She stood there, momentarily stunned, a sense of disorientation washing over her.
Five years prior, amidst the unforgiving cold of the wilderness, Scarlett had given birth. The labor had been relentless, pushing her to the brink of unconsciousness.
When the Ridley family's attendants arrived, they discovered her firstborn lifeless.
They whisked away Scarlett, who was still unconscious, and Franklin, who was born just hours later, his tiny grip on life fragile but tenacious.
Upon awakening, Scarlett had relentlessly questioned the Ridley attendants about why she had only given birth to one child when she had been carrying twins.
Under her persistent probing, Harvey finally confessed that their initial reports had indicated the loss of one child.
The weather was too cold, and the child
