Chapter Twenty-Nine

Mae walked down the hallway back to her room, a sense of satisfaction settling over her. What she had just done to Ethan was a test. If he truly loved her, he would do everything in his power to stop the divorce. She reached her door, her hand brushing the handle when a voice called her name.

She turned to the left and saw Michael approaching.

"Did you get the message from Mom and Dad?" he asked.

"What message?" Mae replied, raising an eyebrow.

"They asked me to come over to your room. Said they had something important to tell us."

Mae nodded. "Well, let's go hear what they have to say." She opened the door and gestured for Michael to follow as they entered the room.

Inside, Caleb, Liam, Emily, and Kate were all seated, waiting for them.

"What's going on?" Mae asked, her voice a bit wary.

"Take a seat," Caleb said, motioning to the bed. Mae and Michael sat down, a sense of unease creeping in.

"Are we safe?" Michael asked, his voice tinged with concern.

"Yes, you're safe," Caleb reassured them. "We called you here because we need to talk about what's been happening in our family."

"Okay," Mae said, her tone cautious but curious.

"Kate already told us about what happened with Ethan thirteen years ago, and I want you both to know she's truly sorry for what she did," Caleb continued.

"You told him?" Mae asked, turning to Kate in surprise.

"Yes," Kate replied quietly. "And I also told him about Jake, and about how Ethan has Camilla captive."

"That hasn't been proven yet," Mae interjected.

"I don't understand what you're all talking about," Michael said, his confusion clear.

"I'll fill you in on the details later," Mae said. "Go on, Dad."

Caleb took a deep breath. "After talking with Liam and Kate, we realized that in trying to protect you both, we've been holding you back from being happy. We want to apologize, and we promise we're going to do better as parents. But we need you to be cooperative too."

"Cooperative as in?" Mae asked.

"Stop hiding things from us," Caleb said. "Mae, you were six months pregnant and didn't even tell your family. And Michael, you ran away without thinking about how it would affect us. You two keep doing things that push us to the edge, and we make bad decisions because of it."

"We're sorry, Father," Michael said. "The truth is, sometimes you don't understand us. We know you want what's best for us, but what you want isn't always what we want. For example, you don't want Mae with Ethan because you think he's a bad guy, but he's not."

"He is," Kate snapped. "He took my daughter away from me."

"Would you blame him?" Michael shot back. "What you put him through is enough to scar anyone for life. For someone who went through that, I'd say he's showing mercy. He could've done a lot worse to this family, but he didn't. That's enough to prove he's a good guy."

"Darling, you're just saying all that because Ethan is your friend," Emily said with a sigh.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about," Michael said, frustration building in his voice. "You guys don't always have to be right."

"Ethan left your sister to marry Bella, even when he knew she was fighting for her life. Is that man worthy of your sister's love?" Caleb asked, his tone stern.

"Ethan never left the hospital to marry Bella. In fact, he was never going to marry her," Michael replied quickly.

"Stop defending him!" Kate barked.

"The only reason Ethan was going to marry Bella was because I asked him to," Michael said, surprising everyone in the room.

"What do you mean, you asked him to?" Caleb's voice rose.

"I didn't want to tell you like this, but I'm engaged to Bella's younger sister, Emilia," Michael revealed, his eyes steady.

"You're what?!" Emily gasped.

"Ethan was there when I proposed to her," Michael continued. "I told him about the situation between the two families, how we had to keep our relationship a secret. Emilia and I wanted both our families to be there at the wedding, but knowing how tense things were, we knew there was no way you'd come without ruining it. So I asked Ethan to propose to Bella and create a fake wedding. Instead of him and Bella marrying, Emilia and I would. That's why I ran away, and that's why Ethan had to play the villain in all of this."

"How dare you do this to me?" Emily's voice trembled with rage.

"I love her, Mom!" Michael replied, his tone firm.

"I don't even know you anymore," Emily said, tears welling in her eyes.

"You don't expect us to be cooperative when you guys don't even want to do the same," Michael said. "I'm sorry, Father, but this isn't going to work out. If you're going to keep questioning our decisions and making choices for us, it's better if you just stay out of our lives."

