Chapter 1

At a bonfire camp.

"Urgh!"

Melissa woke up with a pounding headache. Cautiously, she got up. Her head was throbbing, as well as her body aching as if she had been rammed by a truck.

Looking at her scattered underwear and dress, she couldn't help but recall the intense sex last night.

Last night, after the grand bonfire event organised by the charming hunk, Bryan Scott, Melissa finally crossed the line into intimacy.

Bryan had been planning to confess his feelings to her, and her older sister, Mandy, had congratulated them both with a knowing grin.

Melissa had downed a drink Mandy handed her and then blissfully drifted into slumber.

But in her dreams, she had taken the initiative with Bryan.

The transformation of an innocent girl to a passionate woman had been a rollercoaster of sensations.

He was an absolute beast in bed, in the best way possible.

Suddenly, she heard Mandy's voice with panic outside.

"I don't know, Bryan. I honestly didn't mean for this to happen."

"Shh! lower your voice, Mandy. We can't let Melissa hear this," Bryan's voice sounded urgent.

Curiosity piqued, Melissa got up, and throwing on some clothes, stepped out to investigate.

Her heart sank when she saw Bryan in a disheveled state, storming out from an adjacent tent—Mandy's tent, with no shirt on and a faint scratch on his muscular back.

"Bryan, what are you doing there?" Melissa asked as she approached him.

But the words got stuck in her throat when she saw a gap in the tent's flaps, her sister, Mandy, also in a state of undress, bearing certain marks that could only mean one thing: she and Bryan had been intimate.

Melissa stood there, dumbstruck.

"I was drunk and thought it was you, but—" Bryan began to explain, but the guilt was evident in his eyes.

"So, you two slept together last night?" Melissa's voice trembled. "you...and my sister?"

Bryan was ashamed, and Mandy was quick to defend herself. "Melissa, it was an accident, I swear!"

Melissa's mind raced.

If Bryan and Mandy slept together, then who had she been with?

Fear and confusion cloud her thoughts, and she rushed back to her own tent.

There, she found a wad of cash beside her sleeping bag and a bloodstained note on top of it: if the money isn't enough, you can find me at the Blooming vine Estate."

There was no signature, just a phone number, scrawled in man's bold, assertive handwriting—handwriting she'd never seen before.

Clutching the money tightly, Melissa couldn't believe what had happened.

Did she somehow end up selling herself?

It was beyond mortifying.

When Melissa emerged from the tent on shaky legs, Mandy and Bryan were waiting for her.

Mandy approached, grabbing her hand apologetically, "Melissa, I'm so, so sorry. I've never meant for this to happen."

Still dazed, Melissa stood there in disbelief.

Mandy eyes fell on the hickey on Melissa's neck, and gasped, "Lisa! this mark on your neck..."

Melissa stiffened, her dark eyes, meeting her sister's shock gaze.

Bryan rushed forward, his eyes wide, examining Melissa's neck as if searching for confirmation.

In an instance, his hands grabbed her shoulders with agitation. "Tell me, where were you last night? What happened?"

Melissa wanted to say ‘I thought it was you,’

But now, what good would an explanation do?

She said nothing.

Unable to bear her silence, Bryan growled, "Tell me, who was it?"

"Does it really matter?" Melissa replied nonchalantly, though her voice quivered. "Bryan we can't go back now. Not after you and my sister... let's just forget about it."

She forced a smile. "I wish you both happiness."

* * *

Two weeks later

Melissa couldn't help but notice the wedding dress Mandy held in her hands.

It was a pristine gown—a masterpiece crafted by renowned designer Le Blanc, hailing all the way from the fashion capital of Paris.

Mandy and Bryan were getting married.

A pang of pain pierced through Melissa's heart at the thought.

Taking a deep breath, she mustered a smile and addressed Mandy. "Hey sis, that wedding dress looks stunning."

Mandy faltered, her expression somewhat changed. "Um, thank you."

She wrung her hands. "Listen, I'm... I'm sorry Melissa, I didn't expect things to turn out this way."

"It's alright," Melissa shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't feel that strongly about Bryan anyway. You two make a... good match. Don't beat yourself up."

Mandy pursed her lips, unable to find further words.

"I'll head upstairs," Melissa declared, making her way to the second floor.

She needed to find that bloodstained note, to find that man who had left an indelible mark on her life.

Upon reaching her room, she found it meticulously arranged, everything in perfect order.

However, the piece of paper she sought, stained with trace of blood, was nowhere to be found.

Frustrated, Melissa hurried out of her room and shouted down into the living room. "Mandy, what happened to the note on my nightstand? The one that had blood on it?"

"Oh, that dirty piece of paper?" Mandy looked up. "I tossed it while cleaning today. It was too filthy."

"You threw it away?" Melissa stood frozen in disbelief.

"Yeah, um... I'm sorry," Mandy's face filled with remorse. "Did I do something wrong?"

Lisa stared at her.

"I—"

She had just opened her mouth when she wad interrupted by a phone call from Dr Lee."

She bit her lip and picked up the phone.

"Congratulations Miss Melissa. The result of your test says positive. You're two weeks pregnant—with twins."

"What?" Melissa's initial disbelief quickly transform into a daunting reality.

She couldn't help but question herself—getting the news that she is pregnant with babies whose father remained a mystery on her ex-boyfriend and her sister's wedding day.

What irony.

"What's the matter, Lisa? You don't look well." Mandy asked. But Melissa said nothing because Bryan came in dressed as a groom, holding Mandy's hand. Upon seeing Melissa, the three of them fell into an awkward silence.

"Melissa—" Bryan tried to say something when Melissa jerked her head up.

"Nothing, I'm good. Wish you two a happy wedding—"

At Bryan and Mandy's complicated looks, she quickly left the room that was suffocating her.

In the fierce sun, her hand subconsciously moved to her stomach, where her unborn twins were growing.

Thoughts of her diagnosis and the uncertainty that had consumed her mind flooded back, but now a new found determination replaced the anxiety.

Bryan and Mandy will have a happy life.

Then why can't she be, with her twin babies?

Her babies will grow up, even in a single-parent family, she promised.

She herself grew up in one, and she turned out fine, didn't she?