Percival picked up after one ring. His voice was smooth, but beneath it was something that made the air feel heavy.

“Liora,” he said, slow and deliberate, “I don’t take calls from ghosts. What do you want?”

The sound of him sent a shiver down my spine. Percival Celestino was not just Marshall’s older half-brother. He was the head of the Circolo Nero, an old and dangerous wine-smuggling syndicate disguised as a luxury empire. In his world, people didn’t just die; they disappeared so cleanly it was as if they had never been born.

“I want to destroy Marshall,” I said. “Completely. I want him ruined, and I can’t do it alone.”

A pause. Long enough for me to imagine him deciding whether my life was worth the next breath I took. Then, a low chuckle… not amused, but approving.

“I’ve been waiting for this call,” he said. “Speak.”

I told him everything. Marshall cheating with Daphne. Moving her into our home on the day I buried my parents. His threats to burn down the vineyard my family had built from the soil up. Every insult. Every humiliation.

Percival didn’t interrupt. When he finally spoke, his voice was almost a whisper. “When do you want him gone?”

“Four days.”

“Good,” he said. “I can bury a man in less time.”

For the first time in weeks, I felt something close to hope.

“I’ll handle it,” Percival continued, “But there’s a price.”

“What is it?”

“MARRY ME.”

My breath caught. “What?”

“Do it, and you’re untouchable. No one lays a hand on what’s mine. Not even Celestinos. Especially not Marshall.”

He then hung up without a goodbye.

That night, I barely slept. His voice stayed in my head… cold, certain, lethal. Marrying Percival would mean stepping into a world of quiet executions and smiling assassins, where wine cellars doubled as graves and power was bought in blood.

But with him… Marshall would never touch me again.

**

And then the next morning, my world tilted again.

I sat in the clinic’s waiting room, holding the paper the nurse had given me.

Positive.

Not just one heartbeat. Two.

I was pregnant with twins.

A bitter laugh slipped out as tears blurred my vision. Six years ago, the doctors told me I could never have children after the accident Marshall caused the night he’d been driving drunk, furious after a business deal went wrong. We’d crashed into a roadside barrier, the impact crushing my lower abdomen. While I lay in the hospital, barely conscious, he’d whispered: “I didn’t mean it… and then disappeared for days. The doctors told me the damage was permanent. I had believed them. I had accepted the cruel names. Barren. Broken. Useless.

And now this.

My phone buzzed. A message from Percival.

Three days. Decide.

Three days. I could be free in three days… but what about the babies? Could I bring them into this life? A world of betrayal, lies, and men like Marshall? Or worse, men like Percival?

I left the clinic in a daze and drove back home.

The front door opened and closed behind me.

“Well, well. Look at you. You look like you’ve been hit by a truck.”

I didn’t even glance up from the couch. Then the sound of a car engine outside made my chest tighten. Marshall was home. I stood to leave before he could see me, but Daphne blocked my way.

“Don’t run off. Stay and watch your husband kiss me hello,” she mocked.

But I pushed past her and went to the guest room. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely turn the lock.

It didn’t matter.

The door slammed open with a deafening crash. I spun around, startled.

Before I could get a word out, Marshall’s hand came across my face. The slap hit me so hard my ears rang. The floor met me before I could even breathe… My vision went black for a moment, and the copper taste of blood filled my mouth.

I just stayed there. Frozen.

Why?

Marshall had never laid a hand on me before.

“W-what the hell was that?” My voice cracked. “Why would you do that?”

Marshall’s glare didn’t waver. “How dare you laid your hands on Daphne! She’s carrying my child for fuck sake, Liora. Is that what you’ve become now?”

My stomach knotted. “What? I never touched her.”

Daphne stepped forward like she’d been waiting for her cue. “I came in to check on her. I brought tea, Marshall. I was trying to be kind. But she—” She sucked in a shaky breath. “She slapped me and told me I should’ve died instead of our parents. That the world would’ve been better without me. She said she hated my guts and…” Her eyes darted to me, brimming with crocodile tears. “…and that she was planning to kill me.”

My pulse spiked. “That’s a lie—”

“She even grabbed a knife from the table,” Daphne pushed on, ignoring me. “She pointed it at me, Marshall. Said she wanted to watch the light leave my eyes. I thought she was going to stab me right there.”

