Maxi's pregnancy was horrific. Not that her previous ones had been a walk in the park, but with her newest baby or babies, she was so nauseous, she could barely stand and eat.

When Doctor Smith told her she was having twins again, he sounded almost as grim as she felt. At least she didn't have to pretend to be happy. But it wasn't just not being happy this time. It was pure rage that she had to fight very hard to keep hidden.

Even if her life had greatly improved once Sophie took Kyle to Texas and Freider hired the nanny for Jerry, she still hadn't recovered from the bathtub incident. Since then, she'd only taken brief showers and stayed out of the bathroom as much as possible.

The guilt was crushing her, turning everything into anger. The new pregnancy did nothing to alleviate her misery, only making the dark hole inside her deeper. Freider was happy, of course, chatting away about his plans for his new children. She only pretended to listen. If she nodded when it mattered, he was satisfied. Handling him was easy this time. She was physically sick, so her husband didn't have to wonder why she wasn't the least bit excited about being a parent again.

He tried his best, always bringing her whatever she craved, massaging her feet, and hiring a housekeeper for them. She hated being waited on, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice. They needed food, and the mere smell of certain things made her throw up. This constant sickness was also a great excuse not to go to the doctor anymore. She didn't want to see Doctor Smith watching her with weary eyes, mincing his words. Gone was the cheerful old man she'd first met. It seemed as if his misguided insistence that Jerry would have a twin had humbled him.

Maxi didn't care either way. People were having kids long before doctors and checkups, so who needed their fussing and their inaccurate observations? Not like it worked well the last two times. The more medical attention she got, it seemed, the more troublesome her birth was. This time, she was content to just lay on her sofa, and whatever would be would be.

On such an afternoon in late April, she'd had a particularly nausea-inducing day. Grace had been over, complaining about her laying around all day and not watching Jerry properly, even if he was with his nanny and doing just fine. Freider had returned from work just in time to send her away and threatened to commit her again if she didn't stop acting crazy and bothering his wife.

Maxi didn't care about these things anymore, either. Even if Grace had been in and out of treatment facilities lately, she still hadn't returned to what Freider claimed was her normal state. Sometimes, she was melancholic and kind, but she was mostly a cranky old lady who sometimes looked like a dog about to bite. Maxi was definitely not sorry when she stopped visiting, whatever the reason.

That afternoon, however, after Grace left and Maxi could finally relax, her feet in her husband's lap, someone else decided to darken their doorstep. 

She had never seen Freider's older brother, Bill. Their wedding hadn't been important enough for him to move his butt to Chicago, so it was shocking that he suddenly appeared, holding a baby nonetheless. Freider, who'd opened to the door for him, stared from his brother to the child he was holding.

"Bad time?" Bill asked, his voice gruff.

Maxi straightened in her seat. Bill was a little shorter than Freider and looked broader with a weathered face and dark blond hair and beard. Even holding a baby, he looked unpleasant.

"Where did you get that?" Freider asked, pointing at the child.

"Oh, it's mine. Someone left him on my doorstep."

"On your doorstep?" Maxi couldn't help asking. Even if she didn't know Bill at all and couldn't appreciate the circumstances that had led to this, it was still vile. Who would do such a thing?

He turned to her, taking her in. "Hello. You must be my sister-in-law. You're also pregnant."

"Yes, she is," Freider said, his voice chilling. "We're having twins."

"Congratulations." That was the least sincere word she had ever heard. "You do have two more kids, don't you?"

"Yes," she said warily.

"So you'll be having four."

She hated to think about it, but she just nodded, wondering why her estranged brother-in-law was counting their children.

"Yes, we'll be having four. I don't get it, why are you here?" Freider asked. "I haven't seen you since Dad died."

"Well, since I knew you got married and everything, I was wondering..." Bill's grey eyes once again settled on Maxi, and something seemed to break inside him. "Shit, Freider, I don't even know who the mother of this kid is."

There was a moment of utter silence, and Maxi tried to compute what this meant.

"How can you not know?" Freider demanded.

"Because I don't care. I don't want kids. Since you've apparently settled down, I was wondering if you could take this one, too."

