Chapter 1
I was pregnant with a set of boy-girl twins.
On the day I unexpectedly went into premature labor, the hospital gave us a life-or-death notice. We could only save one of the babies.
As I was suffering, my husband, Richard Westbrook, suddenly spoke up. "Actually, you're not the only one in pain. Emily is hurting, too, because one of the babies inside you is actually hers."
It was like an explosion went off in my head. My ears were ringing.
Richard rubbed his eyes, looking exhausted, his voice resigned, with a hint of indulgence. "Emily was determined to have a sibling who shared your blood, so I had no choice but to have the embryo implanted in you.
"She was worried I'd cheat on you while you were pregnant, so she stepped in and did the wifely duties for you. Honestly, it's a lot tighter if you haven't been pregnant."
I froze, my whole body trembling uncontrollably.
My phone kept buzzing on the bedside table. My best friend, Emily Snow, was blowing up my phone, trying to cheer me on.
Richard continued, "When your water broke unexpectedly, she was all over me, and I couldn't get away. But she really did her duty. She had all sorts of tricks, and she was really wet."
As Richard spoke, his Adam's apple moved up and down, and he gave me a guilty glance. "But this is Emily's first child. I can't bear to disappoint her. We'll keep the boy."
*****
The monitor's piercing alarm jolted me, a brutal reminder that this unbelievable scene was actually happening.
The nurse looked desperate. "We don't have much time. If we hesitate any longer, we could lose the mother and both babies."
"Pick the boy." Richard's cold tone calmed everyone else in the room, but it sent a chill straight down my spine.
I clung desperately to his shirt, my voice shaking. "That's impossible. They're both my babies."
Richard brushed the hair from my forehead, his voice betraying his tenderness. "Emily was afraid of the pain, and she's prone to scarring, like my sister who disappeared.
"Thanks to modern technology, we decided to have the embryo implanted in you."
He spoke so lightly, but every word struck me deeply.
Richard shielded my disbelieving eyes with his hand and sighed softly, "Don't look at me like that. It's having a baby. Whether it's one or two, it's all the same.
"Aren't you and Emily best friends? Do her a favor. You don't mind, right?"
The delivery room went completely silent.
The only sound was my labored, uneven breaths. "Why?"
"Because I love her," Richard said.
Then, a moment later, he continued, "Don't misunderstand me. I love you, too.
"But Emily would rather let you choose which baby to save, all for you. She really cares about you, and I can't stand to see her suffer."
As he spoke, Richard stepped back, making room for the anesthesiologist.
He watched as the doctor injected the anesthesia into my back, then leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Hang in there. Emily and I will be waiting for you outside."
"No, I want to save—" I tried to say, but before I could finish, I blacked out completely.
Half-conscious, I heard a baby's cry, loud and strong.
With that piercing wail in my ears, I thought I caught another sound, soft and weak, almost like a kitten's mewl, but it faded away before I could be sure.
Then I heard the nurse shout, "Doctor, the baby can't make it."
My tears slipped down quietly.
Since I could remember, I had only cried three times.
The first was when my mom committed suicide by jumping off a building. She died when I was ten.
The second was when Richard proposed. I cried so hard that I couldn't speak, and he wiped my tears, held me close, promising I'd never have to cry again.
But I still ended up crying for my child.
The delivery room was a mess.
Shouts for help, desperate gasps, and the pounding rhythm of chest compressions all mixed in the air.
I forced my eyes open, stretching my hand toward the cluster of people, my mouth half open. "B-baby."
I wanted to see her, if it was for a second.
But drowsiness washed over me again, and as my eyes closed, tears slipped down my cheeks once more.
When I woke up, I found myself back in my hospital bed.
The nurse's voice came softly in my ear, tinged with guilt and sympathy. "I'm sorry. We did everything we could."
I turned my head and saw a baby stroller parked by the bed, holding a baby swaddled in a sky-blue blanket.
Noticing my gaze, the nurse picked up the baby and brought him close to my face.
His features were like Emily's. My lips trembled.
"Is it a boy?" I whispered.
The nurse nodded and sighed. "If you'd gotten to the hospital a bit earlier, maybe your little girl could've made it."
My hand trembled as I reached out to touch the baby's neck.
Just then, Emily came rushing in, pushing the door open.