Chapter 2

I tore myself free from Marvin and Georgia and stumbled toward my parents.

Grabbing their hands, I choked out, "Mom, Dad… please, save me!"

The sight of my tear-streaked face clearly shocked them. They frowned as they sized me up.

"Evelyn, what happened to you? Didn't you call us, saying that you have good news? Why do you look like this?"

I called them earlier and asked them to come over. After being forced to abort two babies, I didn't dare take any chances this time. So, I reached out to Mom and Dad for help, and thankfully, they really came.

With them here, I finally found my courage. I sobbed, trembling. "Mom, Dad, Marvin and Georgia are bullying me."

My parents' faces darkened with anger. Mom snapped, "Marvin, Georgia, my daughter married into your family as your daughter-in-law, not a punching bag!"

Dad added, "You owe us an explanation today. We won't just let this slide."

Marvin and Georgia glanced at them but didn't bother to argue. They simply led everyone back into the living room.

Then, Marvin spoke up. "Evelyn's pregnancy isn't viable. The baby has to go."

The moment I heard those words, a wave of dread rose inside me. I was about to beg Mom and Dad to take me home when the parrot piped up again.

It stared straight at my stomach, chanting nonstop, "Get rid of the baby! Get rid of the baby!"

It was just one sentence, but my parents' expressions shifted. They exchanged a look with Marvin and Georgia, as though they'd reached some sort of silent agreement.

The next moment, Mom and Dad turned to me with grim faces. "Evelyn, you have to terminate this pregnancy. Be good. Go to the hospital with Marvin and Georgia."

Their words hit me like a slap. I never would have imagined that Mom and Dad would be just as absurd as Georgia and Marvin. They were blindly believing the parrot's words and forcing me to get rid of the baby too. Hearing it from them hurt more than anything.

My eyes widened in disbelief as I shouted, "How can you listen to a parrot? This is your grandbaby we're talking about! What year is it? How can you trust a bird over a doctor's report?"

I snatched the papers scattered on the floor and shoved them at Mom and Dad, begging them to look.

But they shook me off, scolding me as if I was the one being unreasonable. "We said you can't keep this baby. Stop causing trouble! Do as you're told and abort it!"

Meanwhile, the parrot squawked even louder, driving me mad.

My eyes turned red as I glared at it. "It's you and your nonsense! You're the one who deserves to die!"

I lunged for the parrot, ready to wring its neck, but Mom and Dad grabbed me roughly, holding me back. Mom slapped me across the face, and Dad dug his fingers into my arm.

Both of them shouted in unison, "Evelyn, stop disgracing us! Go to the hospital and get rid of that baby!"

As I watched Mom and Dad lay their hands on me, a cold emptiness spread through my chest.

I hid the first two forced abortions from them because I didn't want them to worry or fight with Marvin and Georgia. So, I shouldered the grief alone.

This time, I finally reached out, hoping they would stand by me and protect me. But I was wrong. They were siding with Georgia and Marvin and pressuring me to give up my baby.

Clutching my belly, I sobbed, my tears dripping onto the floor.

No one was on my side. I was completely alone.

I spotted the front door wide open and tried to run, but Georgia and Marvin moved quickly and blocked my path. Seeing me resist again and again, they lost all patience.

Marvin tied me up with a rope, while Georgia came back from the kitchen holding an abortion pill.

My blood ran cold. I scrambled backward, crying. "Georgia, please… For the sake of all these years I've spent serving this family—please, let this baby live! If you let me keep him, I'll do anything you want! He's only three months old! He's done nothing wrong! Please, give him a chance to live..."

I even turned to Mom and Dad and pleaded through tears. "Mom, Dad, please help me. I've already lost two babies. I can't lose another. I'm your daughter—don't just stand there while I suffer like this!"

I cried until my throat ached. I tried everything I could, but not a single one of them showed me an ounce of pity. Their eyes were cold, filled only with determination to destroy the life inside me.

Before forcing me to take the abortion pill, Georgia said, "Evelyn, if the parrot said that this baby can't stay, it means it can't stay. Don't blame us. It just isn't meant to be."

Marvin nodded. "You can always have another one. Losing this baby is no big deal!"

Their words were cruel and dismissive.

Mom and Dad stayed silent, but their silence was enough to show that they agreed.

And I was left broken, drowning in pain and despair. The memory of my first two babies being ripped away from me came crashing back, every moment as raw as the day it happened.