Chapter 66


    Serene’s physically and emotionally exhausted body demanded its respite. As soon as her back


    touched her bed, Serene felt her eyelids be heavy and sleep took over her. It was a dreamless


    night for her. She’s too exhausted to even dream.


    She slept like a baby. The warm light from the window, filtered by her curtain, woke her up. Red


    shadows yed on the back of her eyelids as the curtain danced from the outside breeze. She rubbed


    her eyes and sat on her bed. Hugging her knees and resting her face on them, she could not help but


    recall the recent events.


    A gentle pain in her lower abdomen extending to her lower back made her get out of bed and go to the


    bathroom. She washed up and changed intofortable clothes before going down to have breakfast


    with her parents.


    Conrad and Carol were already eating at the round dining table when she arrived. The two


    simultaneously looked at her. Their eyes filled with love, pain, and pity. Serene bit her lips at the sight of


    her parents. She hated seeing them pained so much more if the reason for their pain was because of


    her. She forced a smile out of her lips and joined them.


    “Good morning, Mom, Dad,” she greeted and gave her parents a peck on their cheeks.


    “Slept well?” Conrad asked as he buttered a toast for her and ced it on her te.


    “Yes.” she answered, then bit on the buttered toast.


    The Ellis’s tried to have a normal breakfast. Her parents, doing their best to not bring up Justin or to


    ask her about him. By now she knew that Conrad already gave Carol the details. As usual, mealtimes


    at their household were lively and filled with stories. The couple tried to keep the subject of the


    conversation away from anything that concerns Hyacinth Bay as much as possible. Carol kept harping


    about thetest drama series she was watching and how much she adored the cast.


    While Conrad talked about how their business is growing. Serene just went with the flow and enjoyed


    the rare moment she got to spend breakfast with her parents.


    When she finished, she got up from her seat. A sharp pain stabbed her lower back and abdomen, then


    she felt a streak of blood trickle down from her private part down to her legs.


    “Mom! Dad!” she called her parents, panicked. Her hands held on the edge of the table and her eyes


    bulged out their sockets.


    “What’s the matter, babe?” Conrad was first to react. His daughter’s pained face was drained of blood.


    He got up from his chair to go to Serene when he stood frozen on his track.


    Blood streaked down Serene’s legs. Two long trails of blood jumped in contrast to her pale legs. Carol


    saw the fear in her husband’s expression. She immediately bolted out of her chair and went to her


    daughter’s side.


    Like Conrad, the sight of blood flowing out of Serene’s legs shocked her. But unlike her husband, she


    was quick to recover and hurried to her daughter’s side.


    “Conrad, what are you standing there for? Hurry and get the car!” she shouted at her dumbfounded


    husband. Carol’smanding voice pulled him out of his shock and ran out of the dining room to ready


    the car.


    “Don’t fret, Dear. Dad’s getting the car now. We’ll go to the hospital.” she said, trying to make her voice


    steady as she stroked Serene’s back.


    Serene felt an excruciating pain centered on her feminine parts. Her face scrunched as the pain in her


    abdomen intensified.


    “Mom, what’s going on?” she asked her mother through gritted teeth.


    “You’ll be fine, baby. Dad’s on his way,” she soothed her. She steadied her voice, but her heart was


    beating wildly in her chest. What’s taking Conrad so long?


    Conrad rushed to Serene’s side and carried her in his arms, leaving his wife trailing behind them.


    “You’d be alright, Babe. Just stay calm, ok?” he said as he ced her on the back-passenger seat.


    After a while, Carol was beside her, embracing her.


    Conrad drove the jeep like a madman. He arrived at the hospital in record time after beating several


    red lights. He carried his daughter to the emergency room where the nurses and doctor immediately


    attended to her. In a short while, the nurses wheeled Serene out of the emergency room and brought to


    the Obstetrics and Gynecology section.


    Serene woke up the following day, feeling dazed. She’s lying on the hospital bed, her parents on her


    either side.


    “M-mom…” she called.


    “Mommy’s here, Dear.” Carol said, taking her hand in hers. Conrad stood beside his wife and looked at


    her daughter with a pained expression.


    The room’s door opened and from it a doctor came in.


    “Hello, Serene. I’m Doctor Marieta Reed. I’m your attending doctor. How do you feel?”


    “Better. What happened to me?” she asked in a weak voice.


    “You had threatened abortion. But don’t worry, your babies are strong, they are safe and sound,” Doctor


    Reed exined, her tender eyes smiling at her.


    “B-babies?” she asked, confused, her brows knitted together and her eyes searched the middle-aged


    doctor’s face.


    “Yes, you are 6 weeks pregnant to twins. Don’t worry, both have strong fetal heartbeat despite your


    threatened miscarriage, but you need to be extra careful. You have what we call centa previa, which


    makes your pregnancy delicate. I’ve also run some blood tests for you to see if there are conditions we


    need to be wary about…”


    The doctor exined the precautions she needed to observe and the diet she needed to follow, but her


    words just became a blur to Serene’s ears. I’m pregnant. She repeated it in her head countless of times


    while she stared in a daze in the space before her, not even noticing that the doctor had already left.


    “Shen,” Conrad’s gentle call broke her trance.


    “Dad…” she croaked, looking at her father with unsteady eyes. She could not keep her eyes on


    Conrad’s eyes. She bit her lips then bowed her head. “I’m sorry.”


    Conrad held his daughter’s hand. His heart ached at the sight of his daughter. “A child is a blessing,


    princess. So much more that we’re having two,” he smiled at his daughter.


    Serene’s eyes welled at the tenderness and understanding she received from her father. This was not


    the scenario she imagined when she’d tell her parents they’ll be grandparents. She imagined breaking


    the good news to them on a joyous asion along with her husband.


    Husband. She inwardly sneered at the word. Now, she joined the statistics of single parents. Touching


    her t belly, she felt warmth spread through her being. She vowed to do everything in her power to


    protect and take care of these tiny heartbeats.


    Having them in her life — especially at this chaotic time — brought inexplicable happiness and peace


    in her.


    She stayed in the hospital for three more days to wait on her tests and to regain her strength. In those


    three days, the Lewis’s had visited her. Each one of them was livid when they learned the things


    Serene had gone through.


    The siblings wanted to storm to Rain International to berate Justin, but she told them to let it go. With


    the twins in her life, she had already epted the fact that she and Justin were just fated to meet each


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    other but not end up with one another. All that mattered to her now was bringing her children to the


    world safely and raising them as best she could.


    While in the hospital, she also learned that she had an autoimmune condition called antiphospholipid


    antibody syndrome that addedplication to her pregnancy. The doctor exined her condition made


    her prone to blood clotting which could inhibit the oxygen supply to the centa and eventually lead to


    miscarriage. To prevent such an event, she’d need to inject blood thinner to her belly every day.


    In the end, her family decided that when she’s strong enough to travel, it’ll be better for her to stay


    abroad. Away from all the chaos and reminders of Justin. Given her delicate condition, having a happy


    environment would be good for her mental and emotional health.


    Serene no longer thought about herself, but for her twins. She’d like them to grow up in an environment


    filled with love and security, away from any potential hurt Justin and his family could inflict if they learn


    about their existence.


    She decided to keep the children to herself after all, Justin said he had nothing to do with her anymore


    and wanted her out of his life. Didn’t that extend to the children she’s carrying? She promised herself


    that she’d do all she can to protect them from him at all cost.