Episode002
1131 Words
NINA'S POINT OF VIEW
"Mira! Nina! "Come here, quick!" Emilia Niko’s voice rang through the mansion.
Mom and I hurried to reach the living room. I shared everything with her immediately after coming back from the hotel. She broke down and explained that everything had been arranged to ruin both our lives and strip me of my inheritance rights from Grandma.
I found Aunt Emilia standing in the living room with her arms crossed and a satisfied grin on her face. The grandmother held Noora close on the sofa as though she was the sole grandchild who hadn’t committed any wrongdoings.
"Yes, Mom?" Mira asked cautiously.
"Grandma..." My voice wavered.
Grandma’s expression remained cold. Get out of this mansion immediately and never return again. You have both disappointed me beyond measure. Pack your things. The maids will help you."
Mom went down to her knees directly as she grabbed Grandma’s legs. Tears streamed down her face. "Mom, please! Don’t do this! We have nowhere to go! Please, forgive Nina!"
Grandma hit her cane against the marble floor for the third time. "No second chances. She has disgraced this family’s name! Out!"
"Go already! Aunt Emilia sneered as she warned that her words would cause Mom’s heart condition to worsen.
I seized Mom’s quivering hand while tears welled in my own eyes. "Mom, let’s go."
Two suitcases arrived from the maids containing all our possessions packed within minutes. We stood before Grandma one last time. "Take care of yourself," I said softly.
She turned her face away. Not a word. Not a glance.
As we opened the door to the outdoors, we felt heavy rain hitting us hard. The maids handed us umbrellas but they proved futile. The storm inside remained unshielded despite everything.
We rushed down the driveway as Mom and I trailed our suitcases behind us. The mansion gates opened with a creak, and we entered a realm of uncertainty.
"I spotted a closed shop with a small porch across the street," I suggested to Mom, "let's take shelter there."
We sprinted through the pouring rain while our clothes remained drenched. The cold wind a bit at our skin. Mom shivered beside me, lips pale.
I pulled out my phone. I could think of Aleksi as the only possible person to help. Aleksi. He owned an empty villa. Maybe—just maybe—he’d let us stay there.
I dialed his number with shaking fingers.
It rang.
Then, he picked him up. His voice was distant. Cold. Uninterested.
I told him everything. Explained our situation. I asked Aleksi if we could spend the night at his villa.
Silence.
My heart pounded. Mom’s hopeful eyes watched me closely.
Then, Aleksi cleared his throat. "No. Our paths in life have completely separated ourselves from one another. Your destination and future circumstances do not concern me. And no, I don’t need your money."
Click.
Tears blurred my vision. I had begged. He immediately severed our connection without considering it further.
Mom clutched my arm. "What did he say?"
I shook my head. She exhaled shakily, her face falling.
"I’ll try reaching Hanna," I whispered with difficulty.
"Didn’t she leave for Greenhouse?" Mom asked hesitantly.
"I’ll call anyway. She’s our only hope."
After a few rings, Hanna answered. A wave of relief swept through me when she explained that she had just gotten back last night. Mom’s face lit up.
Thirty minutes later she arrived in her vehicle displaying worried eyes. "Come on, let’s go."
During the drive to her apartment, I shared all the details with her. Every betrayal. Every heartbreak. I was overwhelmed by everything but Hanna supported me by holding my hand as my voice broke.
Inside her apartment she pressed my fingers softly between hers. Nina and I have been inseparable friends since our childhood days. I will support you through this difficult time so you won’t have to face it by yourself.
I nodded, swallowing hard. "Thank you."
We intertwined our small fingers together exactly like we did when we were children.
I discovered I was pregnant one month from that day.
The test trembled in my hands. My stomach twisted. One night. One mistake. And now...
I had completely forgotten who the father was.
How could I? Holding someone accountable seemed impossible because I lacked any information about them.
But one thing was certain. I wasn’t getting rid of this baby. I would welcome this child into the world even if life presented significant challenges. I would protect them. I would love them.
Tears spilled down my cheeks. My future had shattered in an instant.
My mother positioned herself next to me as she wrapped her arms around my body. "We’ll get through this together. I promise."
And we cried. Together.
Eight months later, the contractions started. The doctor informed me that I would be having twins. Two miracles.
Mom rushed me to the hospital. Nurses pushed my bed toward the maternity ward where urgent voices surrounded me.
"Mom, it hurts! I can’t—"
"Hold on, sweetie. Just a little longer."
My body shook. My fingers gripped the sheets. The pain was unbearable.
"Is her birth canal fully open?" Mom asked one of the nurses.
"Almost! We’re calling Doctor Kasperi now."
Fifteen agonizing minutes passed before he arrived. Mom grew frantic. "Where is the doctor?! My daughter is about to give birth!"
"Doctor Kasperi is on his way! Please remain calm!"
I barely heard them. The pain drowned out everything else.
Then, he was there. "Nina, take a deep breath and push! One... two... three!"
I pushed. Screamed. But nothing.
"Again!"
The first twin’s head emerged. Mom’s grip on my hand tightened.
"One more, Nina! You’re almost there!"
My baby entered the world with one last desperate push. The room was filled with a cry that I recognized as the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.
Tears streamed down Mom’s face. "Nina, you did it! A boy and a girl! You’re a mother now."
I was weak. Drained. But I smiled. "I’m a mom."
"And they’re perfect."
Doctor Kasperi nodded. "Healthy and strong." Congratulations, Nina."
A nurse lifted my baby twins, so I could take a look. Tiny. Beautiful.
My heart swelled.
When they moved me toward the recovery room, my heart settled into tranquility. The fight over the past nine months finally brought me to this moment.
A nurse burst into the room gasping for breath with terrified eyes after I completed my breakfast the next morning.
She came to a halt before me with her knees trembling.
Her voice trembled. The nurse approached me urgently after breakfast to report that something terrible had happened to one of my twins. She... she didn’t make it."
My world tilted.
No.
No, no, no.
Which one? !
- Writer
