"I won't divorce him, even if he insists. There's nothing he can do about it!" Olivia declared readily.

Lily knew it was an angry but sincere outburst and chuckled despite herself. "I'm not suggesting you divorce him," she said. "But you must agree that if you can't reason with him, divorce is a possibility. It's a long and difficult process."

"I need to buy some time," Olivia said. "I want to find out if he's truly under the influence of drugs."

"Lily, you must help me!" Olivia grasped Lily's hand. "I've never asked you for anything before, but you must help Edward and me! I don't believe he's capable of this; the drugs must be influencing him. You have to help him!"

"Rest assured, I will help," Lily replied. "But until I find a solution, you must promise to take care of yourself. Don't be too anxious when you're with Edward. Just act as you normally would." Lily's calming voice eased Olivia's anxiety.

Olivia nodded, then frowned and moaned.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked nervously.

"Nothing!" Olivia shook her head, offering a blissful yet resigned smile, and pointed to her stomach. "The little rascal kicked me."

Lily relaxed, touching Olivia's belly to feel the movement. She chuckled. "As active as Galen used to be."

"Yes!" Olivia replied. "I remember when you were pregnant with Galen. He was so naughty you correctly predicted he'd be a boy. You're carrying twins now—must be even more challenging?"

"My belly's bigger and heavier," Lily said, gently stroking her stomach, her eyes sparkling with maternal love, "but these two little fellows are quiet, not as naughty as Galen. Otherwise, I couldn't run around doing everything I need to do." The twins were usually quiet, moving only occasionally. Her checkups showed normal fetal heart rates and movement; they were simply lazy.

Olivia shared Lily's joy for a moment, then her smile faded. "Lily, I'm so sorry," she said, worry and guilt clouding her voice.

"Sorry for what?" Lily asked, puzzled.

"You're pregnant, with twins, and I'm asking you to run around helping me. I've wronged you before, too. I…" Olivia felt ashamed and began to cry. She recalled her past treatment of Lily and the harsh words she had spoken. She thought, I wish I could go back and slap myself. She raised her hand to do so, but Lily stopped her.

"What are you doing?" Lily feigned anger. "You didn't know the truth; it was a misunderstanding! And you didn't do anything outrageous."

"But… what I said was mean," Olivia frowned.