Chapter 4
When Audrey got pregnant, Dominic became worse.
He said the baby made her useless.
He said hospital bills were expensive.
He said his mother needed to move in because Audrey clearly could not manage a home.
His mother arrived with three suitcases and a smile full of judgment.
She checked the fridge.
Criticized the nursery.
Called Audrey dramatic for vomiting through the first trimester.
When Audrey cried from exhaustion, Dominic said, “My mother had three kids and still cooked dinner.”
When Audrey’s doctor scheduled a C-section because of complications, Dominic rolled his eyes.
“Of course you need the expensive version.”
His mother said, “Women have been giving birth forever. She wants attention.”
Audrey called her father once from the hospital parking lot after a prenatal appointment.
She heard his voice and almost broke.
But pride stopped her.
She told him she was fine.
He did not believe her.
“Come home,” he said.
“This is my home now.”
There was a silence.
Then her father said, “A home does not make you afraid to ask for help.”
Audrey hung up before she cried.
The baby came early.
A hard labor.
An emergency C-section.
Dominic arrived late because he had been “handling business.”
His mother complained that the hospital room was too small.
When the nurse placed the newborn on Audrey’s chest, Audrey sobbed with relief.
Dominic looked at the baby for barely ten seconds.
Then took a call in the hallway.
Five days later, Audrey was discharged.
She could barely walk.
The nurse explained the instructions carefully.
No lifting anything heavier than the baby.
No stairs without help.
Watch for fever.
Watch for bleeding.
Rest.
Hydrate.
Return immediately if pain worsens.
Dominic scrolled through his phone.
His mother sighed.
“She’ll be fine. She just likes being treated like glass.”
The nurse looked uncomfortable.
Audrey stared at the floor.
She had spent the last five days trying to convince herself Dominic would soften once they went home.
Instead, at the discharge curb, he took the baby bag, threw it into the SUV, and handed her bus money.
He had planned it.
That was what made it so cruel.
This was not an argument.
It was a punishment.
He wanted her to beg.
He wanted her to break in front of his mother.
May you like
He wanted proof that she had nowhere else to go.
👉 But now Audrey’s father stood at the curb, and Dominic’s punishment was about to become evidence.
