Carrying My Sister Seven Miles

My sister and I married two brothers on the same day.

I married the town's gifted doctor, while she wed his brother, a local deputy.

Three years into our marriage, we were both pregnant. Our lives took a dark turn on the way back from the clinic.

My sister, Chloe, had stopped to buy her favorite peach pastries and miraculously avoided the accident.

I, however, was left bleeding out in the wreckage, my dress soaked in crimson, suffering agony beyond words.

I trembled, begging anyone near me to send word to my husband, Silas.

But I was heartlessly turned away.

Silas told the messenger, "Tell Clara to stop playing games. She's just hiring actors to lie to me. She was perfectly fine when she left the clinic. I don't have time for her drama. Seraphina bumped her head at home and needs me to change her bandagesDdon't bother me again."

In the end, it was my sister, rushing back with her pastries, who saved me.

She screamed for help, tears streaming down her face, vowing to make the driver pay for what he had done.

But the news she received was that Caleb, her husband, was too busy renovating Seraphina's house to care about us.

The onlookers, seeing the bloody mess I had become, were too terrified to offer any help.

My sister, seven months pregnant herself, had to carry me home on her back.

In the process, she lost her own baby.

When I finally woke up and saw her hollow face, my heart shattered.

"Chloe, I want a divorce."

"I'm with you," she whispered.

After waking up, the first thing I did was drag my weak body to draft the divorce papers.

I had them delivered directly to the clinic where Silas worked.

The man who refused to come home when I was dying actually found the time to write me a scathing letter.

As I read it, his arrogant voice echoed in my head.

He wrote, "Clara, are you really asking for a divorce just because I didn't play along with your stunt? You were fine when I left. You only lost the baby because you're spitefulDdo you take me for a fool?"

"My clinic is for saving lives, not for your petty games. Is this all because I was treating Seraphina today?"

"Have you no empathy? Seraphina hit her head; if it's not checked properly, there could be long-term damage. She's a decent person!"

"Don't think our lost child or these divorce papers give you the right to be demanding. Stop acting like a jealous, hysterical woman."

I screamed in rage at the paper, only then remembering he wasn't there to hear me.

My fragile body couldn't handle the emotional toll, and I began to cough violently.

Silas and I had known each other for five years and been married for three. It had taken so much to finally conceive this child.

I never expected my happy life to be destroyed by his cousin, Seraphina.

At the clinic, Seraphina had claimed she was worried about my pregnancy and kindly offered to hire a carriage for me.

I hadn't suspected a thing, even feeling ashamed of my past jealousy toward her.

But what happened? The carriage was moving fine until it suddenly swerved and slammed into a vendor's cart.

The driver, having only a few scratches, abandoned the wreckage and fled, leaving me to bleed by the side of the road.

I was terrified.

I feared I would die, but more than that, I feared for my baby.

I sobbed in pain, begging passersby to contact my family.

When someone finally agreed to help, they were chased away from the clinic without even a word.

He used to always rush home the moment he heard I needed him.

But that day, he left me with only a cold dismissal.

"I'm saving lives. Tell her to stop bothering me."

Before the accident, I had seen who he was treating. It was Seraphina.

My heart twisted. Refusing to believe it, I begged one last person to carry the message.

This time, he finally allowed the messenger inside.

I lay in a pool of my own blood, feeling my strength draining away as the pain intensified.

I whispered to myself, "Husband, I've had an accident. Please, come back and save me. And our baby... I think I'm fading."

In my daze, I felt my child slipping away.

The messenger was gone for a long time. Just as I hoped Silas would rush over in a panic, the messenger returned and shattered my last illusion.

He said, with a pitying look, "Your husband said he was still cleaning Seraphina's wounds and told you to stop being jealous. Then he kicked me out."

He didn't say more, but his sympathetic gaze told me everything.

Since when does a renowned doctor need to personally clean a simple bandage?

My heart went completely numb. The physical pain felt distant, and tears flowed silently.

Just before I lost consciousness, my sister dropped her pastries and threw herself over me.

After hearing the onlookers explain what happened, she cursed aloud.

"Silas, you spineless coward! You don't deserve to be a father. Rot in hell with your cousinDyou'll never see Clara again."

She carried me home, but the cost was her own child.

My sister kept watch by my bedside, but the babies were born without breath.

Her face was deathly pale, still trapped in the trauma, and her hand in mine wouldn't stop shaking.

