5
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed.
in the bed next to me was Ashley.
And Blake and Brenda were both her bed, one on each side.
Blake gently tucked the blankets around Ashley, his eyes filled with tender affection.
“Ashley, you worked so hard.”
Anyone would think they were the actual family.
My son and I were only one bed away, yet it felt like a world apart.
From the moment I woke up until now, not a single one of them had spared me a glance.
I had long grown accustomed to their neglect.
Seeing me awake, Blake’s face darkened as he interrogated me, “Whose child is that in your belly? Is it Liam’s?”
I scoffed, my face pale. “Blake, you know the truth!”
Blake looked at the tiny face next to me, a face that bore a distinct resemblance to his own. He pressed his lips together, his eyes flickering for
a moment.
“If you really were in difficult labor, why didn’t you say so sooner? I would’ve given you blood earlier. Why bring a stranger into it?”
How ironic. I had begged him then, but did he believe me?
Seemingly realizing his behavior had been out of line, Blake softened his tone.
*Since the child was born safely, let’s just forget about this. Go home and recover well after childbirth.”
I turned my head away, not wanting to say another word to him. My body felt utterly drained, without a shred of strength!
Just then, I saw a bundle Liam had left behind, filled with various nourishing tonics.
It was for me.
11:04 AM
<
Blake clearly saw it too, and he snarled sarcastically, “Liam really cares about you, buying all these expensive supplements.”
Brenda scoffed, snatching the bundle away.
“Give me that!”
“What right do you have to eat this? You disgraced our family by giving birth, and you dare to eat such good things?”
With that, she presented the bundle to Ashley like a treasure. “Ashley, eat up!”
I said nothing. Blake glanced at me twice, then sat back down by Ashley’s side.
That evening, I was pulled home by an ox cart, because Brenda grudged the hospital fees.
But looking at the cow shed in front of me, I stared at Blake in disbelief.
“What do
you
mean?”
Blake pursed his lips, a hint of guilt in his voice. “Skylar, Ashley can’t recover in the communal housing, so she has to stay at our house. She’s sensitive to noise, so you’ll have to rough it in the cow shed for a while.”
“Even though it’s a cow shed, it’s dry and it’s not cold right now. It’s no different from being inside.”
I scoffed, yet nodded. “Fine.”
Blake was startled, seemingly not expecting me to agree so easily. He quickly added, “Thank you, Skylar. Don’t worry, once Ashley leaves, we’ll go back to living happily!”
I didn’t say a word.
That night, I held my son alone in the cow shed, while Blake and Brenda shared laughter and joy with Ashley inside the house.
I clutched my baby tightly, silent tears streaming down my face.
Just then, I heard Liam’s voice emerge from the darkness: “Skylar, I’m here.”
He said, “I’m taking you away.”
I nodded, following him out of that house without a second thought.
That night, Blake didn’t sleep well.
He felt a pang of guilt about making Skylar, who had just given birth, stay in the cow shed.
