Chapter 3
He accused the wrong person and couldn't even bother to apologize?
But I didn't have time to dwell on it.
The two kids were still waiting for me in the basement, probably hungry and hoping I'd bring them something to eat.
I grabbed my bag and hurried out of the lab.
Broderick's car was parked right at the entrance.
As soon as I stepped outside, he was already opening the passenger door.
But before I could even move, a stunning woman in a blue dress beat me to it and slid into the seat.
He leaned in, talking to the woman in the passenger seat.
His usually cold eyes and expression were a lot softer than when he looked at me.
I just stood there, frozen.
Suddenly, I remembered all those rumors swirling around our social circle before I married Broderick.
Broderick had his own unattainable love, the one he always cherished.
But his mom never liked her.
Addyson only wanted someone who could carry on the Colon family line.
His unattainable love never seemed like she'd be able to have kids.
They fought about it more times than I could count.
In the end, Broderick couldn't handle his mom's constant threats to end it all, so he finally gave in.
And I was the wife he married as a result of that compromise.
Back then, I didn't care about any of those rumors.
After all, I was only in it for the money.
But now, I finally understood.
Broderick didn't actually care whether the kids were his blood or not.
As long as I was the one who gave birth, he'd always make things hard for me.
It just meant that, in his eyes, I was always some unfaithful woman.
That was why he didn't even hesitate to set up a paternity test, just to slap his mom in the face with the truth.
Thinking about how he kept me up for seven days and nights straight after we got married, I couldn't help but find it ironic.
Still, being so distrusted really stung.
Though honestly, I couldn't even explain how I ended up giving birth to two snakes.
I shook off those thoughts, trying to clear my head.
Forget it. Four kids were waiting for me back home.
I grabbed a cab and rushed home.
The sight of four kids waiting for me at the door nearly knocked me off my feet.
I pointed at the two I didn't recognize.
"Who are you?" I blurted out.
One was all black, Onyx. The other was pure white, Ivory.
I dashed straight to the basement.
The two little snakes had vanished from the basement.
"Mom!" Onyx and Ivory dashed over and threw their arms around me.
"We can transform now!" they cheered.
Snake spirits really were something else.
The other two kids were still just babies, barely out of their swaddles.
But Onyx and Ivory already looked like three-year-olds.
Thank goodness Broderick wasn't home yet.
I took Onyx and Ivory back to the bedroom, trying to wrap my head around this sudden "disaster."
"Alright, kids, listen up," I said, gripping their hands tight.
I continued, "Now that you can take human form, you can't stay here anymore. If Broderick finds out, things will get ugly for all three of us.
"I'll set you up with a place right now. You have to move out immediately."
"So you really did give birth to a wild spawn," a voice sneered from the doorway.
The bedroom door swung open.
Seeing the woman in the dress standing there, I shot to my feet.
"What are you doing here?" I blurted out.
She twirled the keys in her hand.
"Broderick gave me the keys before you ever became his wife," she said, her voice full of smug satisfaction.
"If you think about it, you're the newcomer here," she added.
I quickly shielded the two kids behind me.
She let out a mocking laugh and said, "Well, look at that. Your illegitimate brats are already this big? No wonder Broderick was suspicious. So it's true, you had someone else's kids.
"You actually had the nerve to bring your bastard kids here? You're really something."
"Mrs. Colon," she shouted.
"Wait," I yelled, trying to stop her.
I tried to clamp a hand over her mouth.
But she twisted away before I could reach her.
"Mrs. Colon!" she called out again.
She strode upstairs without looking back.
I spun around, desperate to hide the two kids.
But it was already too late.
What made me want to tear my hair out was that Broderick was already home.
I hadn't even noticed him come in.
He was heading up the stairs just as Addyson was coming down.
My blood ran cold.
I blocked the doorway, determined not to let anyone through.
I refused to move aside, no matter what Mariah said.
"I told you to get out of my way," Mariah snapped.
She lunged forward and grabbed a fistful of my hair.
I caught her wrist and twisted it, shoving her away.
It was just the right amount of force, but she still stumbled back, nearly losing her balance.
She crashed to the floor and let out a sharp cry.
She started bawling, "Broderick, it hurts…"
"Samara," Broderick called out.
He yanked me aside with a force that nearly knocked me off my feet.
I stumbled back a couple of steps.
Out of nowhere, Mariah, still on the ground, shot her foot out and caught me off guard.
I crashed to the floor with a heavy thud.
My forehead smacked right into the edge of the banister.
My eyes were instantly filled with blood.
Broderick opened the bedroom door, my voice barely a whisper, "No… you can't!"
When the door swung open, everyone froze in shock.
Not a single kid was in sight.
Even the snakes were gone.