Chapter 3 - The Demand and the Blow
None of them carried flowers. None of them carried balloons.
My father, Richard, stood at the foot of my bed, his arms crossed over his chest, his dark eyes scanning the room with cold calculation. My mother, Linda, kept her eyes glued to the linoleum floor, wringing her hands nervously. Mason looked tense, biting his thumbnail, while Claire stepped past my bed and stood directly over the three bassinets.
Her eyes weren't filled with auntly affection. They were filled with an intense, hungry envy.
"You didn't answer your phone," Richard said, his voice dropping into that familiar, heavy tone that used to make me freeze as a child. "Your mother told me you were making a scene last night."
"I was in labor, Dad," I whispered, my voice raw. "I called for help. You hung up on me."
"You were being dramatic, as usual," Richard dismissed coldly, waving his hand in the air. "An ambulance was already equipped to handle it. We had things to take care of."
Claire leaned down, touching the plastic side of Maya’s bassinet. "They’re so small," she murmured, her voice tight. "Three of them. It’s almost selfish, isn't it? Some people can't even get one, and you get three all at once."
A cold knot formed in my stomach. I pushed myself up against the pillows, agony shooting through my fresh C-section incision. "Claire, step back from my children."
Richard stepped closer to the side of my bed, towering over me. "Listen to me, Sarah. We’ve been talking all morning at the house. Mason and Claire have been trying for four years. They’ve spent thousands on fertility treatments that failed. You have three babies sitting right here. You’re alone, Daniel is halfway across the world, and you can barely take care of yourself, let alone three infants."
I stared at him, unable to comprehend the words coming out of his mouth. "What are you talking about?"
"It’s simple logic," Richard declared, as if he were explaining a business contract. "You give one of the boys to Mason and Claire. We’ll take him home today. We’ll tell everyone Claire adopted him through a private family arrangement. It solves everyone's problem. You have two, which is manageable, and your brother finally gets the family he deserves."
The room spun. The absurdity, the sheer wickedness of his proposal made my blood run cold.
"Are you insane?!" I yelled, tears of rage springing to my eyes. "These are my babies! Daniel’s and mine! I am not giving away my child to anyone!"
"Don't shout at your father!" Linda blurted out from the doorway, her voice squeaking with anxiety. "Sarah, please, just listen to reason! Mason is hurting! Your brother needs this!"
"I don't care!" I screamed, clutching my blanket. "Get out of my room! All of you, get out right now!"
Claire turned to Mason, her eyes brimming with calculated tears. "See, Mason? I told you she wouldn't share. She doesn't care about your pain. She’s always been spoiled."
Mason set his jaw, looking away. "Dad... just take him. She's delirious from the medication."
Richard’s face flushed a deep, dangerous red. The vein on his forehead bulged—the warning sign I had feared my entire life. "I am the head of this family, Sarah. You will not talk to me like that. You owe your brother!"
He turned toward the first bassinet, reached down with his thick, calloused hands, and scooped little Noah up into his arms. Noah immediately began to squirm, squalling in distress as he was snatched from his warm blanket.
"Put my son down!" I shrieked.
Driven by pure motherly instinct, I threw my legs over the edge of the bed. The movement tore at my abdominal surgical staples—a sharp, tearing agony flared through my midsection, blood instantly soaking through my hospital gown. But I didn't care. I reached out with both hands, scrambling toward my father to pull Noah back into my chest.
"I said, give me my baby!" I screamed.
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Richard turned violently. His face was a mask of pure, unbridled rage.
Without a second of hesitation, he reared back his right arm, clenched his fist, and punched me directly in the side of the head with all his strength.
