Seven months into my pregnancy, my husband wasn’t feeling well. While accompanying me to a routine prenatal checkup, he conveniently decided to have a checkup himself.
That day, he clutched a report in his trembling hands, his face twisted with fury as he read the words that sealed my fate.
“No wonder we haven’t had a child after all these years.”
“Whore! Whose bastard are you carrying?”
When we returned home, the air in the house felt colder and sharper. My gentle mother-in-law, who had once treated me with kindness, revealed a side of her I had never seen.
Together, she and my husband transformed from cruel mockery to outright violence. They struck me without hesitation and my cries of pain echoed in the house as they poured boiling soup over my trembling body.
The agony they inflicted was unimaginable, but their hatred knew no bounds. In the end, their brutality took everything from me. I lost the baby I had carried so lovingly.
My husband, with a cold, lifeless expression, picked up the tiny, lifeless fetus. He held it high, his eyes dark with madness and then, with terrifying force, he smashed it to the ground before me.
“I’m sending you and this bastard straight to hell!” he growled, his voice dripping with venom.
Through my tears, I managed a faint, bitter smile. “As you wish.”
——
We had similar upbringings, my husband and I. Two years of marriage had passed and until this pregnancy, we had remained childless. Now, even that fragile hope was gone.
The day I found out I was pregnant, my husband and mother-in-law were ecstatic and threw a big feast.
"The Harrington Family finally has an heir!"
Upon hearing the news, my husband, Maximilian Harrington, shed his cold demeanor. He pulled me into his arms, his eyes shimmering with tears. Yet, disgust churned in my chest and I kept my silence.
For two long years of marriage without a child, I had endured the biting remarks of his family. Behind closed doors, they sneered, branding me a barren woman incapable of bearing a child. Now that I was pregnant, their attitudes turned on a dime.
My mother-in-law transformed into the picture of doting care. Maximilian became the husband's dreams, which were made of attentiveness and affection. Each morning, I awoke to the aroma of chicken soup wafting from the kitchen. If hunger struck, an array of snacks and fruit awaited me at my side.
"Darling, from this moment forward, you and our baby are my everything," Maximilian declared, his voice laced with a conviction that might have moved anyone else. "I will protect both of you, always."
But his promises fell on deaf ears. I remained unmoved by their newfound affection, seeing it for what it truly was: convenient and hollow.
Over the past two years, when I hadn’t conceived, my mother-in-law secretly sought another woman for Maximilian, desperate to ensure the continuation of their family line.
Silently, I resolved that once the baby was born, I would walk away. During what would be the happiest time for his family, I would divorce Maximilian and take the child with me.
Even before the baby’s arrival, the Harringtons began their preparations in earnest. Baby clothes and toys, both for boys and girls, filled the nursery. A nanny was hired before the first cries of my child could echo in the house.
"Daughter-in-law, the baby in your belly is the lifeblood of this family," my mother-in-law declared. "Even if we all perish, the baby must remain safe."
The Harrington Family treated the unborn child as their most precious treasure, yet I knew the truth. Their affection was for the child, not for me.
One day, Maximilian accompanied me to the hospital for a routine checkup. Feeling unwell himself, he decided to consult the doctor as well. When I stepped out of my appointment, I found him standing with a medical report in hand. His face was thunderous and his gaze burned with fury.
"What’s wrong?" I asked cautiously, sensing the storm brewing within him.
Maximilian trembled with anger, his knuckles white as he crushed the report before flinging it at me. The paper struck my face with a sting that left me reeling.
"What’s wrong?" he thundered. "Margaret, see for yourself!"
The pain from his outburst sent me staggering. I bent down, my trembling fingers picking up the discarded report from the cold, tiled floor.
The result on the paper was unmistakable. "Infertile!"
I stared at the word, frozen as if a bolt of lightning had struck me. All these years, I had been the picture of a loyal wife, never straying, never so much as glancing at another man. Yet here I stood, clutching a report that threatened to unravel my world.
