A Wedding Night Gone Terribly Wrong novel Chapter 12

She offered a polite, exhausted smile and reached for the trunk handle.

Vroom.

The car suddenly sped off, blasting her in the face with hot exhaust. Wiping the grime from her eyes, she watched the taxi bounce down the street in a desperate retreat. Had he seen a ghost? But she wasn't a ghost. Looking down at herself, she realized she was still wearing the elegant gown she had worn twenty days ago on her wedding day. Now, the fabric was covered in filth, caked in dirt and grime from her imprisonment. No wonder she had scared the man off.

She walked a little further until she found a chain hotel. Grabbing her suitcase, she trudged up the steps.

"Hey! Hey, you! Back off!" The security guard bounded down the steps to block her path.

Winifred looked up. "Sir, I have money. I just want to book a room, take a shower, and leave."

Lifting her head was a mistake; it gave the guard a clear view of her filthy face. She saw the flash of disgust in his eyes, looking at her as if she were a vagrant. Knowing better than to argue, she turned around and dragged her suitcase away. When you're out in the world, making things easier for others makes things easier for yourself. If they wouldn't let her book a room, fine. She would just keep walking. The city was big enough.

Looking left and right, she finally settled on a run-down hair salon where the owner was dozing on a sofa. Winifred pushed the door open and explained what she needed. The owner only agreed to let her wash her hair.

Opening her suitcase, Winifred pulled out all her cash and peeled off three hundred dollars.

"Then make it quick," the owner said, opening the door to a cramped bathroom just big enough for one person, standing guard outside to make sure she was only showering. "Jeez! Are you starving or on the run? You're nothing but skin and bones. You look like you're about to drop dead."

Winifred scrubbed her body vigorously. "Don't worry, I won't die in your shop."

She showered for a full forty-five minutes while the owner grumbled outside. Winifred handed over another two hundred dollars just to buy some peace and quiet.

Dressed in clean clothes, she took a moment to inspect her suitcase. Thank goodness. The Aegis Nine Needles, handed down by Grandpa Chester, were tucked safely in a hidden compartment. The Lockwoods hadn't found them. Tucked inside the needle wrap was the Aegis Blade, a razor-sharp, heirloom scalpel used to prep patients for holistic treatments. It was incredibly sharp, capable of slicing through anything.

Cleaned up and dressed, Winifred hailed a cab and headed straight for the hospital.

Winifred snatched the referral slip and marched out.

In the ultrasound room, the technician stared at the screen, her eyes widening. And widening. She gasped, her eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Jumping up from her stool, the technician grabbed her coat and bolted out of the room. A minute later, she came rushing back, dragging an older, heavily wrinkled doctor behind her.

"Director Matthews, I'm seeing quadruplets. Please, take a look and confirm it for me."

What? Winifred shot up from the examination table. "You must have made a mistake! I practically starved to death recently. How could I possibly be carrying four?"

"Hey, hey, calm down. Lie back down," Director Matthews said, gently pushing Winifred back onto the table. "Let me take a look."

The examination took another half hour.

When Winifred was finally handed the ultrasound report, she burst into tears. Four! That was too many! Terminating four at once in her current physical state might literally kill her on the operating table. And the thought of four little lives...