The terrifying realization that something was wrong.
Margaret had been the only person there.
And instead of calling Daniel immediately, she had done something much worse.
She had convinced Rachel to stay quiet.
“You don’t want to ruin his life, do you?”
Rachel had been crying on the kitchen floor.
Kitchen& Dining
“I need a doctor.”
Margaret had knelt beside her.
“No.”
Rachel remembered those words clearly.
“No?”
“No, because then Daniel will blame himself. He will think he failed you. He will spend every day worrying. And eventually, he will resent you.”
“That’s not true.”
Margaret’s voice became colder.
“You don’t know men like I do.”
Then she had whispered something that Rachel could never forget.
“If you tell Daniel, I’ll tell him you caused this yourself. I’ll tell him you were careless. I’ll tell him you’re too unstable to raise a child.”
Rachel had been terrified.
Not because she believed Margaret.
Because she believed Daniel might believe her.
Daniel stood frozen as Rachel finished.
The woman he loved had been carrying this pain alone.
Because his mother had manipulated her.
Pregnancy& Maternity
Because he had not noticed.
Because every night he kissed Rachel goodnight, he had been sleeping beside someone silently suffering.
He turned toward Margaret.
“You let her suffer?”
Margaret shook her head quickly.
“I was trying to protect you.”
“Protect me?”
Daniel laughed once.
