Thinking of my children, barely clinging to life, I struggled to get up and desperately chased after the car.
Just as I was about to run out of breath, my phone rang.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Mckay. We did everything we could."
At that moment, I wished a car would hit me and end it all, so I could be with my children.
But then I remembered their lifeless bodies lying cold and alone in the morgue, waiting for someone to claim them.
They had never known the warmth of a family while they were alive. How could I abandon them in death?
When I reached the hospital, I nearly fainted at the sight of their two lifeless bodies despite having steeled myself along the way.
When I gave birth to them, I endured a day and night of agonizing labor. And after they were born, the twins had been frail because of their congenital heart disease.
Others always said that this pair of twins was my karmic debt, but I had always believed they were my precious treasures.
I hated myself for not giving them healthy bodies, so I devoted all my energy to developing a special heart medication while carefully tending to their every need.
I cherished them like priceless gems for eighteen years.
They grew into exceptional individuals, and through their hard work, they were both admitted into Harvard University and Stanford University. They had become legends in the eyes of their teachers and classmates.
Today, they should have been standing under the spotlight, basking in the applause and stepping into their bright future.
But instead, they died alone, in pain and regret.
I didn't know how I managed to get through it all.
Perhaps extreme pain led to numbness, because somehow, I went through the motions and took care of all their funeral arrangements in a daze.
My two beautiful children were reduced to two small, light boxes of ashes.
I spent every day crying in pain, while Edgar did not even call until a week later.
"Bring Osvaldo and Shania back to my parents. My mother is hosting a grand banquet to celebrate their acceptance into university. The guests will be influential people. Don't embarrass me with your petty jealousy."
I bit my lip and agreed through gritted teeth. "I won't disappoint you this time."
Looking back now, I realized that my relationship with Edgar had always been doomed.