Chapter 5%
When Franco returned home, he noticed something was different.
The living room wall was bare. A strange emptiness settled into his chest, like something vital had been ripped out.
His heart began to pound. Grabbing his keys, he rushed to the hospital.”
Neonatal ward.”
“Twins, mother’s name is Mara Davidson.”
The nurse looked at him, hesitant. “Dr. Davidson… your newborn twins died during a difficult labor. That was a few days ago.“%
Franco staggered back a few steps, slamming into the wall.
He asked again, voice trembling but the result was still the same.
The nurse added, “And your eldest son was hit by a car earlier this week. He… didn’t make it either. You didn’t know?“>
“What?” Franco felt like a giant hand had clamped around his throat.
“You’re saying… all my children… are gone?“}
The nurse looked at him with barely hidden disdain. “Yes. And from what I’ve heard, it was because of you.”
Franco’s eyes widened in disbelief. But just seconds later, he let out a hollow laugh.
“This has to be a joke. Mara is still mad at me, isn’t she? She told you to say this to get back at me, right?“}
“Come on,” he scoffed. “Just take me to see the kids. This isn’t funny.”
The nurse clutched her clipboard, snorting derisively.
“You didn’t even show up for your wife’s C–section. You were too busy taking care of someone else’s dog. And now that your wife left you, you want to play the devoted husband?”
Franco ignored her sarcasm. One word stuck in his mind like a knife.
“C–section? No, she had a natural birth. I never authorized surgery. Where did the C–section come from?“>
The nurse rolled her eyes. “Of course you didn’t. Your eldest son came begging for you to come to the hospital. You refused.“8
“So your twin boys suffered from fetal hypoxia–lack of oxygen in the womb. There were no experienced doctors available, so they died, suffocating while waiting.”
“If we hadn’t urgently transferred a surgeon from another hospital, your wife wouldn’t have made it either.”
Franco collapsed, shaking.
“No… no, this can’t be happening…”
His pupils trembled wildly as he struggled to breathe, to comprehend.}
Frantic, he rushed home.
But when he threw open the bedroom door, he froze.
The vanity table was empty. The wardrobe stood wide open, hollow and bare.
Everything that belonged to Mara was gone.
He stepped inside, his eyes falling to the floor, where torn pieces of photo paper littered the ground.
He picked one up. It was their family photo.
But his image had been ripped away from every single one.
.Mara had taken only the parts with her and Alec–and left nothing of him behind.
Franco stood there, stunned.}
And at that moment, he recalled her expression in the car just days ago.