“You lying witch!”

She looked away like she couldn’t bear my cruelty, but I saw the flicker of satisfaction in her eyes.

Marshall’s voice dropped, low and sharp. “Get out of my sight before I lose control.”

“You believe her over me?” I felt my throat burn.

He didn’t even blink. “You’re not the same, Liora. Losing the baby years ago broke you. Now you’re just… bitter.”

A bitter laugh escaped before I could stop it. Blood ran down to my lip. I wiped it away with the back of my hand. His eyes flicked to the red smear, and for half a second, I thought I saw guilt.

“Li—” he started, but Daphne made a small whimper behind him.

“My head… it hurts, Marshall,” she whispered. “She hit me so hard.”

He turned to her instantly, his arm going around her like I didn’t exist anymore. And Daphne glanced at me over his shoulder, her lips curling into the tiniest smirk.

Three days. I just had to survive three more days.

***

The next morning, I slipped out early. The air was cool, but my chest felt heavy as I sat in the clinic’s waiting room. My hand rested on my stomach. It was still flat, but I knew what was inside. Two heartbeats. Two tiny lives I never thought I could have.

The nurse called my name. My legs felt weak as I followed her into the room. The doctor looked up, startled.

“Mrs. Celestino,” he said. “I remember you.”

I gave a faint smile.

He glanced at my file, then back at me. “Are you certain you want to go through with this?”

I stayed quiet.

“Liora,” he said softly, “this pregnancy is a miracle. If you end it, there will be no second chance.”

His words hit me like a punch. I pressed my palm to my stomach. I thought about all those years I cried myself to sleep, begging God for just one miracle. The way my heart cracked every time someone else announced a pregnancy. And now, when the impossible had finally happened, I was about to throw it away because of Marshall. Because of his betrayal.

The pressure in my chest broke, and I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears rolled down my cheeks before I could stop them. My voice came out shaky, almost a whisper. “I’m… I'm keeping them…”

“That’s the right choice, Liora.”

When I walked out of the clinic, it felt like the air was lighter. I wasn’t free yet, but in three days I would be gone. I would disappear with my children and start over far away from all this poison.

“Liora!”

The sound of my name made me freeze. I turned slowly and saw Marshall was striding toward me.

Before I could take a step back, his hand clamped around my arm. “Thank God I caught you,” he gripping me so hard I knew there would be bruises later.

“What is it now?” My voice came out flat, tired.

“It’s Daphne,” he said. “She’s in the hospital. High fever all night from the stress and from the way you attacked her.” His eyes were sharp with accusation. “You did this, Liora.”

My laugh was bitter and humorless. “I already fucking told you. I never touched her!”

He ignored me completely. “She passed out this morning. Doctors say her fever spiked, she’s too weak. And now she needs a blood transfusion.”

I frowned. “And that has what to do with me?”

Marshall’s jaw tightened. “You’re the match. You're her twin. You’re the only one who can save her.”

“You want my blood? After everything she’s done to me?” My stomach turned.

His grip on my arm tightened painfully. “This isn’t about your petty feelings. This is about saving two lives. You can be bitter later. Right now you’re going to do what’s right.”

I tried to pull away, but he started dragging me toward the parking lot. My heels scraped the ground. “There are other donors. Check another hospital. I’m not doing this.”

He stopped, turned to me, and his voice went cold. “You will, because this is your fault.”

“You will never believe me over her, will you?”

He didn’t answer. Just started pulling me again.

I swallowed hard, then blurted the words I’d been keeping to myself. “I’m pregnant.”

That stopped him. He looked over his shoulder, disbelief etched into his face. “What did you just say?”

“I’m pregnant,” I repeated, my voice shaking but loud enough for him to hear. “The doctor said it’s a miracle I even conceived. It’s a high-risk pregnancy… and it’s twins, Marshall. If you take my blood, you could kill them. Our babies.”

For a moment, silence. Then he laughed. The sound was cruel, sharp, and it echoed in my ears.

“You expect me to believe that?” His voice dripped with scorn. “You would stoop so low as to fake a pregnancy just to get out of helping your own sister?”

“I’m not lying,” I whispered.

