Elena finds herself alone with her mother at the hospital as she prepares to give birth to her and Michael’s first child. Michael was nowhere to be found. After her discharge, Elena enters the home, hoping to find Michael and hear his explanation. Instead, she discovers a message from Michael, blaming Elena’s mother for his abduction. Where is Michael, and what has happened?

I’ve always thought that the day I married Michael was the best day of my life. But then we found out I was pregnant, and I imagined that the day I gave birth to our kid would be the happiest.

I had no idea that it would be the beginning of a terrible experience. Michael had promised to hold my hand as we brought our first child into the world.

We had discussed every aspect together, from the music in the delivery room to the small cap he would place on our baby’s head.

But when the moment came, Michael just wasn’t there.

I remember the nurses’ sympathetic grins as they assured me that his delay was likely only temporary. With each passing minute, the sinking sensation in my gut became worse.

I’d been phoning him for hours and left urgent voicemails, but there was no answer. My worry increased as the contractions became more severe. Was I really going to do this by myself? What might have prevented him from being here?

“Come on, Michael,” I urged with clenched teeth.

When my baby came, I was filled with delight, but it was tempered by the empty place beside me where my husband should have been. Where was Michael? Why didn’t he show up?

My mother was always by my side, holding my hand when Michael should have, but I could also see the fear in her eyes. If she had any knowledge, she chose not to share it with me.

“Just relax, Elena,” my mother said. “Focus on Emily now.” “Pay attention to yourself; your body needs some time.”

“I know,” I said. “I’m just worried.”

I eventually left the hospital after two days. My mother assisted me in getting Emily into the car, and we embarked on our journey home. The journey was quiet, and my mother kept pounding her fingers against the driving wheel.

I tried to remain cool, telling myself there had to be a plausible explanation for Michael’s absence. Perhaps something occurred at work. Perhaps he suffered an accident and was at another hospital.

The possibilities became more bizarre with each mile we traveled.

But nothing could have prepared me for what I discovered when we returned home.

The home was oddly silent. As I pulled open the door, I half expected Michael to be waiting inside, given the look on his face.

“Michael?” I cried out, my voice reverberating around the silent rooms. “Michael, are you here?”

No response.

“Be quiet, Elena,” my mother instructed. “Emily is sleeping.”

I ignored her and rushed upstairs. I had to check the nursery; perhaps he was there, waiting for us to get home. We had spent weeks preparing our daughter’s room, just as I had envisioned it during my pregnancy.

But when I opened the door to the nursery, my breath seized in my throat.

The room was practically empty. All the decorations, stuffed animals, our daughter’s clothing, and blankets we had carefully picked together had vanished, leaving only the crib. Only a solitary piece of paper, neatly tucked inside the cot, remained.

I adore you and Elena, our baby. But I must depart forever. Ask your mother why she did this. I took some of Emily’s belongings to remember you both.

I gazed at the message, trying to make sense of the words. What exactly did Michael mean? Why did he need to leave? What did my mother have to do with any of this?

“Mom!” I yelled, rushing down the steps as fast as my postpartum body would allow. I quickly grabbed the paper and stormed into the living room, where she was sitting on the couch with Emily asleep in her arms.

“What is this?” I demanded, throwing the letter at her. “What have you done?” Where’s my husband?”

She gazed at me with melancholy eyes. For a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of something I couldn’t quite place. Guilt? Regret?

“I didn’t want you to find out this way,” she murmured gently.

“What? Find out what?” I almost yelled at her. “What are you talking about?” “Tell me now!”

She took a long breath, as if to prepare herself for what she was going to say.

“I learned something about Michael, honey. The knowledge I gained about Michael was simply too significant to conceal. He needed to know that I knew.”

Why are you speaking in riddles? I asked, closing my eyes and feeling weary.

“He’s been having an affair, darling,” she told me. “With somebody from his workplace. Imagine the nerve.

The words struck me like a physical blow, forcing me to sit down fast.

“No, Mom,” I caught myself saying. “That cannot be true at all. Michael would not do that to us. He loves me! He has been thrilled about our new baby and the expansion of our small family.