"No," Maxi said before Freider could even open his mouth. Her heart pounded hard against her ribs, throwing all pretense out the window. "No way! How on Earth do you expect us to handle four babies at the same time?"

"Maxi..."

"This one isn't even ours!"

"Yeah, I know," Bill snapped and turned to Freider. "When I decided to come here, I didn't know she was pregnant again. Isn't your other kid like not even one?"

"And it would've been okay to abandon your kid with us if she wasn't," Freider deadpanned, rightfully ignoring the intrusive question.

"Look, I know it's difficult, but you have the means to hire an army of nannies--"

"So do you!"

Bill seemed to have no reply to this. In that moment, Maxi realized he hadn't even considered doing that himself. Handling that poor child who had no fault for being brought into this world with monsters for parents.

"Take responsibility for once in your life," Freider said between his teeth. "Raise your own kid. Make him a better man than you are. It shouldn't be hard."

Bill held the baby closer to him, obviously no longer intending to give it away. "That's rich coming from you. You'd better hope that your kids are better than you, you selfish bastard."

"You have some nerve!"

Bill didn't care about his nerve, he just walked out, slamming the door behind him. Freider let out a sigh and dropped on the couch next to Maxi. For a few moments, he was just silent, then he pulled her feet into his lap again and began massaging them.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But I really didn't want to--"

"You don't have to justify yourself," he cut her off. "He's always been like this. Never took responsibility for his actions, thought he could fix everything by throwing money at it. It was about time for him to see that it doesn't work like that." He gave her a tired smile. "You just take care of yourself. I want you to feel better."

♣

Maxi didn't feel better. When the contractions started one evening in August, she felt like she was tearing apart from the inside. Freider wasn't home, so it was Ron who drove her to the hospital this time. She guessed she was lucky that he was home on that particular evening, but the pain made her think that luck didn't exist. The way to the hospital was an agonizing blur, and by the time she was wheeled on the hallways, she knew exactly what she wanted. A C section, and to be put under. She was done. She didn't want this anymore.

There was a feeble attempt from the doctor to resist, but she insisted, and in a matter of minutes, everything blissfully went black before she could feel any more pain.

When she woke up, she felt as if she were floating, her brain groggy and unaware of where she was and what she was doing there. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had such a good sleep. And there was no more pain, no more nausea, nothing. Why hadn't she done this for all her births? 

"You're up."

She startled at the voice and forced her eyes to focus properly. Saying she was shocked to see Ron at the foot of her bed was an understatement.

"What? Where's Freider?"

"I couldn't get a hold of him," Ron answered, his voice low and careful, as if he were afraid she would get histerical. "I think he might be on some stake out or something. It's still just you and me."

Maxi wanted to ask about Grace but decided she didn't want that crazy old woman there anyway. "How are my kids?"

"It's not like anyone would tell me anything. I'm not the father," he answered with a shrug.

She faltered for a moment but realized she would have been informed at once had something gone wrong and not left to her own devices. Something else came to mind. "Are there two of them?" She didn't even know if they would be girls, boys, or both.

Ron stiffened and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Why would I know that and not anything else? Didn't you say you were having twins?"

She sighed and leaned further into her pillows. "Yeah, well, we were told that last time, too." The sense of peace she'd felt was quickly unraveling in the face of the unknown.

For a few moments, there was silence, and she considered closing her eyes and going to sleep again. The comfortable feeling of the anesthesia was still there, so she believed she could still replicate that restful sleep and try to forget where she was.

"What if you had twins this time?" Ron suddenly said, his voice sounding hollow. "And what if you lost one of them?"

She startled back into focus, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. "Why would you even say something like that?" A heavy weight plunged into her stomach. "Ron, did you lie to me? Do you actually know something? 

He didn't seem to have heard her, pondering hard. "What if the doctor was right, and one of the babies just... Died."

"Shut up! What has gotten into you? How could you even..."

"How bad would that be for you?"

