Chapter 2

The more I thought about it, the more miserable I felt, and my quiet sobbing turned into loud cries.

Ethan noticed my distress and let out a heavy, irritated sigh.

He shifted under the covers, making a move to turn around.

To be honest, in that split second, I imagined a few different scenarios.

I thought he might turn around, wrap his arms around me like he used to, and whisper, "I was actually planning a surprise for you, babe. I didn't want to ruin it."

Or maybe he would keep lying, telling me how exhausting his job was, playing the victim to guilt-trip me into submission again.

Or maybe he would tell me he was facing some serious trouble at work and had to stay late to fix it.

...

"Can you shut the fuck up? Stop being such a drama queen!"

Ethan suddenly bolted upright, snatched his pillow, threw it violently onto the floor, and screamed at me.

I froze in pure shock. I had imagined so many reactions, but never this.

I stared at him in utter disbelief, unable to comprehend how the sweet, attentive man I married had turned into this monster.

He glared at me with pure hatred, as if I were his worst enemy.

Hearing the commotion from the guest room next door, my mother-in-law, Brenda, burst in.

"What's going on? What's wrong, my sweet boy?"

Seeing Ethan so angry, Brenda panicked. She immediately rushed over, pulled him into her arms to soothe him, and shot me a venomous look.

"What kind of wife are you?! How dare you upset my son like this!"

"Don't think you can boss us around in this house just because you managed to get pregnant!"

I finally snapped out of my daze. I shook my head frantically, trying to explain, but my sobbing was so violent that I couldn't form proper words.

"She’s literally psycho," Ethan muttered under his breath, looking at my tear-stained, messy face with sheer disgust. He threw on his clothes and slammed the door as he stormed out.

On his way out, he grabbed the bouquet of flowers from the table, threw it onto the floor, and crushed it to pieces under his boot.

Brenda turned back to me and pointed a finger in my face.

"Keep crying in the middle of the night and drive your husband away, you useless brat!"

"You better hope that thing in your belly is a boy. If you give birth to some useless girl, you can pack your bags and get the hell out of this family!"

With that, she stomped out, and another loud door slam echoed through the house.