"You want me out of your life because of her?" Emily's voice was filled with disbelief.

"Michael, you know the kind of family she comes from," Caleb said, his voice tinged with judgment. "Her mom sleeps around, her father's no better, and her older sister's just as bad."

"That doesn't mean she's like them," Mae interjected, defending Emilia.

"Mae?" Caleb's tone was sharp.

"Just because her family is messed up doesn't mean she is too," Mae continued. "Emilia is respectful, hardworking, and talented. She's everything a man could want in a woman. You can't judge her just because of her family. You haven't even gotten to know her."

"Not everyone is as bad as you think," Mae added, looking directly at her father.

"You keep saying you're looking out for us, but the truth is, you just want to control our lives," Michael said, shaking his head. "You think only your choices are the best for us, but you're so wrong. You need to let us make our own decisions, and if they fail, just be there for us. We need to learn from our mistakes. That's the only way we'll grow and become better for our life partners and our children."

"I let you make a choice for yourself, Mae, and where did that get you?" Caleb said, his voice cold. "You ended up with a guy who's cheating on you with your best friend."

"Ethan is not cheating on Mae!" Michael fired back, standing his ground.

"Really?" Kate's words dripped with disbelief. "Explain the choice he made to have your child killed."

"He cared about her life!" Michael shot back.

"Mom, are you seriously going to play that card?" Mae asked, her frustration growing.

"What are you talking about?" Kate asked, genuinely confused.

"The lie about Ethan making the decision to kill our child," Mae said bitterly. "I know you and Dad talked him into it, and my stepmother here decided to pin it on him to get in Dad's good graces."

"You still call that man your husband?" Caleb asked, disbelief in his voice.

"That man is the only reason I'm going to forgive you for your sins," Mae said sharply. "You almost killed three innocent lives because of your reckless actions. You were going to kill your grandkids, not even thinking about the fact that they were my children too. You were ready to use them as a pawn for revenge!"

"Mae, it's not what you think," Caleb said, his tone defensive.

"I thought you were expecting twins?" Kate asked, clearly puzzled.

"You knew about Mae's pregnancy?" Caleb asked, his tone shifting slightly.

"I was there for the first two months," Kate replied, "but after that, Mae shut me out."

"Really, Kate?" Caleb's voice wavered with anger. "How could you hide something like that from me?"

"Is that really what you're going to argue about right now?" Kate snapped.

"Mae, we're really sorry you lost your babies," Caleb said. "But we did what we thought was best to save you."

"No, you didn't. Ethan did what was best for me," Mae replied firmly.

"Yeah, what did he do?" Emily demanded. "He left you in the hospital after making the decision to get rid of your babies."

"Yes, he left to get help," Mae replied, her voice steady.

"Help?" Caleb asked, his brow furrowed.

"Didn't it seem strange that I went missing right after Ethan left the hospital?" Mae's eyes darkened.

"Are you saying he had you kidnapped?" Michael asked, his eyes wide.

"No, I'm saying Ethan went to get help for both me and our babies. But to stop you from doing what you were planning, my mother-in-law had me taken out of the hospital," Mae explained, her voice shaking with emotion.

"I don't understand," Caleb said, shaking his head.

"Do you want to know how Ethan got into the accident a few days ago?" Mae asked, her eyes narrowing. "He was rushing to the airport to pick up the surgeon who was going to help me. My husband got hurt trying to save me."

"That's a lie!" Emily protested, her face pale with disbelief.

"How did any of that save you or your babies?" Caleb asked, still skeptical.

"Well, I'm alive right now, and so are my babies," Mae said, her voice strong.

"That's a lie! The doctors said your babies died," Caleb insisted.

"Yeah, they lied to cover up the truth," Mae said. "Ethan's mother told them to do that. The truth is, my babies are alive, and they're in the nursery under an incubator."

"Wait, this means I'm an uncle?" Michael asked, a grin spreading across his face.

"Yes," Mae replied with a smile.

