Is It Love Or a Lie?

Chapter 2 Crisis in the Delivery Room

But when she lunged forward, Lancelot twisted her arm behind her back, restraining her effortlessly. He even shielded Shirley as if afraid that Florence might hurt her.

Amidst the chaos, Shirley purposely raised her voice. "Don't do anything rash." Taking advantage of Lancelot's distraction, she slyly reached out to Florence.

Florence, completely off guard, stumbled backward as Shirley shoved her hard.

The blaring sound of a truck's horn roared closer, and Florence glimpsed a massive vehicle barreling toward her out of the corner of her eye.

Meanwhile, Shirley clung to Lancelot, her expression filled with feigned innocence, making them look like the perfect couple.

Florence's eyes turned bloodshot, her tears long dried, leaving only a single tear of blood clinging to the corner of her eye. The immense pain coursing through her body drained her strength, forcing her to close her eyes in reluctant resignation.

She didn't see Lancelot rushing toward her with a panicked look on his face.

When Florence finally regained consciousness, she found herself surrounded by a sea of white, the sharp smell of disinfectant permeating the air.

"Where... where am I?"

A searing pain shot through her abdomen, snapping Florence back to reality. She glanced down at her swollen belly, her eyes widening in disbelief.

'What is going on?'

"Florence, you're about to give birth. You need to stay calm, or you'll endanger the baby."

A soft voice interrupted her thoughts. Florence jerked her head up to see Shirley, feigning concern with that same sickening pretense.

The familiar setting and those all-too-familiar words hit Florence like a wave, and realization dawned on her. 'I've come back at this time!'

A wave of joy surged through her, and she instinctively placed her hands on her belly, feeling the strong heartbeat of the baby.

'This time, I won't let anyone hurt my four babies!'

Shirley didn't notice Florence's sudden change in demeanor. When Shirley saw her movement, her eyes flickered. "Let me help you to the delivery room."

In her previous life, it had been exactly like this, after entering the delivery room, Florence had lost consciousness. When she woke up, she was met with Shirley's tearful face. She told her that all her babies were lost due to complications.

All she had left to see were the tiny, lifeless bodies.

The memory made Florence's eyes fill with a burning hatred.

With a sharp slap, she shoved Shirley's hand away.

Shirley stumbled back, hitting the wall, and glared at Florence, rubbing the red mark forming on her hand. "What are you doing?"

Florence let out a mocking sneer, her eyes gleaming with a burning rage. "Oops, seems like my hand slipped."

Feigning clumsiness, Florence continued to strike Shirley repeatedly. Though each slap seemed light, she actually landed with full force.

Shirley dodged clumsily, not noticing the stairs edging closer behind her.

Seeing her chance, Florence seized the moment. With a sharp shove, she pushed Shirley down the stairs and then dragged her heavy body to the elevator.

'Shirley was a nurse at this hospital,' Florence thought bitterly. 'I was foolish enough to let her assist me with my delivery last time, which cost my four babies their lives. This time, I refuse to give birth here! I have to get out now.'

The babies kicked restlessly inside her, but Florence couldn't afford to hesitate. She hailed a cab and directed the driver to the nearest hospital.

By the time she arrived, her water had already broken.

Seeing her disheveled state and the absence of anyone accompanying her, the doctor looked puzzled. "Why didn't your family come with you? It's pretty careless to let you come alone."

Florence recalled Lancelot's indifferent gaze and his last words to her, and without hesitation, she replied, "My husband is dead! I can sign the papers myself."

After signing the necessary paperwork, she was wheeled into the operating room.

Under the harsh surgical lights, surrounded by unfamiliar ones, a deep sense of unease crept into her heart. She clutched the sheets tightly, feeling a faint fear bubbling up.

Thankfully, the anesthesia helped, and everything seemed to proceed smoothly at first.

But then, the monitors started blaring.

The nurse let out a startled cry as blood began soaking through the white sheets, spreading like a crimson tide.

"We have a postpartum hemorrhage! The patient needs a transfusion immediately."

Florence never imagined fate would play such a cruel joke on her.

She had fought so hard to change her destiny. This time, there was no Lancelot, no Shirley, and no complications during childbirth, yet she was now facing a hemorrhage after delivery.

Through her haze, she saw the frantic movements of the nurses.

"What do we do? The patient has a rare blood type. We don't have any in the blood bank. Transferring from another hospital will take time, but she might not hold on that long."

"Hurry! Check with the patients and staff, see if anyone's a match!"

Just then, Lancelot, who had been searching for Florence after learning she was Ms. Mooreing, arrived at the hospital. Hearing the urgent announcement over the intercom, he immediately approached the medical staff.

But Florence's reaction to Lancelot's arrival was anything but relieved. Instead, her face hardened with suspicion. Despite the lingering effects of the anesthesia, she felt suddenly alert.

She clung to the nurse's hand, her voice sharp and determined. "I don't want his blood! I refuse the treatment."

Lancelot, stepping into the room, froze as her words echoed through the air. For the first time, his usually cold expression wavered with fear.

"Florence, are you out of your mind? If you don't get the transfusion, you'll die!"

"I'm not crazy!" Florence's eyes bore into Lancelot's, filled with a mix of pain and cold resolve as if seeing him for the first time. Her voice, though strained, was firm and unyielding.

"I remember every single one of my four babies. If even one is Ms. Mooreing, I swear, even if I die, I'll drag you all to hell with me!"

She couldn't shake the fear that Lancelot might use this opportunity to harm her babies, just like before.