Chapter 2

Felix picked up the ultrasound from the floor and glanced at it. A crease formed between his brows—then dissolved into something cold laugh.

"Tomorrow I'm taking you to the hospital for a proper check. Twins in one go—impressive."

He locked me in the bedroom that night. I spent the night curled on the bed, my hand pressed to my still‑flat stomach, not sleeping. Just waiting.

The next morning, before I'd even finished dressing, his driver was at the door.

I was taken to the hospital like cargo.

---

There were five men were already waiting outside the entrance hospital. The moment I stepped out of the car, their eyes crawled over me—shameless, familiar, proprietary. Like men inspecting something they'd already used and were deciding whether to use again.

Mina appeared at my side, looping her arm through mine with practiced sweetness. "Zara, you're amazing. Twins! You’re amazing."

Felix pulled me behind him—not protectively. Possessively. "Enough. Let's get this done."

We didn't go to obstetrics.

We went straight to the paternity testing center.

Felix's voice was clipped, commanding. "How soon can you run a paternity test?"

A doctor in a white coat looked at the crowd of men trailing behind me and frowned, then back at Felix. His brow furrowed deeply. "She's less than four weeks along. I strongly advise against any invasive procedure at this stage."

"And if I insist?"

"Ten weeks minimum." doctor's tone was firm. "I won't compromise patient safety."

Mina let out a theatrical sigh. "Three months? That's so long. We came all this way for nothing."

I stood at the front of the group, surrounded by men who had violated me, and smiled with pale.

“Do it,” Felix cut him off. His voice was flat, final. “I’m not leaving until I have results. And I want all five of my friends tested too.”

The doctor stared at him. “Sir, this is a medical facility, not a drama place. I have ethical obligations I will not violate."

“I know what this is.” Felix pulled out his phone. “I’ll pay whatever it costs. Just run the tests.”

Mina tilted her head, voice dripping with false concern. "But doctor, we need to find the real father. And with twins—isn't there a chance they could have *different* fathers?"

Behind me, the five men snickered. One of them spoke up, loud enough for the entire waiting room to hear.

"Bro, the stakes just doubled. One thousand per kid—that's two million now."

"Wedding night, five men and one bride. The groom was tired. We did all the work."

The waiting room had gone silent. Every pair of eyes turned toward me.

I stood in front of them all, staring at the floor. My hands were shaking, but I didn’t let anyone see.

A woman in the waiting area stared at me, then at the men, then at my stomach. Her face twisted with disgust.

Then the crazy man appeared.

He'd been sitting in the corner—unwashed, muttering to himself. Something about the commotion drew him up from his seat. He shuffled toward me, a Styrofoam container of soup clutched in one hand.

Before I could react without warning, he threw a cup of hot chicken soup into my face.

Hot broth soaked into my face and my collar and burned.

"Dirty whore," he spat. The words came out garbled, half-crazed. "You like being passed around? Disgusting bitch."

Pain seared across my skin. I gasped—and the tears came before I could stop them. Tears mixed with the soup.

Felix flinched. For a moment, his hand reached toward me.

Then Mina let out a cry and bolted for the exit, one hand pressed to her mouth as though *she* were the one who'd been hurt.

He pulled his hand back. “I’ll explain later. Mina’s not stable right now.” He turned to the five men. “All of you, let’s go.”

They left. All of them. Scrambling after Mina like loyal dogs, cooing reassurances at the woman who had orchestrated everything.

I stood alone in the middle of the waiting room. Soup dripping from my hair. The skin beneath the broth was already blistering. No one helped. No one apologized.

No one moved to help me.

---

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and found the burn unit myself.

The nurse on duty looked me up and down. Her lip curled.

"Husband that handsome and you couldn't keep your legs closed?" She dabbed antiseptic on my raw skin with unnecessary force. "Five men on your wedding night—honestly, they should've thrown holy water on you, not soup."

She pressied harder than necessary. I flinched.

I asked for another nurse. "Can I have a different nurse?"

"Different nurse?" She snorted. "Sweetheart, no one here wants to touch you."

I sat still. Let her finish.

I didn't cry again—because there was no point. Tears wouldn't change anything. They never had.

---

By the time I walked out of the hospital, the sky was black.

"Hey—how much for a night? I'll pay. Come with me now.”

I turned and saw the crazy man from earlier. He was following me—three steps behind, grinning with broken teeth.

"Don't run. You're pregnant—I don't mind. I'm not picky."

Ice flooded my veins. I turned and ran. I ran for my life, as if something savage were chasing me.

My lungs burned. Behind me, his shuffling footsteps grew louder, then faded as I rounded a corner and threw myself into the back of a taxi.

"Drive. Now."

The cab pulled away. I pressed myself against the door, shaking so violently my teeth clicked together.

Even the driver's eyes in the rearview mirror felt wrong.

I wrapped my arms around myself and stared at the floor until the car stopped.

Back home, I leaned against the door and slid down to the floor, feeling like I had just escaped death.

I was alive. I was home.

For a moment, that felt like enough.

Before I could catch my breath, I saw clothes scattered on the floor by the entryway—a jacket, underwear, torn stockings.

And from behind the door, wave after wave of moaning, almost tearing me apart.

The sounds of my husband fucking another woman in our bed.