"Clara, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have gone out for those stupid pastries."

I squeezed her hand back.

Honestly, the guilt should have been mine. If I hadn't fallen for Seraphina's trap, her baby would still be alive.

Just then, her husband, Caleb, returned.

He hammered on the door, and when we didn't open it, he started shouting.

"Chloe, did you hire someone to harass my brother? What kind of wife acts like you? He's a doctor; he doesn't choose his patients. Can you stop listening to your sister's insane lies?"

"And stop lying about losing the babies! You were eight or nine months along; even if you walked ten miles, you'd be fine."

"If I weren't so busy fixing up Seraphina's house, I'd come in there and deal with you myself. Is a divorce something you joke about?"

"You want a divorce? Fine. Have it your way."

As Chloe moved to confront him, we heard his retreating footsteps.

She stared at the door, silent for a long time.

I looked at her weary expression. "Chloe, maybe the universe doesn't approve of our marriages. You just lost your baby and have been watching over me... please, get some rest."

Her eyes turned red, and she finally broke down into sobs.

We clung to each other, finally releasing the grief and betrayal we had held inside.

Our youthful dreams of love had become a boomerang, striking us down.

Looking back, the ending had been written from the start.

Silas had scheduled our wedding on Seraphina's birthday, probably as some sick way to spite her.

My sister and I were nothing but tools to make her jealous; there was never any love.

We were the fools for believing they were just a cousin-like bond.

Since the accident, I've been bedridden, and neither of them has checked on us once.

It's clear where their loyalties lie.

Perhaps to him, I was never worth his time.

It's just a pity that I realized it so late.

I lay on my bed and heard the neighbor, Mrs. Miller, talking loudly outside.

"Did you hear? Those brothers are obsessed with their cousin! She got a scratch, and they've been tearing their hair outDeven went out of their way to fix her house."

I took a deep breath and called Chloe over to listen with me.

She let out a bitter, mocking laugh.

"Three of them? Don't they get cramped?"

"Once we're divorced, I doubt there'll even be enough room in the house for all of them."

Seraphina didn't just take the men; she made sure everyone knew it.

Mrs. Miller, unaware of the truth, sighed with envy.

"To have such devoted cousins... how is she so lucky to have two?"

"What sins did I commit to end up tied to such useless men?"

I sat in the courtyard, tears falling again, unable to speak through the lump in my throat.

After a while, I calmed down. "They have nothing to do with us anymore, Chloe. I'm going to write the divorce papers now."

When they were finished, I had them deliveredDone to Silas's clinic, the other to Caleb's town hall.

We waited a full day, but there was no response.

After eight years of knowing them, this was the indifference I received in return.

My regret grew, and as the day turned to night, I couldn't wait any longer. I stormed to the clinic.

Men blocked the door, afraid I was there to cause trouble.

Silas was busy, and he didn't come out.

Before I could speak, his irritated voice drifted from the back.

"Clara, what now? I haven't even confronted you for your earlier stunt, and you're here again? Why send me divorce papers? Do you want the whole town to know how petty and jealous you are?"

My heart went cold again.

I had sent the papers with someone else. If he cared even a little, he'd know I had been bedridden after the miscarriage.

But he didn't even know.

I wanted to bring up the divorce, but then I heard Seraphina's voice.

"Cousin, the rabbit you gave me is so cute! I love it so much. Could you make it a cage?"

He told her to keep her voice down. I couldn't help but snap.

"No wonder you don't have time to read the divorce papers; you're too busy with your lover. I'll leave you to your fun."

I turned to leave, and Silas panicked. He rushed out.

"Are you ever going to quit? I was trying to save you from your own jealousy! Seraphina bumped her head and came for a bandage. She even wanted to invite you over to thank you. Why are you always making a scene?"

"She's an orphan with no one to rely on. She had to fix her own house! Why do you make such a big deal out of nothing? I'm exhausted from work. Can't you be more mature? Why drag your sister into this divorce nonsense? My brother hasn't done anything to you!"

Silas grew angrier as he spoke.

Seraphina stepped in, playing the victim. "Cousin, don't be angry. It's normal for her to be suspicious while pregnant. I only learned to be independent because my parents died. Who wouldn't want someone to protect them?"

Her soft, melodic voice was a blade that pierced my heart.

Silas ignored me entirely and comforted her. "It's fine. If you need anything, come to me. I'll be there in a heartbeat. You're my cousin, whom I've known my whole life. Don't let someone irrelevant upset you."

