.

Jill whispered sweetly, “Don’t worry, my little darlings… You’ll be mine very soon.”

Then her eyes shifted to Poppy, filled with pure contempt and jealousy.

“As for your mother…” Jill smiled viciously, “she’ll be going on a very, very loooooong trip.”

Poppy's fingers gripped the bedsheet tightly as Jill took slow, deliberate steps toward her. The smile on her stepsister’s face was wide, but her eyes were completely dead.

“You know,” Jill said casually while reaching into her designer bag, “I didn’t originally plan for you to leave the country. But Will is too generous. Honestly, I don’t know why he’s letting you live at all.”

Her expression suddenly twisted with ugly rage.

“I need those children more than you do! Do you understand that?!”

Poppy's heart pounded violently. She watched in horror as Jill pulled out a syringe from her bag.

Jill tapped the syringe with a sickening flick, her smile turning manic.

“Do you understand me, dear sister?”

Tears of betrayal and fear filled Poppy's eyes. She gave a small, shaky nod.

Only then did Jill's face soften into a satisfied smile.

How bitterly she had cried when the doctors told her she could never have children. And in that same year, this useless bitch came to her happily announcing her pregnancy with twins.

The jealousy had eaten her alive!

She had even secretly mixed abortion pills into Poppy's food for months. But now… she no longer needed tricks.

The moment Jill brought the needle closer to Ashley’s neck, Poppy's survival instinct exploded.

Poppy screamed at the top of her lungs, “You crazy bitch!”

Her voice was hoarse but also filled with undescribable fury. “Stay away from me!”

Despite the agonizing pain tearing through her lower body and the blood still seeping between her legs, Poppy fought like a cornered beast.

She swung her arm wildly and slapped Jill hard across the face, leaving five red marks on her stepsister’s cheek.