Chapter 3: The Price of Cruelty
I carried Anna toward the front door while dialing 911 with shaking hands.
Behind me, my mother shouted,
"If you leave now, don't ever come back!"
I didn't even look at her.
The ambulance arrived within minutes.
Inside, the paramedic examined Anna before his expression turned serious.
"Sir... how long has she been under this amount of stress?"
"What do you mean?"
Her monitor showed irregular contractions.
Her blood pressure had skyrocketed.
The baby's heartbeat dipped... then recovered... then dipped again.
The paramedic looked directly at me.
"Extreme emotional abuse can trigger dangerous complications."
Every word stabbed deeper than the last.
I climbed into the ambulance beside Anna and held her hand the entire ride.
"I'm sorry," I whispered over and over.
She managed a weak smile.
"You came."
Those two words destroyed me.
She had never stopped believing I'd protect her.
Even after I failed to see what had been happening in my own home.
Three hours later, after an emergency cesarean section, our daughter entered the world.
For one terrifying minute...
She didn't cry.
The delivery room stood completely silent.
Then—
A tiny, powerful wail filled the room.
I collapsed into a chair as tears streamed down my face.
"We have a healthy baby girl," the doctor said with a relieved smile.
Anna reached for my hand.
"We made it."
I kissed her forehead.
"No," I whispered.
"You survived."
That same afternoon, while Anna slept with our daughter resting beside her, I returned to the house alone.
My mother was calmly drinking tea.
"As expected," she said. "She manipulated you."
Without saying a word, I placed divorce papers for the house ownership transfer onto the coffee table.
"What is this?"
"The house is mine."
Her smile disappeared.
"I've already arranged a moving company."
She laughed.
"You wouldn't throw your own mother out."
May you like
I looked at her without a trace of emotion.
"I already have."
