On the seventh day of the New Year, my husband insisted on picking up a relative who was a murderer. He had just been released from prison.

He preferred to push me out of the car. My husband ignored the fact that I was eight months pregnant.

“You first wait here. I will come to pick you up later, okay?”

I was scared at that time. At first, I thought that I had misheard what he said. It was snowing heavily at night. The temperature was minus ten degrees Celsius.

I said, “It will take at least two hours for you to send them back. I'm pregnant, my love. I will freeze to death.”

Unexpectedly, my husband slapped me hard. I was shocked for a while. Even my parents-in-laws accused me of being ignorant.

“They are my uncle and aunt, Madeleine. They have watched me grow up since I was a child. You can't compare to them at all.”

He stepped on the accelerator. Then they left me on the highway. I called him countless times but he didn't answer.

Half an hour later, I was freezing and shivering, with blood pouring out from underneath me. I finally got through to the police.

“Hello, my car was stolen by a wanted murderer on the Pan American Highway.”

——

“What? You want me to wait for you on the highway in the middle of nowhere? I'll freeze to death. I begged desperately at this time. Unfortunately, my husband, Jonathan Beadsworth, did not listen to me at all. He insisted on pushing me out of the car.”

I then passed out due to the cold. I didn't remember anything after that.

***

I didn't realize that it all came back to the seventh day of the New Year. We returned to work with my parents-in-law. We then met my husband's relatives at the expressway service area.

They were standing on the side of the road with large and small bags. My husband and my parents-in-law could not bear to see this scene.

Jonathan quickly stopped the car. He smiled and greeted them to welcome them to the car. But he scolded me in a serious tone to get out quickly.

I took a closer look for a while. I then recognized that the other party was Jonathan' uncle and aunt, Graziano Beadsworth and Abigail Reverie. I also knew that they had just been released from prison.

I was in a state of shock at that moment. I was holding on to the door of the car and refused to get out.

“Jonathan, do you still have humanity? It's minus ten degrees outside. Besides, they have killed people and have just been released from prison. How can you give them a ride now?”

Hearing what I said, he was furious and kicked me out of the car directly. Jonathan shouted, “Madeleine, how dare you talk like that? They are my uncle and aunt, who have watched me grow up. How can they be compared to you?”

I was shocked. He still looked at me angrily. 

“I'm not coming to pick you up, Madeleine. So get out of the car quickly. Don't blame me for not treating you well now.

At that moment, Graziano chimed in, “We've watched Jonathan grow up, Madeleine. You've only been married to him for a short time. How dare you talk to us like that? Do you really take yourself seriously?”

I fell to the ground in embarrassment. My abdomen was in severe pain. It made me struggle to stand up with all my strength.

But he didn't care about it at all. Instead, he helped his uncle to carry his things. Jonathan then asked them to get into the car quickly.

I stood by the snowy highway with my eight-month pregnant belly and thin clothes, shivering with cold. I looked at him in disbelief and pulled hard on the car door.

“Jonathan, are you really going to leave me here?”

Jonathan tugged at my hand. His nails snapped into my flesh. It was so painful. I had to retract my hand in pain.

“Madeleine, stop it. You just make trouble right now. I'm just dropping off my uncle and my aunt first, okay? I'll come pick you up later.”

Jonathan looked at me. His gaze was so deep into me at that time.

“I'm not going to leave you here, Madeleine. Why don't you wait here patiently or stop the car and go back yourself?”

His words were like knives. My husband stabbed my heart slowly until it dripped with blood.

My eyes were blurred by tears. I couldn't help but let them fall down my cheeks.

I was on a highway in the middle of nowhere. It was so late. The weather was terrible. It was snowing heavily. I couldn't hold on for long.

In my heart I said, ‘I actually have to stop a car, right? Who will stop to pick me up? He didn't think about anything for me, he just wanted to leave me behind.’

I shouted, “No, don't leave me. Please, don’t leave me alone here. I'm still pregnant with your child, Jonathan. I'll have a miscarriage if I stay here. This situation is bad for my health.”

