"On paper, I died giving birth to them," she said.
Riley could only laugh at the irony of it all. She had never given birth. "Riley, the baker, the girl with the shop and the bad taste in men. Gone. Like she never existed. They gave me a new name and a new birthday and a new past that fits in one page. Some mornings I say my real name in the mirror just to check it's still there."
She swallowed.
"I never carried anything I got to keep. The only baby I ever carried, I lost it. And she was carrying a little girl when he..." She stopped, taking several deep breaths. It didn't matter how long it had been. Her memory of that night still haunted her. She counted to five before she started over. "Two babies that year. I couldn't keep either of them. But these two..."
She finally turned to look at him. Her eyes were wet. The very thought of losing the twins was enough to make her feel emotional.
"They're mine. They were mine the moment I put my hand on that door."
