Chapter 1
"I had been home from the hospital for five days when my mother-in-law grabbed me by the hair and slammed me against my newborn’s crib because he wouldn’t stop crying.
“Please, Margaret, stop!”
My stitches were still healing, and I could barely stand straight.
My baby, Noah, was screaming inside the crib.
Margaret tightened her fist in my hair.
“This child cries because you have no idea how to be a mother.”
“I fed him twenty minutes ago.”
“Then why is he still crying?”
“I don’t know. He’s a newborn.”
She shoved me against the wooden side of the crib again.
“Don’t make excuses.”
I reached toward Noah, but Margaret pulled me backward.
“Please let me pick him up.”
“You’ve held him enough.”
Tears blurred my vision.
“He needs his mother.”
Margaret laughed bitterly.
“He needs someone competent.”
Then she leaned close to my face.
“My son made the biggest mistake of his life marrying you.”
I heard the front door open downstairs.
Neither of us noticed the footsteps until my husband, Ethan, appeared in the nursery doorway.
His work bag dropped to the floor.
“Mom?”
Margaret released my hair immediately.
Ethan stared at me, then at Noah screaming in the crib.
“What did you do to Sarah?”
“She’s being dramatic,” Margaret said.
I couldn’t even answer.
I just covered my head with both hands and started crying.
Ethan crossed the room, pulled his mother away from me, and stood between us.
“Get away from my wife.”
Margaret looked stunned.
“I was teaching her how to take care of your son.”
“You were hurting her.”
“She’s a terrible mother, Ethan.”
Then Noah suddenly went quiet.
Ethan looked into the crib and froze.
There was a small folded note tucked beneath Noah’s blanket.
I had never seen it before.
May you like
Ethan picked it up, read the first line, and slowly turned toward his mother.
“Mom… why does this say you’ve been giving my newborn something every night while we’re asleep?”