She couldn't believe the words had left his mouth. The worry in her chest exploded, and something inside her seemed to snap. "Get out! I don't ever want to see you again! How could you even think of saying something like that? And to who? To a mother who's just given birth, who's had issues before, who--"

"Save me your sob story," Ron said with a snarl. "The feeling's mutual. I also hope we don't see each other for a very long time. But I'm not as hateful as you are, sister. I'm still part of this family, whether you like it or not, and maybe someday you'll reconsider." And he fortunately headed out.

Maxi panted, glaring at the door, wondering what kind of psychopaths were in the family she'd ended up marrying into. Davyn, Ron, Bill... Was Freider the only normal one? Would her children end up cold-blooded like that? The thought made her cry. She wanted news of her baby or babies.

But when she called the nurse, she was told to just wait and that the doctor would be with her shortly. Shortly ended up being half an hour later. It was already late into the night, and doctor Smith looked pale and clammy. His step was also wobbly, no longer resembling the energetic man she'd met at all. Seeing him like this had her straightening against the headboard. 

"What happened?" she asked. Even she was shocked by how shaky her voice was.

"Nothing, nothing," the doctor whispered, but his hands were shaking. "You have a healthy baby boy. The nurse will bring him by shortly."

Relief settled over Maxi, doubled by the knowledge that she'd dodged having twins again. "That's great to hear."

"Your recovery also appears to be going accordingly," he said, his voice still exhausted, as he checked her monitors. "You'll be out of here in no time."

Right on cue, a nurse came in, carrying a tiny bundle. Maxi hated herself that her first impulse was to cower into her pillows. Instead, she reached out her arms and took the baby. He was so small and soft, and for the first time, as she looked at him, her heart seemed to fill up. She could finally say with all her heart that he was cute. Even if he had a black tuft of hair, his features were much softer, and she could see parts of herself in him. The cheekbones, the nose, even the shape of his eyes. The Grant line didn't seem to have swallowed him hole.

"He is beautiful," she whispered.

The door opened again, and Freider rushed in, out of breath, his eyes glowing with excitement. He grinned at her, and even if he faltered for a moment as he processed it was once again only one baby, he came over and kissed her hair.

"Sorry I'm late. I was doing a stake out, and I had no idea you'd gone into labor."

"It's a healthy baby boy," she offered.

"One again." He turned to the doctor, the disapproval clear in his voice.

"Yes, it appears I was mistaken. Again." The man choked on the last word. "So, if you'll excuse me, I do hope that, if you chose to become a mother again, Mrs. Grant, you will choose a different doctor. I believe that any further collaboration between us would not be in your interest."

"You can bet we will," Freider muttered as Doctor Smith made his way out. "That man is an incompetent fool."

"I do hope we won't be having more children though," she muttered. "This pregnancy was really difficult for me."

He held her tighter against him, kissing her hair. "Three seems like an alright number, doesn't it?"

"It definitely does." Could she be this lucky? Could the torture stop? But she'd hold Freider up to his words should he bring up children again. Filing this safety net for later, she glanced down at her perfect baby again. "What should we name him?"

"I was thinking to maybe name him Thompson."

"What? Freider, seriously?"

"What's wrong with the name?" he asked with a grin.

She gave him a reproachful look. "Tom and Jerry?" Where'd he even get that name?

"Oh, right. I didn't think about that."

"Plus, Thompson is so posh!" And spoiled.

"We are a posh family, honey," he said with a laugh. "But you're right. We'd most likely shorten it to Tom, and then we'll have Tom and Jerry running around the house."

"Except Jerry would be the cat in this case."

They both shared a laugh, and it felt right. As if they were finally a proper family, without resent and darkness always floating above them, waiting to grab them and destroy them.

"Let's name him Sam then," Freider said.

"Oh, I like that." She glanced at her tiny adorable baby again. "Little Sam."

"I'll think of a posh middle name, though."

She nudged him playfully and hugged the baby closer, feeling as if things were finally falling into place.

"Oh, you got here."

Ron's voice made her skin crawl, and the feeling of bliss was obliterated. She glared towards the door, wishing to make it clear that she meant what she'd said. He was no longer welcomed anywhere near her.

"Yes, I did," Freider said. "Thanks for taking her to the hospital."