"How's that possible?" Kate asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"You almost killed my babies, but thanks to Ethan and his mom, my triplets are alive," Mae said proudly.

"You gave birth to triplets?" Caleb asked in shock.

"How is any of this possible?" Emily whispered, her confusion evident.

"Mae, are you sure they didn't just take someone else's kids and lie that they're yours?" Caleb asked, his voice uncertain.

"Well, if they did, we'll find out after the DNA test," Mae replied calmly.

"Mae, what if the test turns out negative?" Liam asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Then I'll return the babies to their rightful owner," Mae said.

"How about Ethan?" Caleb asked.

"I'm not divorcing him, if that's what you're trying to say," Mae replied firmly.

"Mae, he's not right for you. He wants revenge on our family. He wants to tear us apart," Kate said.

"We don't need Ethan for that," Mae shot back. "Our family is already broken."

"Mae!" Kate's voice cracked.

"I love my husband, and I love my kids," Mae said, her tone unwavering. "I will never put my kids in the position you put me in when I was a child."

"You're staying in that marriage because you want to give your kids a complete family?" Caleb asked, disbelieving.

"No," Mae said firmly. "I'm staying because I love my husband, and those vows I made weren't just words. I'm going to be with him, no matter what."

"Mae, don't make a mistake you'll regret for the rest of your life," Caleb warned.

"We're adults, Father. We're capable of making good decisions. And we've had enough of you trying to control everything."

"Yes, Father, Mae is right," Michael added, his voice steady.

"If you don't want this family to be worse than it already is, you're going to mend your relationship with the Davies, and you're going to allow Michael to marry Emilia. You're going to attend their wedding and be happy for him. Am I clear?" Mae demanded, her voice firm.

"And if we don't?" Emily asked, a sneer forming on her lips.

"That's a line you don't want to cross, Stepmother," Mae said. "Unless you want us to air all our dirty laundry in public."

"Are you threatening us?" Caleb asked, his voice growing colder.

"I'm not going to let you ruin Michael's life like you ruined mine," Mae said flatly.

"Thanks a lot, Mae," Michael said, his voice filled with gratitude.

"I'll always have your back," Mae replied with a smile.

"Emily and I can't do it," Caleb said, shaking his head.

"I see you need a little motivation," Mae said, her gaze hardening.

"What motivation?" Emily asked, clearly intrigued.

"In case you forgot, I'm the highest shareholder in your company. Imagine what Ethan can do with those shares. He can either destroy everything you've built or bury it into the ground," Mae said. "You know what Ethan's capable of in business, so I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

"How dare you, Mae?" Emily's voice was filled with rage.

"You want him to take revenge on your family?" Caleb asked.

"No," Mae said. "It's more like I want you to feel the pain I felt as a child. If Ethan can help me do that, I'll do anything to help him."

"Mae, you wouldn't dare!" Emily's voice trembled.

"You're going to do what I say, or I'll leave your fates in Ethan's hands," Mae said coldly.

"What do you want?" Caleb asked, defeated.

"I already told you," Mae said. "I want you to be good parents and allow Michael to marry the person he loves."

"Is that all you want?" Caleb asked, his voice now quiet.

"Yes," Mae replied as she stood up.

"Where are you going?" Emily asked, her voice strained.

"I need to talk to someone," Mae said. "If you want to see your grandkids—who you almost killed—tell Nurse Ruby to take you to them."

With that, Mae opened the door and left, her footsteps echoing down the hallway.

"Can we go see her babies?" Michael asked, his excitement palpable.

"Sure," Caleb replied, getting up.

"We're coming too," Kate said, rising to her feet with Liam.

"What about you, Emily?" Caleb asked, turning to her.

"I'll pass," Emily replied flatly.

"Let's go," Kate said, leading the way as they all left the room, leaving Emily alone in the silence.

Tears spilled down Emily's cheeks the moment they left. "I'm so sorry, Mae," she whispered to herself, running her hands through her hair. "What was I thinking? Trying to pin the death of your babies on Ethan?"