From ultrasound to ultrasound.
She counted the days as if they were someone else’s coins.
And the last thing I wanted was to get into a fight at home too.
So, as far as my mother-in-law was concerned, I was practically unemployed.
I sometimes provide consulting services.
Sometimes I translate documents.
Sometimes I provide help remotely.
A comfortable and undefined life, without social status.
She liked it.
That made it easier for me to despise him.
Or even simpler: consider her dependent.
His daughter, Veronica, on the other hand, was always the center of family compassion.
His debts were forgiven.
Breakdowns.
Harsh words.
Failed romances.
Children’s clothing business that failed.
Moving back in with my mother at forty.
Then came a long treatment.
Several IVF attempts.
He understood compassion.
But in this family, compassion has long since become a license to take what doesn’t belong to you.
If Veronica suffered, someone had to pay.
Normally Artyom.
Sometimes, yes.
And that day, as was later learned, they decided that my son would pay.
The guard was standing at the door.
The nurse called the doctor on duty.
I saw that one of the employees was already taking a step towards me.
The mother-in-law played with precision.
Tears in her voice.
Teardrop.
Words about psychosis.
After giving birth, this takes on special significance for those who see you for the first time.
The hair is disheveled.
The face is pale.
My hands are trembling.
You scream.
You are covered in blood and pain.
It’s very convenient to become a dangerous woman.
I only had time to say:
—He hit me. He tried to take my son away.
Galina Petrovna interrupted:
— Look at her. She’s delirious. She’s been out of her mind for a long time.
And then the head of security looked at me more closely.
Not as a patient.
As if he were a familiar person.
Her face changed almost imperceptibly.
I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t been used to reading facial expressions my whole life.
“Your Honor?” he said in a low voice.
The room became so quiet that I could hear the oxygen hissing behind the wall.
Galina Petrovna blinked.
She still doesn’t understand.
“Pardon?” he asked again.
The head of security straightened up.
— Judge Elena Vorontsova. Federal District Court.
He said it without emphasis.
But it was precisely that simplicity that broke everything.
The mother-in-law turned so pale so quickly that it looked as if her bones had been ripped out.
Leo started crying again.
Stronger this time.
One of the guards approached her cautiously.
— Hand the child over to the nurse.
She didn’t let go of him.
For the first time, I saw real fear in her.
I am not afraid for my grandson.
Fear for oneself.
“There’s some kind of mistake,” she said, her lips dry. “She… she doesn’t do anything. She stays home.”
I almost laughed.
But the pain only caused difficulty breathing.
For how many months did he tell everyone that his son was supporting a lazy wife?
How many times have you repeated in my presence that only those who don’t work have beautiful hands?
How many times have I looked at my things, my books, my posture, as if it were a suspicious deception.
And yet they did not try to find out the truth.
The humiliating version was enough for her.
Because it was more convenient.
“The patient has a wound on her face,” the nurse said. “And a recent suture. Remove the baby immediately.”
This time, Galina Petrovna had to give Leo away at the altar.
When they placed the baby next to me, I cried for the first time in all this time.
It’s not pretty.
He is not calm.
How they weep for the postponed horror.
When everything could have ended differently.
A few minutes later, the head of the department and the investigator on duty were already in the room.
The police were officially notified.
The installation of cameras in the hallway was requested immediately.
The nurse gave a statement.
