Chapter 2 Twins

Standing up, I stretched my body. I rubbed my lower back a bit since it was starting to ache from leaning over for so long. I was currently hand washing two big basins of laundry for our neighbor. It was my job to help us make ends meet every day.

It was much harder than my previous job, but what mattered most to me right now was having food to feed my family.

“Here’s your pay, Fay,” Misis Bell said, handing me the bill.

Taken aback by how much she gave me, I tried to return it. “Oh, goodness! This is too much, Misis Bell. It should only be ten dollars,” I said, handing back half of the money.

The old woman shook her head and pushed the bill back into my hand. “No, use it to buy a toy or some food for the twins. My heart broke for them. The other day, I saw them watching my grandchildren play, looking like they wanted toys like that, too. Use the other half for them.”

I couldn't help but smile and give Misis Bell a warm hug. Ever since I returned here to Fera Island four years ago, she had always been there to help me with everything. She let me borrow money without interest, and she never pressured me to pay her back. But I never took advantage of her kindness, so I always paid her as soon as I made money from doing laundry.

“Thank you so much, Misis Bell. I’ll pay this back once I get another load of laundry to wash,” I said as we broke our hug.

“Don't worry about it. That's really meant for the twins.”

I smiled at her and thanked her once more before leaving her house. Her place wasn't that far from ours, so I just walked back home.

It had been four years since I escaped from the Madrigal Mansion, and our lives had been pure hell ever since. Mom passed away from her illness; we couldn't afford her treatment because we had absolutely nothing. All we could do was watch her gasp for breath until she couldn't fight anymore. We were completely helpless, left with nothing to do but weep.

We sank deep into debt just to pay for Mom’s funeral, and I had no one else to turn to except for Amer and the Madrigal twins. Zav and Zoe stepped in to help; they paid half of the funeral costs, and I covered the other half. I threw myself into working hard at the municipal hall, but due to lack of rest and sheer overwork, I collapsed. They rushed me to the hospital, and that was where I found out I was pregnant.

I couldn't believe a new life had been created from that night Rihav and I were together, right before he hurled those cruel words at me and broke my heart so deeply. Back then, the thought of aborting the child crossed my mind because I knew I couldn't afford to raise them. I couldn't even feed my own family, so how could I handle an extra burden?

In the end, my heart wouldn't let me go through with that plan. It hurt too much to even consider it. Yes, I harbored a deep hatred for Rihav, but that didn't mean I should direct my anger at the children. They were innocent and knew nothing of what happened.

I carried on with my pregnancy until Zav and Zoe found out. Even they were shocked to see how big my belly had gotten. From that day on, they came to visit me almost every week to check up on me, they were even more excited than I was for the baby to be born. I made them promise never to tell Rihav that we had children. 

Ever since I left their home, I had kept myself in the dark about Rihav because I never wanted him back in my life. The twins kept their lips sealed, too; not once did Rihav ever become a topic of conversation between us.

With Zav and Zoe's help, I made it through childbirth. They even bought all the baby supplies, claiming it was only right since the children were their niece and nephew. On the day I gave birth, I had no idea I was carrying twins because I never had a prenatal check-up; all I knew was that I was pregnant when I fainted at the municipal hall.

My burdens in life doubled instantly. There were moments when I just wanted to give up and put both of them up for adoption, but the Madrigal sisters stopped me. After all the kindness Zav and Zoe had shown me, I honestly didn't know how I could ever repay them.

I did my best to raise my twin children properly. Even with zero sleep from watching over them, I worked tirelessly to buy their milk. I couldn't rely on Zav and Zoe forever; I needed to provide for my kids through my own hard work.

I thought my suffering was finally over because seeing my children healthy brought me so much joy. But my hardships were far from finished; Dad followed Mom shortly after. He took his own life, and his death plunged me right back into deep depression.

I could no longer take proper care of my children or feed them on time. For weeks, I couldn't even bring myself to hold them. Zav and Zoe took care of them while I locked myself away inside our bedroom. Even Amer was helping; even he had no idea what to do.

I stopped eating, feeling as though there was no longer any reason to live. The two most important people in my life, the ones I wanted so desperately to give a good life to, were gone. 

The two people who gave me strength were gone. Ever since I was a child, my only goal had been to lift them out of poverty. But it was all for nothing. I was too late. They were gone, leaving Coleen and me behind.

One day, while I was wallowing in my room, Zav and Zoe didn't realize that Hera, one of my twins, had run a high fever. Having no experience looking after children, they panicked and didn't know what to do. 

They were shouting outside, which forced me out of my room. Seeing both of them in tears sent a surge of fear through me. They handed Hera to me, and my heart dropped when I felt how burning hot her body was.

We rushed Hera to the nearest hospital, and thankfully, the doctors managed to treat her just in time. From that day on, I realized I wasn't the only one living in this world. I realized two little kids desperately needed my care and love. Just because Mom and Dad were gone didn't mean I should throw my life away, too.

From then on, I poured all my focus into my twins. If I couldn't fulfill my promises to my parents, I would fulfill them for my children instead. They were the reason I worked so hard, the reason I stayed strong, and I was going to take care of them with everything I had.

