After giving birth to my first children, I thought my husband would start choosing us more over his mother, but that wasnât the case. This time, heâd chosen her side over me for the last time, so I exposed her for the bully and liar she was.
Youâd think bringing home your newborn twins would be one of the happiest moments of your life. For me, it started like that, but it soon turned into an absolute nightmare!
After three days in the hospital, recovering from a grueling delivery, I was finally discharged and ready to head home with my beautiful twin daughters, Ella and Sophie. Iâd imagined this moment for months: Derek, my husband, picking us up at the hospital with flowers, tears of joy in his eyes as he took one of the girls into his arms.
But instead, at the last minute, I got a hurried phone call that changed everything.
âHey, baby,â my husband said, his voice clipped. âI am so sorry, but I canât come pick you guys up as planned.â
âWhat?â I asked, adjusting the swaddle around Sophie. âDerek, I just had twins. Whatâs so important that you canâtââ
âItâs my mom,â he interrupted. âSheâs in bad shape. Hectic chest pains. I need to pick her up and take her to that hospital close to her.â
His words hit me like a bucket of cold water. âWhat? Why didnât you tell me earlier? Derek, I need you here.â
âI know,â he said, exasperated. âBut this happened suddenly, and itâs serious. Iâll come to you as soon as I can.â
I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to scream because of how disappointed and frustrated I felt, but I replied, âFine. Iâll just get a taxi.â
âThank you,â he mumbled before hanging up.
My husbandâs mother lived in a different city, so the chances of him getting back that same day to get me and the babies were unrealistic. Knowing how obsessed Derek was with his mother, he wasnât going to leave her by herself, hence the taxi. As the line went dead, my heart sank. I wanted to believe Derek wasnât being callous, just overwhelmed and a mamaâs boy. Still, the disappointment stung. The same mother-in-law (MIL) who insisted we make a separate set of keys to our house so she could help me with the babies was now suddenly unwell.
I tried shaking it off as I bundled the girls into their car seats that their father had dropped off the previous day and got us into a cab. When we pulled into the driveway, I froze. My suitcases, diaper bags, and even the crib mattress were scattered across the front lawn and by the doorstep! A knot formed in my stomach. I paid the driver and stepped out with the twins, glancing around nervously. Something was obviously very wrong⌠I approached the front door, fumbling with my keys while absentmindedly calling out my husbandâs name, even though I knew he couldnât be home yet. The key wouldnât turn. Confused, I tried again. Nothing. Then I saw it, a folded piece of paper taped to a suitcase.
Get out of here with your little moochers! I know everything. Derek. My breath caught, and my heart stopped. My hands trembled as I read the note again and again, trying to make sense of it while hoping it was a hallucination. This couldnât be happening. Not Derek⌠Not the man who held my hand through every doctorâs appointment, who cried when we heard our daughtersâ heartbeats for the first time. Then the worst part of that day beganâŚ