Chapter 3: Dinner and Deception

Roast turkey with crisp golden skin, honey-baked ham glistening with cloves, mounds of fluffy mashed potatoes swimming in gravy.

Barbecue ribs so tender they fell off the bone, fried chicken that crunched with every bite, sweet glazed carrots, platters of cured meats, smoky sausages, and brisket—the dining room looked like Thanksgiving exploded. The clatter of silverware on china, the sugary scent of sweet tea, and the faint twang of country music drifting from the kitchen radio made it all feel like home.

My willpower crumbled. I ate like I hadn’t seen food in months (which was true), shoveling everything I could reach, not caring if I looked like a wild animal.

Mr. and Mrs. Prescott just stared, forks frozen midair, mouths hanging open.

The doctor, a gentle man with kind eyes—Dr. Sullivan—chuckled, "You’re one tough cookie, Tara. Surviving all that, and carrying twins on top of it—well, maybe fate’s got your back after all."

"Twins?"

I nearly dropped my fork. Mrs. Prescott grabbed my hand so tightly I thought she might never let go.

"Sweetheart, tell me, did Danny give you this class ring?"

I dropped my gaze, heart pounding. My pulse hammered in my ears. I tasted bile at the back of my throat. If I lied, I’d be safe. If I told the truth, I’d be out in the cold. What was I supposed to say?

Mr. Prescott sensed her tension and gently led her aside, speaking to me with trembling hope. "May I ask, young lady, are you from Silver Hollow?"

I pressed my lips together, nodding just once.

He actually looked relieved. "I see, Danny spent his last two years in Silver Hollow."

"What’s your name, miss? How many are left in your family?"

I hesitated. "My name is Tara."

I took a shaky breath. "My family… starved in the famine. My parents died of hunger. Only I am left."

He gave a bitter smile. "Locusts swarmed, it’s a natural disaster. My Danny also…"

"You’re one tough cookie, Tara. Surviving all that, and carrying twins on top of it—well, maybe fate’s got your back after all."

His words made my throat ache. I rubbed my belly, fighting tears.

Back in Silver Hollow, we’d watched the skies turn black with locusts, a living carpet that chewed through everything green. Crops vanished, hunger followed fast. In a few months, folks died by the dozens.

My parents saved their last scraps for me, quietly withering away so I could keep going. I can’t even remember their last words—just the way they pressed my hand and smiled.

Desperate to survive, I traded away my dignity for a piece of white bread. Unmarried, pregnant, not even sure whose child I was carrying. I cried, panicked, even thought about ending it—anything seemed easier than this.

But right at the edge of oblivion, something stubborn inside me made me fight back. I wouldn’t let go. My parents had given up everything for me. I owed it to them to keep going, even if the world wanted me gone.

Each day, I got up and pushed through. The child inside me was a little warrior, growing stronger with every heartbeat. He clung to life as fiercely as I did.

So I forced myself onward, one foot in front of the other, until I crawled onto that boat from a pile of bodies outside Silver Hollow.

Now I’d made it to Maple Heights, to the famous Prescott house. Maybe I’d finally landed somewhere safe.

But looking at Mr. and Mrs. Prescott, seeing the heartbreak in their faces, I started to regret what I’d done. Their love for their son was as fierce as my parents’ love for me.

Maybe it wasn’t right to lie to people who’d already lost so much.

Just as I was about to speak up, Mrs. Prescott couldn’t wait any longer.

She clutched my hand, her usually clear blue eyes red and wild with tears. Her voice trembled with desperation.

"Say it! Say this ring was given to you by Danny!"

"Say the child you carry is my son’s flesh and blood!"

Her words sent panic skittering through me. I started to stammer, "I’m sorry… I…"

Suddenly, a rush of pain hit, like a tidal wave washing over me. My water broke right there on their polished oak floor.

Mr. and Mrs. Prescott stared in horror at the growing puddle.

"She’s… going to give birth!"