Jonathan’s uncle and aunt were in the backseat of the car. Abigail chimed in, “Don't be so melodramatic, Madeleine. You're just waiting here for a while. Don’t be panic.”

Jonathan said, “You won't really freeze to death, you won't die when I come to pick you up later. Stop making trouble.”

Graziano immediately followed and condemned me, “That's right, Madeleine. My wife’s words are right. You won't really freeze to death.”

Abigail said, “You're too old now, Madeleine? Will you die if you wait here at your age? Don't you know how to give way to your elders? After all, we're family. Who do you think you are? How dare you disobey your elders?”

I shook my head desperately with tears in my eyes. I knew that I would really die if I stayed here. But I kept holding Jonathan's hand at this time.

Jonathan said with anger, “Let go. Madeleine, let go of your hand right now.” 

He raised his hand and slapped me violently. My husband then pushed me away.

“That's enough, Madeleine. Stop it.”

Jonathan turned around and got into the car. I was slapped to the ground at that moment. My slap face was swollen and hot. I couldn't believe that the man who had always loved me would actually hit me so hard for a relative.

Before I could react, Jonathan had already kicked the gas and drove away. He left me completely on the highway.

The silence around me scared me so much that I didn't even dare to cry. My tears blurred my vision again and again. I wiped them away.

I desperately gripped my cell phone. I tried to contact Jonathan at this time. 

But as time passed by, my limbs were frozen and began to stiffen. Jonathan still refused to answer my call.

I didn't know how long it had been, but the pain in my abdomen became abnormally obvious as my body severely lost temperature.

A warm current suddenly came from underneath me. I then looked at the blood gushing out. I realized that this man was really unreliable.

I trembled and dialled 120. At this moment I tried to stay awake. Finally, I could only wait for rescue. The rescue team came and I was unconscious.

I was taken to the hospital. All the doctors and nurses in the emergency room were horrified when they saw my condition.

I was pale and cold. My forehead was sweating profusely. My body also was red with blood.

“Why is there so much blood? Let's hurry up and resuscitate. Did your family follow you here?”

I shook my head. I just remembered the way my husband, Jonathan, had heartlessly left me on the highway. I was about to cry my tears dry. I couldn’t believe Jonathan had actually left me, who was eight months pregnant, behind for the sake of his relative.

At this juncture, the phone finally got through. They then knew that I was in the hospital. It made my mother-in-law, Calestina Ivywood, urge my husband to look at me on the other end.

Calestina asked Polycapus, “Why don't you go and see Madeleine, my son? She's in the hospital. I hope nothing will happen to her.”

After hearing Calestine’s words, Jonathan was shocked. “Don't worry, Mom. She is eight months pregnant now. How could the baby be gone? Besides, who knows if she's faking it? We just sent Uncle Graziano back to his home. Who told her to be so pretentious like that.”

My husband was still indifferent to me. “It's just a good way to temper her temper. Anyway, she's pregnant. Her parents are abroad. Who would want her if she leaves me.”

I was completely disheartened and no longer expected him to feel sorry for me. I hung up the phone directly.

In the past, I would have obeyed him. I also would have agreed to any of his demands. But this time, he had miscalculated. It made me not look back again.

The doctor looked nervous at me. “You are losing too much blood because of the shock. It is necessary to operate immediately. The child's condition is not very good. Can your family come now?”

I slowly closed my eyes. “Sorry, they can't come. I'll sign it myself.”

I was in a cold sweat from the pain. My body was already bloody. My consciousness was fuzzy.

I picked up my cell phone. I then called Jonathan with difficulty, but he hung up without hesitation.

I made more than a dozen calls and they were all hung up. I signed the surgery confirmation form with great difficulty.

My baby was scooped out by the doctor. He was then sent to the emergency room, where the doctor tried his best to save him. The newborn, who was just eight months old, died of hypothermia in just a few minutes, even with all the efforts to resuscitate him.

I looked at my baby boy who had left me. I cried until I choked on my tears. I really hated myself for being stupid and not recognizing people well enough to lead me to where I am now.

Early in the next morning, I dragged my body, which had just finished a miscarriage. I chose to leave the hospital despite the doctor's obstruction.