When we returned home, my mother-in-law’s mask of kindness shattered. Without warning, she slapped me across the face. The sharp sting made me cry out as I staggered backward, clutching my cheek in disbelief.
I turned to Maximilian, hoping for a shred of support, but he stood rooted in place, his expression cold, his gaze void of the warmth he once feigned.
"Whore," my mother-in-law spat, her words cutting deeper than the slap. "Tell me, whose child are you carrying?"
Maximilian sneered, his voice dripping with venom as he finally spoke. "Yes, Margaret. Whose child is it?" His affection had evaporated, replaced by cold, seething contempt that made my blood run cold.
My mother-in-law stormed toward me, her fury unrestrained and yanked me by the hair before shoving me to the ground. The searing pain ripped through me and I couldn’t stop the scream that escaped my lips.
Towering over me, she jabbed a finger in my direction, her voice sharp and accusing.
"You worthless, barren woman! You’ve never been able to conceive, so how on earth are you suddenly pregnant?"
"Don’t tell me you’ve been sneaking around behind Maximilian’s back, finding some man to father a child and trick our family out of its wealth!"
Her laughter was bitter and cruel. "I knew it. You and your entire family are nothing but trouble!"
I glanced up at her and at Maximilian, whose face was twisted with unbridled fury. The pain coursing through my body was unbearable, but I still tried to explain, desperate to make them listen. My words, however, fell on deaf ears. Instead, their anger only grew, their insults raining down like blows.
"Margaret, you’re nothing but a wild chicken," my mother-in-law spat. "I told my son not to marry you! Like mother, like daughter. Your family must be just as disgraceful!"
Crumbled on the floor, I couldn’t muster the strength to rise. Her venomous words cut deeper than the physical pain. However, I still turned to Maximilian, silently begging him to help me.
His sneer was as cold as ice. "You didn’t die from the fall and now you want my help?"
Before I could respond, he grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking it harshly. I winced in agony as his voice thundered above me.
"Whore! Tell me whose child you’re carrying, or I swear, I’ll kill you where you lie!"
His face twisted with rage, each word sharper than a dagger aimed at my heart.
Mother and son took turns tormenting me, their cruelty unwavering even as I was seven months pregnant. The agony was so intense it made the world spin around me.
Weakly, I tried to explain, my voice trembling. "Maximilian, we’ve been married for years. I've never been with anyone else but you."
Maximilian, gripping my hair, held me in place as my mother-in-law seized the opportunity to slap me again and again, each strike harder than the last.
"You filthy thing," she sneered. "Still making excuses? Since Maximilian is infertile, did you think the baby just appeared on its own?"
The slaps left my face burning and swollen and the pain in my chest made it hard to breathe.
"Please, stop!" I cried, my voice choked with tears, but my mother-in-law was merciless. With a cruel kick to my stomach, she spat, "You’ve brought shame to the Harrington name. What will the world think when they learn the truth?"
My abdomen throbbed with excruciating pain and my scream filled the room, echoing the agony that tore through me. Blood began to pour from me and with each drop, the weight of her mockery deepened.
Seeing my suffering, my mother-in-law's cruel laugh rang out, her earlier kindness long gone, replaced by bitter triumph.
Maximilian stood there, veins bulging on his forehead. The blood dripping from me didn’t seem to faze him. One hand pressed against my neck, choking me, while the other slammed my head into the wall.
I screamed in desperation as the world spun around me. The sharp pain in my stomach felt as if my insides were being ripped apart.
"Whore," he growled, his voice dripping with fury. "You knew all my life, I dreamed of having a child."
His hands tightened around my neck as his voice turned venomous. "How dare you betray me? How dare you sneak around and sleep with another man?"
"What did my family ever do to you?" he continued, his words venomous. "I love children, I cherish them, but I only love my own."
