The Cost of Forever

Secret Triplets: The Billionaire's Second Chance

Roderic Penn

I stood at my mother’s open grave in the freezing rain, my heels sinking into the mud. The space beside me was empty. My husband, Hilliard Holloway, had promised to cherish me in bad times, but apparently, burying my mother didn't fit into his busy schedule. While the priest’s voice droned on, a news alert lit up my phone. It was a livestream of the Metropolitan Charity Gala. There was Hilliard, looking impeccable in a custom tuxedo, with his ex-girlfriend Charla English draped over his arm. The headline read: "Holloway & English: A Power Couple Reunited?" When he finally returned to our penthouse at 2 AM, he didn't come alone—he brought Charla with him. He claimed she’d had a "medical emergency" at the gala and couldn't be left alone. I found a Tiffany diamond necklace on our coffee table meant for her birthday, and a smudge of her signature red lipstick on his collar. When I confronted him, he simply told me to stop being "hysterical" and "acting like a child." He had no idea I was seven months pregnant with his child. He thought so little of my grief that he didn't even bother to craft a convincing lie, laughing with his mistress in our home while I sat in the dark with a shattered heart and a secret life growing inside me. "He doesn't deserve us," I whispered to the darkness. I didn't scream or beg. I simply left a folder on his desk containing signed divorce papers and a forged medical report for a terminated pregnancy. I disappeared into the night, letting him believe he had successfully killed his own legacy through his neglect. Five years later, Hilliard walked into "The Vault," the city's most exclusive underground auction, looking for a broker to manage his estate. He didn't recognize me behind my Venetian mask, but he couldn't ignore the neon pink graffiti on his armored Maybach that read "DEADBEAT." He had no clue that the three brilliant triplets currently hacking his security system were the very children he thought had been erased years ago. This time, I wasn't just a wife in the way; I was the one holding all the cards.

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"Lila's gone."

The words stopped me cold. Reading the fuzzy text on my screen felt like a sudden blow to my stomach, causing my heart to skip a beat. No. Not possible. She can't be gone.

Gasping for air, I sprinted through the hospital doors, swiftly passing by doctors and patients in the hallway. My brain is unwilling to acknowledge it. Lila's not gone. She can't be.

A nurse walks by me, and I clutch her arm, my voice breaking as I ask, "Please tell me it's not true. Tell me she's not gone."

She pulls away, stammering, her eyes wide "I-I don't know, but you should go to the ICU-"

I don't wait for her to finish. My legs carry me faster than I thought possible, past sterile walls and the buzzing fluorescent lights overhead, toward the double doors that separate me from Lila. My sister. My heart. My responsibility.

"You can't leave me now, Lila," I mumble quietly, hurrying down the hospital corridor as the bright lights hum overhead. Each movement seems like a timer, ticking down the remaining moments I may have.

I lean my back on the wall by the ICU, feeling my heart racing in my chest, on the verge of bursting out. Once more my phone vibrates-another message from Clara, yet I cannot concentrate on it. My mind is here, with Lila, trapped in that room, fighting for her life.

"Not again. I can't do this again."

My breath shakes, eyes locked on the double doors in front of me. Where is Dr. Carter? Looking down at my shaking hands, I swallow the fear that's about to overwhelm me. She has to come out with good news. She has to.

My legs weakened and I slid against the wall, hugging my knees tight. I bowed my head, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath."Please, Lila. Fight. Fight harder."

Time seems to drag on, making hours feel like an eternity. The door opens and I immediately sit up.

"Eva," Dr. Carter says softly, her calmness making the anxiety spike in my veins.

"Is she okay?" I stand, my voice catching. "Tell me she's okay."

She doesn't answer immediately, and that pause shatters any hope I have. Her eyes meet mine with that same practiced, calm look that doctors wear when things are bad.

"She is in a stable condition," she states, however, a "but" lingers in the air. "We've temporarily stabilized her condition, but we're running low on options." The medication is losing its effectiveness."

"So what on earth are you planning to do?" I start to lose control of my voice as the fear, which I have hidden away, suddenly emerges. "There has to be something else."

"There is. But..." She looks down, hesitating. "The next treatment option is... expensive. Very expensive."

I stagger back as if the word itself is a blow.I am already aware of what is going to happen. "I whisper, unable to keep my voice from wavering, that we don't have enough money for it."

"I know," Dr. Carter replied gently. "But without it..."

"Without it, she dies." The words slip from my mouth, raw and terrifying. My vision blurs with unshed tears. "There has to be another way."

"We'll look into foundations, charities-"

I cut her off. "Both you and I are aware that it's unlikely to happen."

She remains silent, simply nods and places a hand on my shoulder. I will try my best to do everything I can.

Once she fades away behind the doors, my knees give out, and I crumple onto the frigid floor. The world's weight crushes my chest. There is no oxygen in this place, no room to catch a breath. How on earth am I expected to solve this?

I am brought back to reality by the sound of footsteps, and when I glance up, I notice Clara running towards me, with breathlessness and wide eyes.

"Eva!" she shouts, running until she reaches my side and falls to her knees. "What happened? Is she okay?"

I nod my head, struggling to speak. "She... she needs more treatment. It's too expensive."

Clara's face pales. "However, there must be some action we can take.

I gaze at her, powerless. "I don't know, Clara. I am unsure of any other actions we can take. We've exhausted everything."

She seizes my hands and squeezes them firmly. We will not quit. Lila is a strong individual and we're going to fight with her. No matter what."

Her words are fierce, but I see the fear flickering behind her eyes. The same fear that's choking me, suffocating me. We sit there in silence, the soft buzz of the hospital enveloping the area between us. However, all I can focus on is Lila's presence in that bed, her life barely hanging on.

The peacefulness is shattered by an abrupt eruption of chaos in the ICU.

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