Hateful obsession

Chapter 28

Melissa
"My life plot twist."

A few hours ago, in the bathroom of the café where we came to have lunch, the biggest plot twist of my life occurred.

As I sat on the toilet, my hands trembling while holding my phone, I saw an email. It was from Dr. Graves, the gynecologist who delivered my baby four and a half years ago. I hadn't heard from her in years after she told me that my... our children with Roman had died, and now this email appeared, heavy and ominous. Even if it was electronic.

Taking a deep breath, I tapped the screen and began to read:

Dear Mrs. Kirillova, good afternoon,

I have little time left. I have been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I realized that I cannot leave this world without telling you the truth. Four and a half years ago, when you gave birth prematurely at 26 weeks, I made a decision that I regret every day since.

Your children—your three precious babies—did not die at birth. They were born weak but alive. But there was Alex Mortelli, and he threatened me. He said that if I didn't give him the children, he would kill me. I was scared, Melissa. I had never encountered such cold cruelty before. I am a doctor, sworn to protect life, but at that moment, I felt powerless.

Alex promised me money if I complied, and in my fear and desperation, I agreed. I thought I could live with it, telling myself that you would never know, that the pain would fade for all of us over time. But it didn't, and now I burn with guilt.

The truth is that Alex took your children and made you believe they had died. I know you must hate me. You have every right to. But I ask you to understand that at that moment, I was not myself. I was afraid for my life. And now, as my life comes to an end, I feel it is only fair that you know the truth.

I am very sorry, Melissa. I have lived with this guilt for too long and do not expect you to forgive me. But I could not leave without telling you what really happened.

Your children—your triplets, the girls—are alive.

Please do what you feel is right with this information. But I urge you, find them and bring them back to yourself. They are your children, not his. They have always been yours.

With deepest regret,
Dr. Claire Graves.

I stared at the letters on the screen, my vision blurred as my eyes filled with tears. The stall felt too small, too stuffy. I was gasping for air. My hands trembled even more, and the phone fell to the floor with a dull thud.

My triplets. Alive.

I had mourned them, convinced they had left too soon, barely able to hold their tiny bodies before they "died." But it was all a lie. Alex had planned everything; he had stolen them from me, leaving me with an empty pain of loss while he... what? What exactly was his plan in doing this?

I thought of my nieces—Gianna, Josie, and Jane. My heart raced as pieces of the monstrous puzzle began to fit together. Could this really be true? Could they be my daughters?

I hadn't seen Alex often when I lived with Roman, but there were only two people who knew about my pregnancy—Leah and Natasha. And of course, I had seen Lilith even less, so I really thought she was pregnant and had given birth back then.

My breath caught. A fury ignited within me, mixed with grief and confusion. The world I knew had just shattered into a thousand pieces.

I sat in stunned silence for a long time, realizing the truth that crashed down on me like a tsunami. My nieces—Gianna, Josie, and Jane—were not my nieces at all. They were my daughters. My daughters. This realization hit me like a blow to the stomach, taking my breath away and making my mind spin, and I immediately lost my appetite. How could I have not noticed? How could I have spent years with them, holding them in my arms, laughing with them, wiping their tears, without feeling that our connection was so much deeper than mere blood?