Chapter 2
With my hands shaking, I carefully reached out.
I didn't care if they would bite me. Neither of them even had teeth yet.
To my surprise, the white snake, Ivory, nuzzled my wrist.
Seeing that I didn't flinch, Ivory seemed to relax.
He immediately curled himself around my wrist.
It felt just like I was wearing a smooth white bracelet.
The black one, Onyx, started wagging his tail like crazy.
I reached out my other hand.
He quickly wrapped himself around my other wrist too.
Guess I had got myself two bracelets now.
Watching the two snakes bobble their heads, I nervously swallowed.
My fingers tapped their heads.
Both snakes narrowed their eyes in delight.
I let out a sigh, my eyes brimming with tears.
Forget it, I did give birth to them after all.
Guess I would just raise them.
It was not like I could just throw them away.
I started flipping through some reptile pet care guides.
But I quickly realized these two weren't fussy at all.
From sea cucumbers and abalone to fried chicken and street pancakes, they gobbled it all up.
They were super sturdy and low-maintenance.
Soon enough, I was basically raising them like puppies.
But I totally forgot.
Broderick was coming back to visit the kids.
That day, I was leisurely braiding the two little guys together, trying to make a fancy knot out of them, when the butler suddenly shouted, "Mrs. Colon! Mr. Colon's flight is at eight tomorrow morning. He'll be here by afternoon!"
I toppled right off my chair.
At the entrance of the maternity ward, I adopted twins no one wanted.
When Broderick came back, I stashed Onyx and Ivory out of sight, then sat on the bed cradling the two babies in my arms, putting on my best 'just gave birth' act.
Broderick was still as cold and high-class as ever.
His eyes only ever saw financial statements and the prospect of heirs; nothing else mattered.
Still, when he saw my face caked in white foundation, looking all sickly, he handed me a black card without a second thought.
"You've worked hard," he said.
The two babies ended up looking a bit like both me and Broderick.
Broderick scooped the two babies into his arms.
His mother, Addyson, said with tears, "Finally, the Colon family has heirs! You're the real MVP here!"
I couldn't help but feel a little awkward.
"It's really not a big deal..." I said, feeling a bit awkward.
Please don't ever find out about the two snakes I'd got stashed down in the basement.
"Samara," Broderick said, his voice low and serious.
"Are you sure these are my kids?" he asked.
My breath caught in my throat.
Addyson was still wiping her tears away.
But when she saw the babies in Broderick's arms, her hand froze, tears still on her cheeks.
"Wait, Samara... are these really Broderick's kids?" she asked, her voice trembling.
My informants in every maternity ward had double-checked it for me.
Out of all the babies who fit the bill, these twins were the ones who looked the most like me and Broderick.
Forcing a smile, I tried to sound confident.
"Of course!" I blurted out.
"Are you sure?" Broderick pressed.
Man, he sounded even more icy now.
I swallowed hard.
Even before I married Broderick, I'd heard he was ice-cold and didn't give a damn about anyone.
After the wedding, the only real contact I had with him? Just those seven days and nights right after we tied the knot.
And, well, the monthly bank deposits he sent my way.
I'd never really experienced just how intimidating Broderick could be.
Now, my nerves were shot. I was seriously freaking out.
"O-of course," I stammered.
"Good," he said.
He set the babies down and glanced at his watch.
"Schedule a paternity test," Broderick said, his voice cold and matter-of-fact.
"What?" I blurted out, totally stunned.
In the hallway of the DNA testing clinic, I sat there pretending to be chill.
Meanwhile, my hands were almost tearing apart the hem of my dress.
I just couldn't figure it out.
I'd picked the perfect babies.
Those eyes and brows were all me, but the face shape? Pure Broderick.
How could he just jump to doubting these kids were his? Seriously, what did he think I was up to?
Did he actually want kids that weren't even human or something?
I snuck a quick glance at him.
He was just sitting there like he didn't have a care in the world.
His face was completely blank, no emotion at all.
But his presence was so overwhelming, I felt like I could hardly breathe.
If he ever found out these kids weren't his, he'd probably finish me off before I even realized what was happening.
My phone buzzed.
It was a message from the private medical team I'd paid off earlier.
The director said: [It's done, Mrs. Colon.]
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
I deleted the message right away.
The paternity test results were in.
Sure enough, they were Broderick's.
I was totally relieved.
Broderick looked over the test results.
I dabbed at my eyes, acting all heartbroken.
"See? I told you I wasn't lying," I said, laying it on thick.
He glanced at me.
Then, without saying a word, he just ripped the paternity test to shreds.
He tossed the pieces right into the trash can, not even bothering to hide it.
Then he just turned and walked away.
I stood there, totally stunned.