Twins Coming Young Master Qing Gets a Wife and Twins

The scream that tore from Brianna Webster's throat was swallowed by the cracked ceiling of a backwoods delivery room—a place so remote that no one would hear her die.

Another contraction seized her, a merciless wave of fire that started in her spine and crushed her entire body. Her sweat-slicked fingers clawed at the stained sheets.

Where was Seraphina? She had promised to come. The thought surfaced through the agony—Seraphina, the sister of her heart, the stray she had taken in when the world had given her nothing. Brianna had given her a home, paid for her schooling, trusted her with every bruised secret. And Seraphina had found this hidden clinic, so far from prying eyes, to protect Brianna's reputation. Unmarried and pregnant, Brianna would be ruined if a whisper escaped. Sisters protected each other. That was what they did.

"You're doing so well, Brianna. Just breathe."

Seraphina's voice cut through the fog, smooth as silk. Her hand dabbed a cool cloth on Brianna's forehead—so tender, so loving.

Brianna tried to smile through cracked lips. "Sera… thank you for coming."

But through the haze of exhaustion, she saw it. Seraphina's back partially turned. Her fingers deftly adjusting the drip line on the IV bag.

Cold dread sliced through Brianna.

"Sera? What did you do?"

Seraphina turned. Her smile was perfectly in place—but her eyes were chips of ice. "Just a little something to help you relax, darling."

She leaned in close, her breath a sweet, poisonous whisper against Brianna's ear.

"You didn't really think Dad would let a bastard like you have this baby, did you?"

Brianna blinked. "What?"

"Did you never wonder," Seraphina purred, "why a stranger would be so kind to you? Why I let you take me in like a lost puppy?"

Brianna's blood went cold.

"I'm not an orphan, Brianna. I never was." Seraphina's smile widened, cruel and triumphant. "My mother was your father's mistress. I am his daughter. His real daughter. The legitimate one. You were just a placeholder—until I was ready to take what was always meant to be mine."

The words didn't make sense. Her father had welcomed Seraphina into their home with open arms. Had he known all along?

"You've been used," Seraphina whispered. "From the very first day. Every kind word I ever said to you was a lie. Every smile, every secret we shared—I was only waiting for the right moment to destroy you."

Brianna's heart shattered.

"That night," Seraphina continued, savoring each word. "The one you've tried so hard to forget. We found a toothless, filthy old beggar for you. Paid him fifty dollars to crawl on top of you. I stood in the doorway and watched—heard every sound you made."

Seraphina's laughter was soft and delighted. "Oh, I simply enjoy watching you carry that shame. Believing a beggar touched you, ruined you—when the truth would have been so much kinder. But where's the fun in that?"

Brianna couldn't speak. Every memory of that night was fog and terror. She had never known what was real. And Seraphina had fed the nightmare, let her choke on it.

"And guess who helped me plan it all?" Seraphina's lips brushed Brianna's ear. "Our dear father."

A choked sob.

"And your mother's death?" Seraphina added, almost as an afterthought. "That was part of the plan too. She had to go before she could expose us."

Brianna looked desperately toward the doctor and nurse at the foot of the bed. Their expressions were blank. Their silence was consent. The death certificate was already signed. Her body was already destined for the mountain—left for the wolves.

The heart monitor shrieked.

A final pressure built inside her. Her body, acting on pure instinct, gave one last push.

A faint, weak cry.

Her baby.

The doctor lifted a small, pale form.

Seraphina clamped her hand over the infant's mouth and nose.

The weak crying stopped.