Devoiced and Pregnant With His Twin

The pen trembled between Evelyn's fingers. "Sign it." Alexander Carter's voice was cold. He didn't even look up from his phone. "You're wasting my time." Wasting his time. Three years of marriage reduced to that. Evelyn stared at the divorce papers on his desk. The Carter Group logo was stamped at the top. 40 floors below, Lagos was busy. But in this office, it was dead quiet. "Barren," the lawyer had written. "Unable to provide an heir." Her throat tightened. If only he knew. Her free hand moved to her stomach under her blazer. Three months. She was three months pregnant. But not with Alexander's child. With his twin brother's. It was one night. One mistake six months ago at the charity gala. Alexander was in New York. Damien was drinking alone, mourning his fiancée. Evelyn had only gone to check on him as family. One conversation led to another. And then... She never told Damien. He left for London the next day. Now she had twins growing inside her. And Alexander wanted to throw her away like trash because the doctors said she "couldn't conceive." "Are you going to sign or not?" Alexander snapped, finally meeting her eyes. His gray eyes were empty. "You'll get the Victoria Island apartment and 50 million. That's more than generous." Fifty million to disappear. Evelyn picked up the pen. Her hand was shaking. This was the end. She signed her name. Evelyn Carter. For the last time. Alexander took the papers and handed them to his assistant. "See her out." Evelyn stood. She wanted to scream that he was wrong. That she wasn't barren. That she was carrying his family name in the most dangerous way possible. But she didn't. She walked out. Because the moment she left that building, Alexander Carter was nothing to her. And Damien... Damien didn't even know she was alive. --- Three months later. Evelyn was working as a waitress in Yaba. Two jobs. Morning and night. She wore big shirts to hide the bump. She was tired. Broke. Alone. But she had her babies. "Refill for table 8," her manager called. Evelyn grabbed the coffee pot. Just one more hour and her shift was over. She walked to table 8. "Hello sir, can I get you anything else?" The man didn't look up. "Check please." That voice. Evelyn's heart stopped. She looked down. Gray eyes. Sharp jaw. Tall. In an expensive suit. Damien Carter. Alexander's twin brother. The father of her children. The coffee pot slipped. Hot coffee spilled across the table and onto his shirt. "I'm so sorry!" Evelyn grabbed napkins, panic rising. "I didn't--" Damien looked up. And froze. "Evel"Evelyn?" Damien's voice was low. Shocked. Evelyn's hands were shaking. Coffee was dripping from the table. Other customers were staring. "I... I have to go," she stammered. She dropped the napkins and turned to run. "Wait!" Damien stood up so fast his chair scraped. "Evelyn Carter. Is that you?" She didn't stop. She ran through the kitchen, pushed through the back door, and out into the Lagos evening. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would break. He recognized her. He saw the bump. How long did she have before Alexander knew? That night Evelyn couldn't sleep. She lay on her small mattress, both hands on her belly. "Shhh babies," she whispered. "Mommy's here. I'll keep you safe. I promise." The twins kicked back, like they understood. She had nothing. No money. No family. No husband. But she had them. And she would fight for them. --- 20 minutes away, in a penthouse in Victoria Island, Damien Carter was not sleeping either. He was watching CCTV footage from the cafe on his laptop. Over and over. Pausing on the moment Evelyn turned. Zooming in on her stomach. His jaw clenched. Six months ago. The gala. He'd been drunk. She'd been kind. He'd left for London the next morning and never looked back. "Could it be?" he muttered to himself. He picked up his phone and dialed. It rang twice. "Alex," Damien said when his brother answered. "We need to talk. It's about Evelyn." On the other end, Alexander Carter frowned. "What about her? I divorced her three months ago. She's nothing to me now." Damien stared at the frozen image of Evelyn's face on his screen. At the fear in her eyes. At the bump she was trying to hide. "That's what we need to talk about," Damien said quietly. "I think you were wrong about her." He hung up. And made a decision. Tomorrow, he was going to find her.The next morning. Evelyn woke up at 5am. Her back hurt. Her feet were swollen. But she had rent to pay. She pulled on her big oversized shirt and tied a sweater around her waist. The bump was getting harder to hide. First job: cleaning offices in Ikoyi. Second job: waitressing at the cafe from 2pm. She prayed Damien wouldn't come back today. --- At 9am, Damien Carter was already in his car. He'd spent all night pulling strings. CCTV from the cafe. Employee records. Bank transfers. Evelyn Carter. Former Mrs. Alexander Carter. Now working two jobs and living in a one-bedroom in Yaba. His driver pulled up across the street from her building. Damien got out. He was in a black suit. No tie. He looked like a CEO who was done playing games. He walked up the stairs to apartment 3B. And knocked. Inside, Evelyn froze. She was packing her lunch. Who would be knocking at 9am? She opened the door a crack. And her blood ran cold. Damien Carter. Standing in her hallway. Looking at her like he owned her. His eyes went straight to her stomach. "Evelyn," he said. His voice was soft. Not angry. Not cold like Alexander. "We need to talk. About the babies." Evelyn's heart dropped to her feet. He knew.Evelyn's fingers gripped the door frame. "I... I don't know what you're talking about." Damien stepped closer, but didn't cross the threshold. He was giving her space. Unlike Alexander. "Evelyn, please," he said quietly. "I saw you yesterday. And I saw... I saw the bump. Are they mine?" The word 'mine' broke something in her. Tears welled in Evelyn's eyes. Three months of hiding. Three months of fear. "How did you find me?" she whispered. "I have resources," Damien said. "And I have questions. Can I come in? Just for five minutes. I promise I won't hurt you." Evelyn hesitated. Every instinct told her to run. To lie. To protect her babies. But something in Damien's eyes... it wasn't like Alexander's. It wasn't cold. It was worried. She stepped aside. Damien walked in. The apartment was small. Clean. There were two tiny baby shoes on the table. His throat bobbed. "Twins," he said softly. "The doctor confirmed it?" Evelyn nodded, arms crossed over her stomach like armor. "Three months. Due in six months." Damien ran a hand through his hair. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell Alexander?" "Because Alexander divorced me for being barren!" Evelyn snapped, the pain finally boiling over. "He called me useless. He threw me out with 50 million and an NDA. And you... you left for London the next day!" The room went silent. Damien looked at her. Really looked at her. The dark circles under her eyes. The worn-out shoes. The way she was protecting her belly. "I didn't know," he said. "I was a mess after... after my fiancée died. I don't even remember much from that night. But Evelyn, I'm here now." "Why?" Evelyn asked. "So you can take them from me too? Like Alexander took everything else?" "No," Damien said firmly. "So I can help you. So I can be there for them. For you." Evelyn shook her head. "You don't get to just show up and play family. You and your brother ruined me." Damien took a step forward. "Then let me fix it. Let me prove it. Starting with getting you out of this place and somewhere safe. Somewhere Alexander can't find you." Evelyn stared at him. Safe. She hadn't felt safe in months. Her phone buzzed. Unknown number. She glanced at it. Her blood froze. It was a text. `I know you're pregnant. We need to talk. - A` Alexander. Damien saw her face. "What is it?" Evelyn showed him the phone. Damien's jaw clenched. "He knows." Outside, a black car pulled up to the building. Chapter 1 END