My One True Love

Escape From Deceit

I opened my eyes slowly, my head throbbing in pain. My entire body in pain really, I remembered what had happened.

“ My baby!” I sat up panting and feeling my belly, I felt a warm hand against mine. Looking up, it was Ethan.

“ It's fine. The baby is fine,” he reassured and I heaved a sigh of relief. “ The doctor said that you had saved them by wrapping your hands around your belly as you fell. If you didn't do that, it might have been gone before reaching the hospital,” he spoke softly in an admirable tone.

“ Everything is fine as long as the baby is alright,” I relaxed now. “ I... Ouch,” I grabbed my left hand in pain.

“ Don't move around too much, you sprained your wrist. Luckily it wasn't a fracture,” he said examining the hand.

“ Alright,” I muttered.

“ Tracey, don't you have something to say?” He looked at Tracey in a way I had never seen him do before.

“ Our babies are looking huge. I heard that they are in good health,” Tracey gave me the fakest smile as she approached my bed.

“ What do you mean by ‘ OUR’ ?” I looked at both of them suspiciously.

“ I thought Ethan had already told you,” she acted so innocently. “ Come on, tell her,” she looked up at Ethan, caressing his face.

“ That's not what I'm asking you to say. You know very well I mean an apology,” he specified.

“ What was I supposed to do, huh? Do you think I'm with this, huh?” She still had the guts to justify herself.

“ It doesn't matter, Tracey,” he tried his best not to raise his voice.

“ Wait, what was Tracey talking about? What haven't you told me?” I looked into Ethan's eyes. I had a bad feeling about this.

“ Tracey has agreed to raise them, so she'll be the one to raise them as her own,” he said so casually. What did he mean by ‘his’ children? And how come it was ‘ they ’ and not ‘ it ’? Whatever the case, they were mine. “ And due to your fall, we had to conduct an ultrasound and the doctor said you're having twins,” he clarified.

“ Initially, I didn't want to accept to take care of anyone's children but then again it is Ethan's and I knew what mother-in-law was plotting, so I decided that you could have the babies and I would keep them and be their mother,” she chuckled. Was this a joke? I had never felt more afraid before. I mean, she had just pushed me off the stairs and now she wants to raise my children? This was madness.

“ I'll be right back. Let me see the doctor first,” he kissed Tracey in my presence before leaving. I guess, this was how he regarded me. To he and Tracey, I was nothing more than a surrogate.

“ It's a pity that you really think your dumb antics would save you. Do you really think I would let you take my place?” She squeezed my chin threateningly.

“ And I can just imagine how you feel seeing that Ethan didn't shout out me because I pushed you down the stairs. Poor thing,” she clicked her tongue.

“ Well, take care of yourself until you give birth. We can't have anything happening to you before then or can we?” She tapped my cheeks, smiling before leaving the room. My heart sank – this wasn't what I had bargained for

Picking up my phone, I called Momo. She was my only hope at this point, I needed to think of something fast. I wouldn't let my children be raised by another woman, especially not a woman who attempted to kill both I and my kids.

“ Hazel? What happened?” Her voice gave me relative calm.

“ I need your help,” I began to narrate everything that had happened and how I didn't want something that horrible to happen to my kids.

“ Calm down, Hazel. I'm coming over right now, I had a feeling this would happen, ” she sighed.

“ What do you mean by that?” I asked curiously.

“ You'll find out when I get there,” she said.

“ Please hurry,” I said before she hung up on me.

Momo arrived a couple of minutes later but just in time to whisk me away, I had never been more grateful.

“ A cab is already waiting for us outside, we just have to sneak you out of the hospital,” she whispered the moment she walked in. She hurriedly put on a nurse's uniform, and I wondered where she got it from.

“ What do you think you're doing?” I asked her confused. “ And are you coming along? How about your job?” I worried. I knew she needed her job.

“ Sneaking you out successfully and I'm just going to accompany you till I'm sure you're safe. I've packed everything for you from clothes to money to your passport, I even booked a flight for you,” she replied.

“ But if you return when I'm missing, you...”

“ I'm quitting,” she said bluntly. “ Don't feel guilty, this isn't just about you. I can't stay as his maid anymore, I'm fed up of having to put up with Tracey so once I drop you off, I'll move to the suburbs. I've already gotten an apartment there,” she beamed reassuringly.

“ Thank you,” I muttered as tears streamed down my cheeks. I was beyond grateful to Momo.

She made me sit on a wheelchair and with her nurse uniform in check and her face mask up, we left the room and without any form of suspicion left the hospital.

Getting into the cab, I took one more look at the hospital, I felt like a fool for not knowing my place earlier, and I regretted ever meeting him, he was undoubtedly my worst nightmare. I watched as the rain drops fell pit-pat on the window of the car as we drove off, it was the last I would see of him.