“I wish this wasn’t true, dear. Do you think I enjoyed being right?” She quietly asked. I overheard him conversing on the phone. They discussed meeting in a hotel. I confronted him about it, and he eventually confessed. He’s been seeing his boss, a woman who is far wealthier than we could have imagined. She’s been making irresistible offers to him.

“You mean the promotion?” Wasn’t it just hard work? And the automobile wasn’t merely because he made a big deal with the company?” I gave a gasp.

I experienced tightness in my chest as if the room had lost its oxygen.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, tears flowing down my cheeks as my lower pelvis pained. “Why didn’t you allow me to speak to him? Is there a way to resolve this issue?

“Oh, honey,” my mother replied, soothingly. “I gave him a chance,” I told him he needed to tell you everything or leave for good. I knew if he told you everything, it would show that he was still a nice man with redeemable traits. But see this? He chose to abandon you and Emily.”

For a minute, I did not want to trust my mother. I wanted to believe in Michael, and I believed that there was more to the story. How else could my mother have sat there during my birth, holding my hand while knowing the truth?

It didn’t make sense to me.

One thing made sense to me. My mother had never taken to Michael like I had anticipated. She tolerated him and appreciated that he took care of me. However, their relationship remained limited to just that. They had no other relationships but me.

What if my mother simply wanted him out?

Unknowingly, I spoke all of these sentiments out.

“Really? Elena! Do you think I would deliberately hurt my child and jeopardize her relationship with her father? My mother sobbed. “He harmed you by choosing to have an affair.” “I can tell you everything you need to know, but you must believe me.”

This cannot be happening. My husband, the guy I had trusted with my life, had betrayed me, and my mother had pushed him to leave before I could even hear him out.

“You shouldn’t have taken that choice away from me,” I told you. “You should have let me decide what to do!”

My mother grabbed my thigh hard.

“I’m very sorry, Elena,” she said. “I felt I was doing the correct thing. Your body and soul were exhausted from this pregnancy, my dear. I didn’t want you to suffer more.”

She appeared sincere enough, but I couldn’t help but feel annoyed with her. All I could contemplate was the sudden loss of everything I knew and held dear.

My mother had betrayed my confidence, leaving me alone with a newborn and a wounded heart; my husband had vanished, most likely with his lover.

Emily’s eyes opened, and before I knew it, her tiny mouth had twisted into a wail.

“She’s hungry,” my mother explained. “Maybe one day, when Emily goes through something where she needs her mother to protect her more than give her a choice, you’ll understand why I did what I did.”

I nodded.

“I’m sure you’re right, Mom,” I said, pulling my shirt off to feed my daughter. “But I need some space for a bit. I have to adjust to being a single mom right now.”

“But you’re not alone, Elena!” my mother shouted. “Michael may have decided to leave you, but I am still here. I’m right there, loving and supporting you. “And your little girl.”

“I know that,” I answered. “But this is the choice I’m making.”

“I’ll make you some food and then leave,” my mother said. “Please let me do it. Allow me to plan meals for a week. Okay?”

“Fine,” I answered, appreciative of the assistance despite my desire to avoid looking at her.

In the days after our hospital discharge, I reflected on Michael’s actions more closely. Of course, he was involved in an affair. He spent numerous late evenings and dinners with his colleagues, discussing business matters. Michael and his employer were clearly becoming closer during those intimate hours.

I tried calling Michael several times, but it always went to voicemail. One day, he unexpectedly answered the phone. His voice was heavy with slumber, so I knew he had no intention of answering the phone.

“Michael?” I questioned.

“Elena?” he gasped.

“Is it true?” I inquired.

“Yes. “All of it,” he stated. “I am not coming back. I was thrilled to begin my life with you and our kid, but I’ve come to like Gretchen and our lives together. I need to give this a chance. And the least I can do is transfer the property solely to your name. Gretchen’s attorneys will handle it shortly.”

I could not believe my ears.

Michael never contacted me again, and I did not respond either. He left my life as swiftly as he had entered it. At the very least, my child did not meet him and had none of those experiences.

She was securely separated from Michael.

What would you have done?