Chapter 6

When I regained consciousness, Max sat beside me, dozing off while holding my hand.

Thoughts of those repulsive videos sent a shiver down my spine. I quickly withdrew my hand, repulsed by the touch that once brought comfort.

He awoke, pleasantly surprised. "Darling, you're awake!"

The term "darling" made me nauseous, as if I had swallowed a swarm of bugs wriggling in my throat. But I lacked the energy to argue with him at that moment.

I asked directly, "Where is the baby?"

In his usual gentle tone, Max replied, "The baby is in the incubator, sweetheart. You just had surgery, so you need to stay put. Let's wait a couple of days before you see the baby."

I refused, standing my ground. "Max, I want to see my child now."

However, just as I spoke, the doctor arrived and informed me that I couldn't leave the bed yet. Reluctantly, I agreed.

Yet, as three or four days elapsed, Max continued to find excuses to keep me away from the baby. He claimed the baby was in the neonatal intensive care unit and hospital regulations didn't permit visitation.

But I'm not dumb. During pregnancy, I did my homework, read numerous forums, and knew that even if the hospital's neonatal unit didn't allow visits, there would be a scheduled time for parents to call and check on their child. Additionally, babies in the neonatal unit start with formula milk, but once the mother's milk comes in, they should be regularly fed breast milk!

However, in these few days after giving birth, no one came to assist me with lactation!

When the nurse came for rounds, I inquired, but she hesitated behind her mask. Sympathy filled her eyes above the mask. I became more suspicious, feeling the need to witness it myself.

Max could no longer keep it a secret and finally revealed the truth, "Jen, you can't see the baby right now."

I thought the baby might have a severe infection or some other special circumstance. However, Max said, "Jen, the baby... didn't make it."

I slapped Max across the face. "Max, you better not say that again!"

"The baby stopped breathing right after birth," Max's face reddened from the slap, as he choked back tears. "Please, Jen, calm down. Once you've recovered, the doctor said we're still young, and we can try again."

I lost control. Ignoring the pain, I threw off the covers and stumbled out of bed. Max caught up and held me tightly by the waist.

"Step back!" I yelled, struggling and catching the attention of a crowd.

Suddenly, my mother-in-law appeared out of nowhere and slapped me hard across the face. Gripping my arm tightly, she scolded, "You shameless woman, isn't this humiliation enough for you?!"

In that moment, I became convinced that my child had suffocated because the amniotic fluid had run out. I despised her. I charged at her, hitting her and screaming, "It's all your fault! You killed my child!"

My mother-in-law was strong. She retaliated with multiple blows as Max weakly begged us to stop fighting.

She threw me to the ground and started stomping on me until the onlookers could no longer bear it and intervened, pulling her away.

However, she fiercely warned them not to interfere. Then, she spat at me and cursed, "Our family, the Jennings, is honorable and virtuous. Could our child be deformed? It must be you, you slut, contracting some vile disease from your affairs with other men! My son is too kind and doesn't hold you accountable. You, a despicable whore, think you can take advantage of him? Disgusting!"

Her words caused murmurs amongst the bystanders.

My mind raced. A deformed child? When we started our prenatal checkups, Max had mentioned that public hospitals were too crowded, so he took me to a private one for the appointments. The VIP checkup package cost over a hundred thousand! I had always been on time for my visits, and the doctors had consistently assured me that the baby was developing normally!

How could my baby girl be deformed?!

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I crawled over to Max and desperately clung to his leg, tears streaming down my face. "Max, please tell me it's not true!"

Max knelt down, lending me a helping hand and gently wiping away my tears. "Jen, I'm afraid it is true," he said softly.

I vigorously shook my head, crying out, "I can't believe it!"

Max let out a sigh, his face filled with pain. "Jen, if you won't believe me, then I will take you to see the child. Once you've seen... you'll understand."