Tears burst forth.

I ran home like a madwoman.

Five years of knowing him, three years of marriage, and yet, to him, I was nothing but an irrelevant stranger.

Hatred filled my body, and I broke down.

Chloe comforted me. "Don't cry for those monsters. I've sent word to Caleb. Once we're recovered, we're going to the town hall to finalize this."

My sister and I spent half a month at home, and not once did they show any concern.

Not one soul cared where two pregnant women had gone.

Until the day I went back to the house, and I finally understood why.

I saw the three of them getting out of a carriage from the outskirts of town, the atmosphere so cozy it left no room for anyone else.

Seraphina's bright smile and my misery were two different worlds.

She said joyfully to the two men, "Cousin, we'll always be the closest."

I watched the smile on Silas's face, my heart completely unmoved.

I calmly left a note for him.

"I'm recovered. See you at the town hall tomorrow. Make sure Caleb is there."

He tried to come over, but I had the door locked.

Once Chloe and I were finished with our recovery, we finally had the strength to go to the town hall.

We described everything that had happened that day in detail, but the officer looked grave.

"It's been over two weeks. Why are you only reporting this now? It's going to be difficult to investigate."

I didn't say a word, just slipped him some cash, begging him to try.

The officer was a man of principle. When he heard it was because of our husbands' infidelity and that my sister had lost her baby trying to save me, he felt ashamed.

He pounded his chest, promising to get to the bottom of it.

We left the town hall and returned to the home Chloe and I had shared since childhood.

We were exhausted, so we asked a neighbor to bring us dinner.

Unexpectedly, after Caleb had been turned away by Silas earlier, he showed up now.

He roared at us, "Where have you been? The house is a mess, and why are you two running around while pregnant? Haven't you had two weeks to think? How long are you going to keep up this tantrum?"

"Clara, your temper is bad enough, but dragging your sister into it? Chloe and I were fine, but now she wants a divorce because of you. Why are you so wicked? Can't you stand to see others happy?"

Chloe heard every word. She snapped.

"You two are heartless scum. Marrying you was my biggest regret. Tell Silas: tomorrow, whoever doesn't show up is a coward. I've signed the papers. Clara and I are clearing the way for your precious cousin."

Caleb, stunned by her outburst, stormed off in shame.

The next day, we arrived at the town hall early.

But the first person we saw was Seraphina.

Her eyes were red, as if she'd been crying.

Dressed in fancy clothes, she walked up and choked out, "I'm sorry, sister-in-law. I'm here to convince you not to go through with this. You must have misunderstood our relationship. It's not like that."

"Going to the outskirts to enjoy the flowers was just a childhood joke. But because I had an accident, it was delayed until now. I told them to tell you two. I never expected that they would..."

Seeing the smugness on her face, I understood. She wasn't apologizing; she was reminding me that they had grown up together.

We were never going to fit into their world.

Chloe gripped her sleeves so tightly her knuckles turned white.

I gave a cold, dismissive laugh. "I heard you. But let me ask you: did they agree to this divorce? Can we divorce?"

"Or are you signing the papers for them?"

Seraphina's eyes darted around, and then she suddenly lunged at me.

Startled, I pushed her away by instinct.

Seraphina fell to the ground, and a patch of blood seeped through her sleeve.

I was confused, about to help her up, when I heard Silas's familiar roar from behind.

"Clara, what do you think you're doing? Let go of her!"

Before I could react, he had run up and shoved me hard.

I stumbled right into my sister.

Silas's eyes finally landed on me, and he saw my flattened stomach. His face turned to one of pure terror.

He asked in disbelief, "Clara, where is our baby?"

Caleb walked up from the distance, and before he could see what was happening, someone stopped him.

"Caleb, there's a big case at the office. Someone reported that a driver caused these women to lose their babies. You need to come look."

As soon as he finished, Caleb saw us and froze.

His hands dropped, then he pointed at us, shaking.

"What happened? Where are our babies?"

I looked at their frantic, desperate expressions with ice-cold eyes.

"Just as you see. Thanks to you, my baby is gone. Let's get the divorce. I don't want to waste another word on you."

Silas's pupils contracted, and he stared in shock.

It took him a long time to process what I had said.

Fury surged, and he bellowed, "Clara, that was my child too! How dare you just throw it away? Do you know who you are?"

"Are you crazy? You killed himDyou're a murderer!"