“You’re a liar, Liora. You’ve always been a liar. You will give the blood. End of discussion.”

Something inside me cracked. “I won’t kill my children for her!”

His expression darkened like a storm. “Then you’ll watch me burn that vineyard your parents built, row by row. I’ll make you stand there while I tear down every vine they planted, grind the soil until nothing grows again. And when I’m done, there will be no bottles, no barrels, no trace of their name on this earth.”

My blood turned to ice. That vineyard wasn’t just land. It was the only piece of my parents I had left. They had poured decades into it since the eighties, tending every grape with their own hands. I grew up running between those rows, smelling the sweet crush of harvest season. It was the heart of our family and he knew it.

“Y-you wouldn’t dare!”

Marshall stepped in close, so close I could feel his breath. His eyes were sharp now, “Push me and find out.”

I stared at him, my chest rising and falling too fast. This was the man I’d once loved, the man who’d once promised to protect me. Now he was the very thing I needed protection from.

My hand found my stomach, instinctive, protective. The twins. Our twins. My tears came silently this time.

When he grabbed my arm and pulled, I didn’t fight him. Fighting him only ever ended one way. I followed, quiet, swallowing down the sobs that wanted to break out.

He took me into the VIP hospital room he’d gotten for Daphne. My twin sister lay there, pale, hooked to IV fluids, eyes red. She let out these soft little whimpers like she was barely holding on.

Marshall rushed to her side. “Daph, I’m here,” he murmured, stroking her hair back with a tenderness he hadn’t shown me in years. “You’ll be alright. I brought her.”

Her lips trembled. “It hurts, Marshall… everything hurts.”

I stood still while watching my husband treat my sister like she was porcelain. But then she cracked one eye open… and smiled. No, smirked. A quick, smug little twitch of her lips before she shut her eyes again.

Bitch!

My stomach twisted with fury.

I stepped forward to speak, but Marshall turned so fast I didn’t have time to react. His hand closed over my wrist like a steel cuff. His glared told me exactly what would happen if I opened my mouth.

The door opened. A doctor came in, glancing between us.

“She’s getting worse,” Marshall said without looking at me. “Start the transfusion now.”

“She’s stable enough to—” the doctor began, but Daphne whimpered again.

“We’re not waiting.” Marshall cut him off. “The donor’s right here.”

The doctor’s eyes landed on me. He nodded and told the nurses to prepare.

I froze when I saw the needle in his hand. My skin went clammy. I’d always hated needles, and Marshall knew that. In the early years, he’d hold my hand, whisper something soft, distract me until it was over.

This time he didn’t even look my way. When Daphne whimpered again, he left me completely, rushing back to her side.

I turned my face away as the doctor stepped closer. In my head, I was begging anyone—God, fate, even the devil—to stop this.

The needle was inches from my arm when the door burst open.

“Stop!” Another doctor ran in, clutching a file. He was out of breath. “You can’t do this.”

The room went still.

“MRS. CELESTINO IS PREGNANT!” he announced.

The needle was lowered instantly.

Marshall blinked, his face twitching. “That’s impossible. She can’t—”

The doctor stepped closer and handed him the file. “She came in this morning for an abortion appointment but cancelled. She’s carrying twins. High risk.”

The relief hit me like a wave, my knees almost giving out. Finally. Finally there was proof.

But before I could breathe for real, Marshall looked up. His voice was like ice.

“I don't fucking care! Take her blood.”

I stared at him, my mouth falling open. “What?”

His jaw clenched. “You heard me.”

The room went quiet except for the steady beeping of the monitors.

One of the nurses took a hesitant step forward. “Mr. Celestino, your wife can’t donate blood. She’s pregnant. With twins. And it’s a high-risk pregnancy. If we proceed, she could lose both babies.”

Marshall’s expression didn’t flicker. He moved closer, his voice low and sharp. “I heard you. Do it anyway.”

The doctor looked from him to me, “Sir, this could endanger her life as well. We can’t—”

“YOU CAN,” Marshall cut in, his tone like ice. “I’m paying you enough to do whatever I say.”

I felt my chest tighten. This was the man I had married. The man I had once believed would keep me safe.

Marshall’s glare swept across the room. “I am Marshall Celestino. You all work here because I allow it. Cross me, and you’ll regret it.”