I always dreamed that having a child would bring us closer together. But my husband’s mother had other plans. She controlled everything, and my husband let her. I tried to set boundaries, but nothing prepared me for the betrayal that left me standing at the door with a newborn in my arms.
When I first found out I was pregnant, I felt like the luckiest person in the world. Bill and I had dreamed about it for so long, envisioning the day we would finally hold our baby boy in our arms.
But I wasn’t the only one waiting for this baby. Bill’s mother, Jessica, was waiting too – just in a way that made my life unbearable.
She never liked me, didn’t even pretend to like me. She made it clear from the start that I wasn’t good enough for her son.
“Bill deserves someone better,” she’d say, shaking her head whenever I happened to be around.
But once she found out I was pregnant, everything changed. And not for the better.
It was as if the baby belonged to her, not me. She insisted on being involved in everything.
“You need me to go to the doctor with you,” she was saying, already grabbing her coat before I could object.
“I know what’s best.”
When we started preparing for the baby, she took over everything completely. She picked out furniture, rejected my choices, and even declared: “The nursery should be blue. You’re having a boy.”
My pregnancy was already horrible. I was nauseous all the time, I could barely eat.
But Jessica didn’t care. She’d come in, filling the house with the smell of greasy food and smiling as Bill enjoyed her cooking.
Meanwhile, I was stuck in the bathroom, throwing up. I couldn’t take it anymore. I told Bill not to share any details with her.
But somehow, when we got to the clinic for the ultrasound – the one where we find out the sex of the baby – Jessica was already there, sitting in the waiting room like she belonged there. I froze. How did she even know?
“It’s a girl,” the doctor said.
I squeezed Bill’s hand, my heart pounding. We’d dreamed of this moment.
A daughter. A beautiful little girl. I turned to Bill, expecting him to share my excitement.
His face lit up with joy. But then I saw Jessica. Her mouth pressed into a thin line.
“You couldn’t even give my son a boy,” she grinned. “And he needed an heir.”
I stared at her, my hands clenched into fists. “An heir to what? His video game collection?” My voice came out sharper than I wanted it to. “And just so you know, the sex of the baby is determined by the father, not the mother.”
Jessica’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a lie,” she snapped back. “The problem is your body! You’re not strong enough. You were never a match for my son.”
The doctor cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably. The nurse looked at me sympathetically. I forced myself to remain calm, rubbing my temples. “Let’s go, Bill,” I muttered.
Once we were in the car, I turned to him. “How did she know about the meeting?”
Bill avoided my gaze. “I told her.”
Anger bubbled up inside me. “I asked you not to do that! She’s stressing me out too much!”
“She’s a grandmother,” he said.
I shook my head. “And I’m your wife! I’m carrying our daughter! Don’t you care how I feel?”
“Just ignore her,” Bill said.
It was easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one being attacked. He wasn’t the one who felt completely alone. My own husband wouldn’t defend me.
When the contractions started, the pain came over me like a wave. My vision blurred. My body shook. It was too soon.
The contractions were strong and fast, each one taking my breath away. Bill rushed me to the hospital, barely making it in time.
Nurses surrounded me. Bright lights burned my eyes. The pain was unbearable.
Gasping, I grabbed Bill’s hand. “I can’t…”
“You’re doing fine,” he said, but his face was pale.
And then everything went wrong.
The doctors took my daughter away as soon as she was born. I reached for her, desperate to hold her in my arms, to see her tiny face. But they wouldn’t let me.
“Please,” I begged in a weak voice. “Give her to me.”
“You’re losing too much blood!” – shouted the doctor.
The world spun. The voices faded. Then nothing.
I wasn’t the first person to hold my daughter in my arms. When I finally came to, my body felt like an empty shell.
Every breath felt like a battle, my chest barely rising under the weight of exhaustion. My skin was cold and my arms weakened when I tried to move.
Later, the doctor told me that my survival was a miracle. They didn’t expect me to survive.
I had gotten too close to the edge, too much blood drained from my body. The realization that I could have died, that I would almost never see my daughter’s face, made my stomach cramp.
Then the door swung open. Jessica burst into the room, her face tense with anger.
“You didn’t even tell me you were in labor!” – she snapped.
Bill sighed. “It all happened too fast.”
“That’s no excuse!” hissed Jessica.
Finally a nurse walked in, holding my daughter in her arms. My heart clenched. But before I could reach her, Jessica stepped forward and snatched her from the nurse’s arms.
