“Who let you in here? The mother just delivered sextuplets, and she’s at her weakest. Out now, all of you!
The doctor’s sharp snap jolted Shirley out of her trance, and she murmured under her breath, “Impossible. This can’t be happening…”
Before anyone could stop her, she shoved past the doctor, lunged toward my bed, and yanked the talisman from around my neck.
“She had it on her the whole time, so how could it not have worked? The sorcerer swore this fate–swapping talisman would turn the babies in her womb into deformed piglets. How could they come out as perfectly healthy baby boys and girls?”
She could no longer hold back, and her inner voice screamed wildly, laying all her dark schemes bare.
I’d always known that she was conniving, but I hadn’t imagined that she could be this vicious.
I couldn’t imagine what would have happened if I’d given birth to piglets. I would have been branded a monster in the eyes of the world and condemned to death by fire.
The thought made fury surge in my chest. If it weren’t for the blood loss and exhaustion from such a long delivery, I would have torn her apart right there and then.
“Enough, Shirley! Diane just gave birth. What are you doing, causing all this mess? Get out!”
Dean’s expression darkened as he wrenched her away from my bedside and flung her onto the floor. She fell hard but barely seemed to feel it. Instead, she seemed lost in thought, staring in shock at the six swaddled babies lined up nearby.
“Easy, Dean. Shirley’s just a young lady, and it’s her first time seeing so many babies at once. No wonder she’s overwhelmed,” I said softly, suppressing my hatred.
In concern, I turned toward Shirley, who was still collapsed on the floor. “Shirley, are you alright? Dean just got a little carried away; he didn’t mean to shove you so hard. Please don’t hold it against him.
“You know how it is, seeing six babies all at once. He just couldn’t control his excitement.” I let out a shy laugh, covering my mouth as if I were embarrassed.
At that, Shirley forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. “I get it, Diane. Six babies… That’s rare enough to make anyone lose their head.
“I was just too worried that you might be hurt, but maybe that talisman did work and kept you safe enough to deliver six healthy
little ones.”
Still dazed, she pushed herself up and walked out of the room.
Perhaps she thought I couldn’t hear her thoughts after she’d gone beyond the door, but I could hear every unguarded word dripping with rage and hatred.
“That bald fraud! He swore they would turn into piglets, but now she’s had six perfectly healthy babies at once! Screw that liar for draining my money dry! He and Diane should just both die a miserable death!”
Her shrill voice grated on my ears as I touched the true protective talisman hanging around my neck. My lips curved into a smile.
Shirley had knelt and bled for this talisman, so I had to make the most of it. At first, I’d been worried that it had been soaked in a harmful liquid. So as soon as I’d received it, I’d put it away and made a perfect counterfeit, just to see what trick Shirley had up
her sleeve.
Now, it was time for her to get a taste of her own medicine.
Beside me, Dean scowled at her retreating back and muttered, “She’s not the same Shirley she used to be. I used to think she had some good in her, but now she’s no different from her mother. It would be best if we kept our distance from her.”
1/2
Chapter 4
+15 Bonus
Then, he turned to me, his eyes filled with warmth and concern. “You’ve suffered enough, my love. I never thought we’d be blessed with six children all at once. When Dad hears about it, he’ll abandon his military exercise entirely and rush home to his grandchildren.”
As Dean fussed around me with care, I turned to look at the six tiny figures beside me, whose soft cries filled the room. I felt my heart swell bittersweetly.
In my past life, I’d never had the chance to bear children before I died a pointless death. This time, I would protect what was mine–my life, my children, and Dean.
As for Shirley, I would make her watch helplessly as everything she coveted, from Dean to the Aldridge family’s fortune, slipped right through her fingers.