At the same time, I immediately contacted the lawyer to draw up divorce matters. This matter also alarmed my parents who were far away from our home. They were staying abroad at this time.

They defied all odds. After they received the news, they immediately rushed to our country, Des Moines. They would be there soon.

I got my cell phone dead, so I hurriedly charged it. Unfortunately, I did not see my husband, Jonathan, call me back.

I suddenly saw the photo of the wanted criminal in the news, among many portraits.

I immediately recognized the wanted criminal with a reward of one hundred thousand dollars. I asked in my heart, ‘Isn't this Jonathan's uncle and aunt, Uncle Graziano and Aunt Abigail?’

It was then that I realized that the release from prison in their mouths was a lie. They were actually wanted criminals.

Jonathan left me on the highway for the wanted criminal. He also did not care that I was still carrying his child in my belly.

I said in my heart, ‘Oh My Gosh. How blind I was in the past? I thought he was the one I'd trust with my life.’

I immediately took out my cell phone to call the police, “Hello, my car was stolen by a wanted murderer on the Pan American Highway.”

***

The cold wind of February was mixed with rain and snow. No one came to pick me up after I was discharged from the hospital. 

The rain and snow drenched my whole body. My body was weak. The cold wind was piercing my bones. I froze until I was shivering and looked for the nearest hotel to check-in.

The police arrived at the hotel. They took a simple record to understand the situation first. They also asked me to wait patiently for their investigation. 

After the police left, I received a phone call from Jonathan. His words were full of reproaches.

“Why haven't you come back yet? Uncle Graziano and Aunt Abigail are having lunch at our house now. Why don't you hurry back to make the menu? The house is also in a mess, Madeleine. Please, stop making trouble. Come back and clean it up.”

My whole body froze in place. His words were even more painful than after the miscarriage. He didn't ask me where I was, how I was doing and how I was doing as a pregnant woman. He just wanted to reprimand me.

I replied, “You took them home, Jonathan? But you still want me. I am a pregnant woman and have to cook for them?”

Jonathan said angrily, “Madeleine, when did you become so pretentious? Can't I just let you cook for them? Besides, they're not outsiders, Madeleine. They are Uncle Graziano and Aunt Abigail. Don't say it's just a meal. They still have to live here, okay?”

The voice on the other end of Jonathan's phone was noisy. It was like a lot of people were drinking and playing cards. There were also women's ambiguous voices.

I spent all my savings to buy that house. I spent a lot of effort choosing the location and decorating it.

Only because Jonathan was busy at work, he did not have much savings. I remembered he promised to use the remaining money for our lives.

Only then did I agree to rent the house and car? He knew that I had put a lot of effort into these things, but he still abused them.

“Jonathan, you let a bunch of messy people into the house again? Don't you know how much effort I have spent on the house?”

It seemed that there were not only his uncle and aunt in the house but also a lot of other people. Before I could ask him who those people in the house were, I was scolded by him again.

Jonathan obviously hadn't watched the news this morning. The news had already reported the latest wanted criminals.

I wanted to tell him the real identities of Uncle Graziano and Aunt Abigail. Unfortunately, I was interrupted by a cry of surprise.

“Oh My God, Madeleine. I accidentally broke the jade pendant in your room. Is it alright?”

Jonathan answered, “It's fine, Aunt Abigail. It's just Madeleine's jade pendant, isn't it? If it's broken, it's not a big problem for her. Their family is rich anyway and not short of money.”

My heart sank. I just thought for a while. ‘What jade pendant? The only thing in the room was my most precious jade pendant left by my grandmother.’

Jonathan shouted at me, “Do you hear me, Madeleine? Stop being childish, okay? Come back quickly. Don't expect me to pick you up.”

It turned out that what he said last night about coming back to pick me up was also a lie. He never thought about coming back to pick me up at all.

I then realized if I hadn't called an ambulance to take me to the hospital, I would have frozen to death by now.

Jonathan turned his head. He then talked in his dialect. He thought I didn't understand.

“Don't touch it, Aunt Abigail. It's her grandmother's relic. It's an unlucky thing.”