My blood rushed to my head and sharp pain stabbed my stomach. I took a screenshot and sent it to William at once.
He replied quickly: [Don’t overthink it. She left work early, but the baby kept asking for me, so I went to check on them.]
My eyes reddened and my heart ached. I felt angry and wronged. The baby kicked again and tears streamed down my face.
Just then, Regina sent me a WhatsApp message: [Isabella, I’m bothering your husband again, but I have no choice. The baby keeps asking to see his father, so I’ll trouble you for a while.]
Her blatant provocation made a sharp pain shoot through my body. My water broke and I panicked.
My parents weren’t there and my in-laws were in the countryside. William and I had no other family in the city. I could only call him.
The call connected quickly. My voice shook with fear. “My water broke…”
To my shock, William scolded me first. “I just left and your water breaks now? I told you I was only going to see the baby. Stop being unreasonable. I’ll come back after that.”
He hung up. I called back; busy. I tried again; still busy. Then no answer. My heart sank as the pain worsened. I trembled on the floor, too weak to get up.
My phone screen showed my deathly pale face. I called 120. Every second on the floor was torture.
I was shaking in pain. Twenty minutes later, the ambulance arrived, but I still had to walk downstairs on my own.
I forced myself up and went down the stairs, step by step. William had bought a walk-up apartment to save money and every step was torture.
After more than an hour, I finally reached the hospital. Sweat soaked my loose dress and the nurse frowned.
“Where’s your family? Tell him to handle the admission and change your wet clothes quickly, or you’ll catch a cold.”
Family member? For over an hour, Regina kept updating her WhatsApp—photos of William and the child, sometimes all three together.
My message went unanswered. I should have brought clean clothes, but in the rush, I brought nothing.
William was busy with another woman and a child. I smiled bitterly. “He’s busy.”
The nurse understood and softened her tone. “Do you have a friend you can call to help?”
I called William twice more, but he didn’t answer. I gave up on him and on this marriage. Six and a half hours later, I gave birth to a daughter.