"Don't thank me," Ron said, already half out the door. "I did you no favors. And as your wife will certainly inform you, I do not plan to stick around much longer. I will leave for school, and once I'm eighteen in January, you won't ever have to see me again."

She tensed, even if she agreed with his plan. However, Freider might not. To her utter shock, he just grinned.

"Time sure flies when you're having fun. Turning eighteen, aye? Well, I think we've both been waiting for that day for the past five years."

"Tell me about it," Ron mumbled. "Goodbye."

And just like that, he turned and walked away.

He made good on his word. Once she was discharged and made it home with baby Sam, Ron was no longer there. It was so easy to feel relief as she took care of her new child. The darkness had indeed lifted, and it felt like this could be the new beginning she had always hoped for.

Months flew by, and soon, January came. Even there, the only indication that something had happened was the emptied room her brother-in-law seemed to occupy. There was no call, no visit, not even a word of goodbye.

Maxi didn't see Ron again for twenty years.

Her life settled into a normal rhythm as she took care of her kids, finally graduated from high school, and went to college. Her Julliard dream had fizzled and died long before she decided to complete her studies, so she chose a helpful degree. Financial analyst seemed like the perfect job for her new social status.

Freider's mood also improved as it appeared he got the family he always wanted, and he became a lot more relaxed and cheerful. They finally looked and felt like a proper family. She just wished she could finally purge Davyn from her life as well.

As it turned out, she couldn't. If she didn't think of him while getting intimate with Freider, she couldn't do it. And even if they'd agreed that they had enough children, her husband still wanted sex. But it was a small price to pay, she told herself, for a happy home. After all, it wasn't like she was seeing Davyn or even wanted to. No one would ever know.

Even so, sometimes, when she felt like a fraud and lonely, she broke her promise to herself and took out the letters he'd written her. She'd hidden them in a shoebox in her dresser, under an actual pair of shoes, so that Freider wouldn't stumble across them accidentally. That was where she also kept the only picture of her and Davyn she had, one snapped by Bianca when they were at the hight of their happiness.

Her rebellion almost cost her everything when Sam stumbled into her dresser when he was four, and found her things. The photograph ended up in Freider's hands, and she had to watch him pull it out whenever it suited him, the look on his face as dark as Davyn's when he was at his worst. She was sure that if he'd found her letters as well, it would've all been over.

But Freider didn't leave her then. He just had something over her because what she'd done proved that she was the one messing up their marriage, not him. He was the perfect husband, the one who'd saved her from Snitch Gravel, and she was a traitor, locked in the past. She vowed to do better.

So Freider got everything he wanted. He could refuse to bring Kyle home even if Jerry and Sam were old enough to be easy to handle. Refuse to have him over for holidays and summer vacation. Refuse to ever take Jerry and Sam to Texas to see him. As much as she cried, pouted and begged, she couldn't change his mind. Because no matter what she claimed, Kyle did end up looking exactly like Davyn and she couldn't blame her husband for not wanting that memento running around their house. She was never sure if Freider knew the truth or not, and the uncertainty terrified her. It was so much easier to let him have his way and keep him happy.

He could choose her job for her, choose the kids' schools and their careers for them. And Maxi just watched. Because even if he was crushing her role as a mother with each decision, Sam and Jerry were happy. They all were as long as Freider got his way.

And she had her revenge in small acts of rebellion. Pretending he was Davyn, flying out to visit Kyle without him knowing...

As the years flew by, she managed to convince herself that she'd done it. All her sacrifices hadn't been in vain. She had a stable family, smart, handsome kids and all the money she could spend.

She really did get her happy ending.

♣♣♣

And, ladies and gentlemen, we have our last chapter from Maxi's PoV. She really is a naive idiot and used her denial to convince herself that her plan worked and she did succeed.

To be fair, from the outside, most of her family life was happy. And in the end, she did build a career for herself. Did she have to kill her dreams and who she once was for it? Definitely.

I'm also sure Ron's attitude was not suspicious at all. He definitely didn't do anything to bother anyone.

Anyway, one more chapter and WE'RE DONE! So stick around for the grand finale!