EPILOGUE
Jane POV
“Push, Miss Ellis! You’re doing great. Push!”
I wanted to punch everyone in that room.
“I AM pushing!” I screamed through gritted teeth, sweat pouring down my forehead. “Why do my babies have such big heads?!”
Lila, holding one leg, burst out laughing—at the worst possible moment.
I shot her a look. “I’m dying! I swear I’m dying! Carter, you did this to me!”
Carter, standing next to me, looked pale but determined. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know their heads would be this big!”
“Blame your genes!” I cried, grabbing his hand and squeezing it until I saw his knuckles turn white.
I felt everything. The pain, the pressure, the burning stretch that made me want to scream to the moon and back.
I never wanted to be pregnant again.
“Almost there, Jane,” the nurse said. “One more push!”
“One more?” I screamed. “You said that three pushes ago!”
But somehow, I found the strength.
I pushed, cried, screamed, and then—everything stopped.
A silence. And then…
Crying.
Tiny, beautiful, perfect crying. “It’s a girl!” the doctor announced.
And I broke.
They placed her on my chest, and I looked down at the little pink face scrunched up with life. Her cries softened as soon as I touched her.
I didn’t even realize I was crying until Carter wiped a tear from my cheek.
“She’s perfect,” he whispered.
I kissed her head, but then came the second wave of pain.
“You forgot—I’m having two!” I groaned.
Carter grinned. “Round two, let’s go, champ.”
“I swear to God, Carter—”
But before I could finish my threat, the second baby came out faster. Much faster.
“It’s a boy!” the nurse said excitedly.
Carter stepped forward, and they placed him gently in his arms.
He looked so tiny, wrapped in a soft blue blanket. And Carter? He stared down at his son like he was the only thing in the world.
He walked over and stood beside me, placing our son on my other side.
A boy.
A girl.
Both crying, both healthy. And me? I just started bawling.
Because for the first time in months—after everything I had survived, everything I’d been through—I finally felt complete.
All the pain, the stress, the betrayal, the court cases, the scandal… all of it faded the moment I looked into their faces. My dad lost the lawsuit and a month ago the world saw him for who he was. A monster.
They cleaned me up after that—trust me, childbirth isn’t as glamorous as the movies make it look—and finally, the family was allowed to come in.
I was propped up in bed, both babies nestled against me, when the door opened.
“Look who we brought!” Lila sang out as she led the way with Rosie right behind her.
Rosie held a huge bouquet of white roses and a big tray of food.
I stared at it and gasped. “Is that sushi?!”
Rosie grinned. “Of course it’s sushi.”
“Oh my god!” I shouted, eyes wide. “I’ve been craving sushi for nine months.”
“I know,” she laughed, walking up and giving me a gentle hug. “You talked about it every week.”
I grinned and held up a weak fist. “You’re officially forgiven for all your evil deeds.”
“Thank God,” she said. “Because I helped plan the baby shower too, remember?”
“Oh please, you were late,” I teased.
She sat beside me on the hospital bed. “I brought balloons too. But the wind stole one on the way in. A bird is probably naming its nest ‘King baby shower’ now.”
We all laughed.
A few minutes later, my mother walked in. Her eyes landed on me, then the babies, and she just started crying. No words. Just happy, relieved tears.
She walked over slowly and kissed my forehead.
“You did it, mi amor,” she whispered. “You did it.”
“I almost didn’t,” I whispered back. “But they made it worth it.”
Everyone gathered around, peeking at the babies, fussing over how tiny they were, fighting over who they looked like more.
Carter cleared his throat and said proudly, “They both have my nose.”
Lila laughed. “Poor kids.”
“Hey!”
My mom smiled through her tears. “So, what are their names?”
I looked down at my daughter first, gently stroking her cheek.
“The girl’s name is Rosalia.”
Rosie gasped. “Are you serious?”
I smiled at her. “You earned it.”
Her eyes watered, and for a second, I thought she was going to cry—but she just sniffled and gave me the softest smile. Then I turned to my son.
“And the boy’s name is Axel.”
Carter grinned. “Axel King… I like that.”