“What a beautiful baby girl,” Jessica said, rocking my daughter in her arms. Her voice was soft, but there was triumph in her eyes.
I reached for the baby, but Jessica wouldn’t hand her over.
“She needs to be fed,” the nurse said, stepping closer.
Jessica barely looked at her. “Then give her formula.”
I forced myself to sit up despite the weakness in my body. “I’m going to breastfeed her.”
Jessica pressed her lips together. “But then you’ll always take her away from me! You won’t be able to leave her with me!” Her voice became harsh and accusing.
Finally Bill stepped in. He snatched our daughter out of Jessica’s arms and handed her into my arms.
As soon as I took her in my arms, I burst into tears, overwhelmed by how much I loved her. She was mine. She was worth everything.
It had only been two weeks since the birth, but my body was still heavy. Every movement drained me. Bill took time off work to help, but I was still struggling.
Jessica, of course, was making things worse. She came almost every day, paying no attention to my exhaustion. She refused to call my daughter by her real name. “Baby Lillian,” she would say, smiling as if she had the right to do so.
“Eliza,” I corrected.
Jessica didn’t even pay attention to me. Bill never corrected her either.
One afternoon she came again uninvited. This time she held an envelope in her hand, clutching it tightly. Her eyes glittered with something unsettling. My stomach twisted.
Bill frowned, taking the envelope from Jessica’s hands. “What’s this?”
Jessica’s lips curled into a smirk. “Proof. I knew Carol wasn’t right for you. I knew she wasn’t faithful.”
My grip on Elise tightened. My heart raced. “What is this nonsense?” I demanded.
Jessica’s eyes sparkled. “Open it up. It’s a DNA test.” She pushed the envelope toward Bill.
Bill’s fingers trembled as he opened it. His eyes scanned the paper. His face darkened.
He turned to me, clenching his jaw. “You and the baby must leave here within the hour,” he said. His voice was cold. Then, without another word, he ran out.
I gasped. My legs trembled. “What!!! What did you do?!” I screamed at Jessica.
She folded her arms. “You were never worthy of my son.”
I pulled Eliza against me. “You wanted this baby so badly and now you want to throw him away?!” My voice cracked. “That test isn’t even real!”
Jessica scoffed. “You wouldn’t even let me have her because you’re breastfeeding. Bill deserves a decent wife. One who will bear me a grandchild.”
Rage exploded inside me. “You’re crazy!” I screamed.
With trembling hands, I gathered Eliza’s tiny clothes, stuffing them into my bag. My vision blurred with tears.
I gathered my things, my heart pounding in my chest. Before I left, I snatched Bill’s toothbrush.
As soon as I stepped outside, the cold air hit me. My knees buckled. I pulled Eliza against me, and sobs burst out.
My own husband-her father-had kicked us out like we were nothing. He didn’t even look at me twice.
He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t hesitate to believe Jessica. I knew the truth.
Elise was his daughter. I had never betrayed him. But none of that mattered. He chose her over us.
I made it to my mother’s house. As soon as she opened the door, she flinched. “Carol? What’s wrong?”
I snapped again. She pulled me inside and listened in horror as I told her everything. She hugged me while I cried.
Days passed. My body grew stronger. When I was strong enough, I left Eliza with my mom and went to Bill’s house.
I knocked on the door with bated breath. Bill opened, his face unreadable. “What do you want?” – He asked.
I silently held out an envelope to him. “It’s a real DNA test,” I said. “I took your toothbrush. In case you hadn’t noticed.”
His eyebrows furrowed. “So that’s where it went.” He opened the envelope. His eyes scanned the page. “99.9%,” he read aloud. His breath caught.
“Eliza is your daughter,” I said firmly.
Bill looked at me, his expression changing. “Carol, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry I believed my mother.”
I shook my head. “No.”
His face lowered. “I thought she wasn’t mine. But now that I know she is mine, I want you both back.”
I stared at him, clenching my hands together. “You don’t deserve to be her father. You never questioned whether Jessica’s test was real. You didn’t stop for a second to think about me or Elise. I did it so you would know exactly what you lost. Because of your mother, you abandoned us.”
His voice trailed off. “Please. I’ll shut it off. Just come back.”
I took a step back. “I’m filing for divorce. I need full custody.”
“Carol…”
I turned away. “Goodbye, Bill.”
As I got in the car, I heard him call my name. But I drove away knowing that Elise and I were going to be okay.
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