Speaking about marriage will never end. Everyone knows what marriage is, but only a few truly understand the meaning of marriage and life afterward.
In essence, marriage is based on love and affection. Both partners must have a strong bond, both physically and emotionally, to navigate married life with loyalty, sincerity, and patience.
In the past, Edward never believed in commitment, let alone marriage. He always thought that serious relationships would restrict his freedom and hinder him.
Until he met Chloe. He became obsessed with having the woman who had once rejected him. He was determined to marry her, even though they didn’t love each other at first.
As time went by, genuine love truly blossomed. Not from one side, but from both of them, they fell in love with each other. They needed each other and now didn’t want to be apart.
God was kind, and after overcoming many challenges that came their way, they were blessed with a baby in Chloe’s womb. Edward couldn’t wait for the birth of his child. When the doctor offered him the chance to accompany his wife during the delivery, he immediately agreed without hesitation.
“Doctor, will the delivery process take long?” Edward asked while inside the delivery room.
“For a normal birth, it usually takes 30 to 60 minutes. Hopefully, this one will be quicker, especially since your wife is in good health without any complaints,” the doctor replied.
Edward nodded. Before the doctor began the delivery process, he took a moment to kiss Chloe’s forehead and whispered words of encouragement, so she wouldn’t feel anxious or scared.
“You can get through this. I’ll be right by your side.”
Despite enduring the pain from contractions, Chloe tried to smile. She didn’t want to see her husband worried.
“No… I can’t wait to see our baby,” she said.
After all the preparations were done, Dr. Agatha slowly started the procedure, instructing Chloe to follow her commands.
“Mrs. Chloe, the baby’s head is visible,” the doctor announced after 30 minutes of guiding the delivery process. “Take one more deep breath; I believe the baby will come out. So, follow my cues after this.”
With sweat pouring down, Chloe nodded and occasionally winced in pain. While enduring the contractions, she focused on following the doctor’s instructions.
“Take a slow breath… and exhale… Good, take one more deep breath,” Dr. Agatha commanded. “Yes, now push hard.”
Chloe obeyed.
After pushing with enough strength, the long-awaited baby was born smoothly.
“Welcome Martin’s Junior.” Dr. Agatha greeted, then handed the baby to a nurse standing nearby. “The first baby is a boy,” she said.
Edward, overcome with emotion, furrowed his brow in confusion. He was sure he heard the doctor say the baby was the first one.
“The first baby?” he repeated to make sure.
While tending to Chloe, Dr. Agatha nodded and replied, “Yes, you have twins. There’s one more baby to be delivered.”
“Oh God.”
Edward’s eyes widened, taken aback by this revelation. How could he not know that Chloe was carrying a pair of babies all this time? Did his wife and Dr. Agatha conspire to hide this fact from him?
Meanwhile, the young doctor instructed Chloe to push again, guiding her through the process. And… voila, the sound of crying filled the delivery room once more, indicating the birth of another baby from Edward Martin’s wife.
“Congratulations, this time it’s a girl. You have a pair of children.”
Edward was touched, tears streaming down his face. He hugged Chloe tightly without saying a word. Joy, happiness, and gratitude filled his heart. Who would have known that God would bless him with a cute pair of babies?
“Why are you crying?” Chloe whispered. Her voice was hoarse. Her hand gently stroked Edward’s hair repeatedly.
“You’re wicked!” Edward replied playfully.
“Wicked? What have I done to you?”
“You intentionally hid the gender of our baby because you knew they were twins, right?”
Chloe chuckled softly. From the moment Dr. Agatha informed her about the expected twins, she pleaded to keep it a secret from Edward. It was not without reason; she wanted to surprise her husband.
“Don’t be mad. I just wanted to give you a surprise.”
Edward looked up, amused, and pinched his wife’s cheek playfully as she lay there.
“You cheater! No wonder you kept forcing me to buy baby supplies in two colors the other day. You had a plan.”
