Chapter 4
PART 4:
By the third day, Emily’s feet were so swollen she could barely fit into slippers.
Her doctor had already told her to avoid heavy chores and stress because her blood pressure had been rising.
Emily tried to rest.
Teresa knocked on the bedroom door every twenty minutes.
Trash needs to go out.
Laundry is done.
The floor is sticky.
Your husband likes his house clean.
That last sentence always hit the hardest.
Your husband.
As if Emily did not belong there too.
On the fourth night, Emily called Ethan.
She wanted to tell him everything.
But when he answered, he sounded exhausted.
There was noise behind him.
Men talking.
A deadline crisis.
A client threatening to cancel.
“Are you okay?” he asked immediately.
Emily looked at the hallway, where Teresa stood listening with a glass of water in her hand.
“I’m okay,” Emily said softly.
Teresa smiled.
After Emily hung up, Teresa stepped closer.
“You really think he needs your whining right now?” she asked. “He is carrying this family. The least you can do is carry a sponge.”
Emily did not answer.
She went into the bathroom, locked the door, and cried quietly with both hands over her belly.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered to the baby. “I’m trying.”
The baby kicked once.
Small.
Strong.
Like an answer.
The next morning was the worst.
Ethan was supposed to return the following day.
Teresa decided the house needed to look “presentable” before he came home.
But instead of cleaning, she and her daughters made it worse.
They ate pizza for lunch.
Spilled soda.
Left laundry on the couch.
Dragged boxes from the storage closet into the living room.
Then Teresa handed Emily a sponge.
“We’re having family over this weekend,” she said. “This place is disgusting.”
Emily looked at the kitchen.
“You made this mess.”
Teresa’s eyes narrowed.
“So now you’re keeping score?”
May you like
“I’m saying I can’t do this today.”
👉 But when Emily refused to keep cleaning, Ethan’s sister pulled out her phone and turned humiliation into entertainment…
