Chapter2

I managed to wrench myself away from the guards and stumbled toward my parents as they stepped out

of their car.

I grabbed their hands .

"Mom! Dad! Please, save me!"

My tear-stained face obviously shocked them.

They frowned, looking me up and down in confusion.

"Evelyn, what the hell is going on?" my mom asked. "You called and said you had wonderful news for us..."

I had asked them to come in advance.

Because Vincenzo and Carmela had forced me into two agonizing abortions before, I wanted a safety net.

I thought that if things went wrong again, my own parents would protect me.

Feeling a sudden surge of support, I sobbed.

"Mom, Dad... they are trying to hurt me. They want to kill my babies."

Hearing this, genuine anger flared in my parents' eyes.

"Vincenzo! Carmela!"

my mom practically yelled at my terrifying in-laws. "Evelyn married into your family, but she is not your punching bag!"

"You owe us an explanation right now!

Otherwise, we are not letting this slide!" my dad echoed, stepping up aggressively.

Vincenzo sighed heavily. Instead of yelling back, he coldly gestured for everyone to move into the living room.

Once seated, Vincenzo said. "Evelyn is pregnant. But these babies simply cannot be kept."

A terrible chill ran down my spine.

I was just opening my mouth to beg my parents to take me far away from here when a horrific sound cut through the silence.

"End it! End it!" Dante, the black-feathered myna bird,screeched relentlessly.

The moment that damn bird spoke, everything changed.

My parents turned incredibly pale. They exchanged one terrified look with my in-laws.

When my parents turned back to me, their protective anger was entirely gone, replaced by pure survival instinct.

"Evelyn," my mom said in a hardened, shaking voice. "You have to abort."

I froze, absolutely paralyzed by her sudden shift.

"Mom? What are you saying? Look at my reports!" I cried out, trying to shove the ultrasound papers into her hands.

"I'm carrying healthy twins! These are your own grandchildren!"

"Screw the reports!" My dad lunged forward and violently swatted my hands away.

"Grandchildren?! Do you think that matters when the bird has spoken?!" he hissed, panic taking over his eyes. "Do you want to get us all killed?!"

Before I could even process my father's betrayal, Carmela walked over and grabbed my hands.

She put on a sickeningly gentle, yet forceful tone.

"Evelyn, sweetheart, listen to your parents," Carmela coaxed, squeezing my fingers so hard it hurt.

"The bird is deeply connected to this family's fate. If it says the babies can't stay,

it means they will bring disaster to all of us. We are doing this for your own good!"

"Exactly!" Vincenzo chimed in, pacing right in front of me.

"You are still young. You can give Marco another child later. Why be so selfish and stubborn over this batch?"

Listening to them gang up on me with this insane logic, I completely lost my mind.

"I am not doing it!" I screamed and decided to protect my 2 babies.

I whipped my head around and glared at the cage.

"It’s just a bird! Why are you choosing an animal's shrieks over the lives of your own grandkids?!"

"End it! End it!" Dante squawked again, flapping its wings happily.

"Shut up! You deserve to die!"

Blind with rage, I lunged straight at the cage. I was desperate to wring that damn bird's neck and snap it in half.

"What are you doing?!" Vincenzo yelled.

Before I could grab the bird's feathers, I was violently yanked backward.

My dad grabbed me by the waist, while Vincenzo seized my arms.

My own mother had slapped me.

Her eyes were bloodshot, darting nervously at the bird and then at my .

"Stop fighting!" she hissed hysterically. "The bird said to end it, so they have to disappear today!"

There was no one coming to save me. I was fighting alone.

Spotting the open courtyard gate, I desperately bit my dad's arm.

He yelped and let go. I broke free and sprinted for my life.

But as I reached the door, I saw the medical van outside waiting with its doors wide open.

Pure panic set in. I threw myself onto the floor, tightly wrapping my arms and legs around a heavy marble pillar.

"I am not going!" I screamed, crying so hard my chest heaved. "I am not getting in it ! Let me go!"

Vincenzo glared at my parents. "Mr. Hart. Since she is your daughter, you handle her.

If she won't get in the van quietly, we ensure she loses babies right here."

My dad was trembling with fear.

He didn't care that I was pregnant. He forcefully pried my fingers off the pillar one by one.

"Stop being stubborn and just accept reality!" he roared.

"Dad! Stop! Help me!" I sobbed

Realizing I wouldn't walk into the van easily , Carmela held up a small, white abortion pill. It was the absolute fail-safe.

She handed it directly to my mother, staring her down. "Feed it to her. Prove that your family respects for us ."

My mom's hands were trembling violently.

The fear of the DeLuca family completely overpowered her last shred of conscience.

She took the pill, walked over.

"Mom... no... please..." I begged weakly, shaking my head as my dad pinned my shoulders to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Evelyn. We have to do this to survive!" my mom cried hysterically.

Without another word, she brutally pinched my nose.

When I opened my mouth to gasp for air, she shoved her fingers past my lips, aggressively forcing the bitter pill deep into the back of my throat.

She clamped her hand over my mouth, forcing me to swallow it dry.

I choked violently, coughing up saliva and blood, staring up at the four faces looking down at me.

A wave of crushing despair washed over me.

My babies and I were nothing but tools to the DeLuca family, and collateral damage to my own coward parents.

As the sharp, irreversible cramps began to tear through my lower abdomen, I summoned my last shred of willpower.

"Marco..." I shrieked. "I want Marco! Let me talk to my husband!"

I desperately reached into my pocket for my phone.

But Carmela smoothly snatched the phone out of my hand, staring at me

"Marco is busy ," she said coldly, pressing the power button and turning the screen completely black.

"He doesn't have time for this."