This time, Chloe laughed. Finally, Edward could see through her long-standing plan.
“But you’re happy, right? To have twins at once?”
“Of course, I’m thrilled. Especially since all of you are in good health. God has been so kind to me.”
Edward hugged Chloe once more, expressing his gratitude for the extraordinary gift he received.
****
“Darling… how are you?”
Patricia and Dylan immediately embraced their youngest daughter, who had been transferred to the recovery room. After receiving news from Edward about Chloe giving birth, the couple rushed to the hospital. Happiness radiated from their faces upon hearing that their grandchild was born safe and healthy.
“I’m fine, Mom.”
“Can you believe Mama just found out that your baby is actually twins?” the middle-aged woman protested.
“Not just Mama, even I, her husband, wasn’t informed. My wife is so sneaky,” Edward complained playfully. This made Dylan and Patricia burst into laughter.
“But thank God, Chloe and your babies are all healthy,” Patricia said.
Edward nodded. At that moment, the door to Chloe’s room was knocked, and his friends entered to visit.
“Congratulations.” Kaivan hugged Edward immediately, carrying several gifts. “For your wife and your niece and nephew.”
“Thanks…” Edward replied. He then shifted his attention to Richard and Kenzi, who stood behind Kaivan. “Thank you all for coming to visit.”
“So, your child is a twin?” Kaivan asked.
“Yes, God has given me a pair,” Edward replied.
“That means each of them can be betrothed to Kenzi’s and Richard’s children,” Kaivan said.
“No!” Richard shook his head. “Kenzi and I have already agreed to match Rafael with Eleanor. Why not have Edward’s child be with yours, Kai?”
Edward laughed in response to Richard’s words.
“What if I don’t want my child to marry into this hooligan’s family? I’m afraid my child’s safety would be at risk with a father-in-law who has connections to the mafia.”
Kaivan clicked his tongue. Edward was too reckless in speaking about him.
“On the contrary, your child will be well-protected,” he retorted. “Just so you know, no mafia dares to challenge me, let alone harm my family.”
“You’re so arrogant! But anyway, if you want to arrange a match between your child and mine, we can discuss it more intensively,” Edward offered.
“But speaking of which…” Richard interjected. “Have you two already prepared names for the twins?”
Edward immediately looked at Chloe.
“For naming matters, I leave it entirely to my wife.”
“So, what are their names?” Kaivan asked curiously.
“I’ve prepared them well in advance,” Chloe replied from her bed. “For the boy, I’ve named him Sebastian Edgar Martin. And for the girl, I’ve named her Elena Hayle Martin.”
“Hayle?” Edward asked. He had no part in choosing the names. “Does it have any special meaning?”
Chloe nodded.
“Of course. Hayle is a combination of Hazel and Arley.”
Everyone nodded in unison after hearing Chloe’s explanation.
“Oh, I thought so,” Edward shook his head.
After spending some time chatting with their parents and friends, it was time for Chloe to rest. After ensuring their babies were sound asleep, Edward approached his exhausted wife.
“Now, rest quickly. If your condition improves, we can go home the day after tomorrow.”
Chloe nodded. She was feeling quite sleepy now.
“Aren’t you going to sleep too?”
Edward shook his head.
“I will rest after making sure all of you are sound asleep.”
Chloe smiled and stretched her arms, asking to be hugged.
“Thank you.”
“Tsk!” Holding Chloe in his arms, Edward sighed. “Why do you keep thanking me? I should be the one thanking you for finally loving me. Thank you for risking your life to give birth to our children. Honestly, I can never repay everything you’ve sacrificed.”
“I don’t know why, but I always feel lucky that God brought me the right man. I just want to thank you for always being the best for me. I hope you never get tired of spending the rest of your time with me.”
“Of course not,” Edward replied. “I promise I will always be by your side.”
Edward lifted Chloe’s chin and gently kissed her. The next moment, he embraced her tightly, a reflection of his immense love for the woman he adored.