My vision blurred, my hair spilling over my face like a curtain. I summoned the last remnants of my strength, forcing the words out with hoarse determination.
"For two years, I couldn’t get pregnant and your mother encouraged you to find someone else," I whispered, barely able to get the words out.
"I knew it all along."
Maximilian’s eyes flashed with cold anger. "In your eyes, there’s only your child," I managed to say, the bitterness in my voice matching the anger in his.
As soon as I finished speaking, I saw my mother-in-law return from the kitchen, holding a pot of boiling chicken soup. Her smile was cruel, the malice in her eyes unmistakable, as she poured the entire pot onto my stomach. My body tensed in agony as I screamed, unable to stop the intense pain that seared through me.
"I'll burn you, you adulterous woman!" she spat, her eyes filled with venom.
The scorching heat made me writhe uncontrollably; my body ached as I struggled. Instinctively, as a mother, I tried to protect my belly, my hands trembling in desperation. But Maximilian, now completely consumed by fury, cursed loudly, holding me down with his brutal grip.
"Whore, I’ll make you watch as the child in your belly dies right in front of you!" he shouted. "You’ll be powerless to stop me."
"You dare go out and get pregnant by another man, bringing that bastard home to deceive me?" His words were venomous, each one a dagger aimed at my heart.
"You slut, bitch!" he roared. "Your whole family deserves to die!"
Just the day before, Maximilian had been holding me, promising to love me and the child with his life. But in the span of one night, he had transformed into a monster, torturing me with the cruelest words and actions.
Weak, unable to speak clearly, I begged through the pain, "I... I can't take it anymore; please, take me to the hospital."
The agony in my stomach felt like every bone, every piece of flesh in my body was screaming in pain. The scalding soup burned my skin, leaving me raw and bright red.
Then, without a moment’s hesitation, my mother-in-law slammed the pot onto my forehead.
"I’ll kill you, you slut!" she screamed. "Tell me, whose bastard is in your belly?"
"You ruined everything for our family," she spat. "Do you know that all of our relatives and friends know about this at the banquet now?"
I was too weak to respond, too numb to move. The only thing I could feel was the overwhelming pain that consumed every inch of my body.
I thought, perhaps, they would stop. But Maximilian, now nothing but a raging beast, ignored my feeble pleas and became even more vicious.
With a forceful tug, he dragged me into the bathroom, the cold winter air biting at my skin. He turned on the freezing shower and the icy water hit my body, sending shockwaves of pain through me.
The cold brought me back to consciousness, but the intense pain in my stomach sent me into darkness again. Blood mixed with the cold water, staining the bathroom floor.
I tried, with every last ounce of strength, to protect my belly with one hand while crawling on the cold, unforgiving floor with the other.
When I finally crawled out of the bathroom, they yanked me back in.
"Whore, trying to run away?" Maximilian screamed.
"You know how much I’ve always wanted a child," he spat. "Why did you go out and cheat with other men, get pregnant with their bastard and deceive me?"
I trembled in fear, shaking my head desperately. "I... I didn’t. Please stop, please."
"I feel like the baby is going to die," I cried, my voice barely a whisper.
"Please take me to the hospital."
No part of my body wasn’t in pain; every inch of me was screaming for mercy.
But despite my desperate pleas, neither Maximilian nor my mother-in-law showed an ounce of compassion.
"Today, I want the bastard in your belly to die in front of you," Maximilian’s voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
After he had learned of his infertility, all the love and tenderness he once had for me vanished, replaced by a heart as cold as ice.
My mother-in-law knelt, her grip tightening around my throat. No matter how much I fought, how much I screamed, she glared at me with eyes full of hatred, her voice dripping with venom.
"You think my family will raise the bastard in your belly?" she spat.
"Don’t even think about it."
At that moment, the pain in my abdomen was unbearable. It felt like everything inside me was being torn apart like the baby was about to fall from my very core.