“Mommy!” Hera greeted me the moment I opened the door.

“Hera!” I replied, wrapping her in a hug.

They were three years old now… almost four. They could speak in full sentences and sounded surprisingly grown-up, especially Hera. Hacov, on the other hand, was the exact opposite of Hera. He was always quiet and acted as if he didn't care about anything.

“Auntie Zoe and Auntie Zav are here, Mommy,” she said, pointing toward the kitchen.

Sure enough, the two of them were inside stocking the cabinets with groceries. They smiled at me, and I smiled back. At the end of every month, they would drop by to bring us food. At first, I didn't want them coming over all the time because they both had jobs, but they were unstoppable, so I had no choice but to let them.

“Where’s Auntie Coleen, Hera?” I asked Hera, looking around the house for my younger sister.

Hera shrugged. “I don’t know. She left earlier carrying a big bag,” she answered, leaving me startled.

“She said she landed a job in City, Fay,” Zoe chimed in, stepping into our conversation. “She said her goodbyes to us. If you think you’re stubborn with us, your sister is even worse! I volunteered to drive her to the city or told her to wait for you, but she refused. We made so many offers to make things easier for her, but she turned them all down. Zav and I had no choice but to let her go.”

Leaving Hera in the living room with Hacov, I walked over to the two of them. “She didn't even call me. But that’s just how she is; Coleen has big dreams. She's a woman of strong principles, too. I just hope she can make it in the City,” I said, letting out a soft sigh.

I helped them put away the food. I noticed a box of chocolates that the twins absolutely adored, and I looked at Zav and Zoe. Here they were again, spoiling the two kids.

“Don’t look at us like that, Fay! Zav was the one who picked those up. I told her—” Zav cut Zoe off mid-sentence.

“No way, Fay! It wasn't me, it was definitely Zoe! I just told her that the kids liked those, but I didn't put them in the cart. It was you, Zoe, not me!” Zav interjected.

“What do you mean, me?! It wasn't me, it was you!”

“It was you!”

I slapped a hand against my forehead at their bickering. I hadn't even said a word yet, but here they were, proving just how well they knew me. After four years—almost five of having them around, it felt like they could read my every move.

The two of them never grew tired of helping me, but I really wished they wouldn't spoil the kids like this; I simply didn't have the money to buy them whatever they wanted. If I were rich, I would give them everything, but I wasn't. We were poor.

“Stop it, Zav, Zoe. I haven't even said anything yet,” I said, making them both pause. “I’m not mad that you bought them treats, but please don't do it every month. They might start craving them all the time and ask me to buy them. I don't have the money for stuff like this, Zav, Zoe.”

I saw Zav let out a deep sigh before placing a hand on my shoulder. “They are the heirs to the Madrigal Empire, Fay. They shouldn't be struggling like this; they belong in the mansion right now. I know what you’ve been through over the past few years, but the twins don't deserve this kind of life. My heart breaks for them, Fay,” Zavia said earnestly.

Heirs? Or were they just Rihav's illegitimate children?

I knew Rihav was married now, and he probably had children of his own by now. I didn't want my kids to grow up hurt, realizing they were born out of wedlock. I didn't want a day to come when they would throw it in my face that they were illegitimate.

I was perfectly fine with us living a simple life here in Isla Fera rather than having them live in the Madrigal Mansion where they wouldn't even be truly accepted.

“They’re doing fine here, Zav. They don't need Rihav. Besides, Rihav has his own kids now, so he doesn't need them either.”

The two exchanged a meaningful look before Zavia spoke up again. “The twins never tell us what they want, but when we got here earlier, we found them outside. Hera was staring intently at a playmate who was holding a life-sized Barbie doll. She was looking at that doll like she wished she had one, too, while holding that paper doll you made for her.”

“And I saw Hacov watching his playmate use a phone or an iPad, I think,” Zoe added. “I heard him ask if he could watch with them, but the kid just turned the screen away from him. Hacov just pouted and walked away.”

I turned to look at my two children watching TV. They had wanted those things for a long time, especially Hacov with the iPad. But I couldn't buy them because I simply couldn't afford it. Even if I worked myself to the bone, I still wouldn't be able to buy them what they wanted.

The only thing I could offer them was my love…

We had no money, so I couldn't give them what they desired. I couldn't even afford to buy them a cake on their birthdays. I had nothing at all…

“Once I find another job, I’ll buy them what they want. But for now, they'll just have to hold on,” I said, keeping my eyes on them.

“Fayre, don't kill yourself working when Rihav can easily give his children whatever they want,” Zoe said, making me turn to look at her.

I thought we were on the same side? She knows all the pain I went through at her brother's hands. Why is she acting like this now? Was I supposed to just forget everything Rihav did to me just to give my kids what they wanted?

I wasn't that kind of woman. Even if I had to break my back working to give those two what they wanted, I would do it, as long as Rihav stayed out of the picture. I wouldn't let him back into our lives. We didn't need him!

“I don't need your brother's help, Zoe. I thought we were clear on this? I thought we understood each other? I thought you knew everything I went through? Let’s not involve a man I erased from my life a long time ago,” I said, turning my back and leaving them in the kitchen.