Accueil / My Baby or His Future / Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Chapter 1

Mom truly believed my brother's future mattered more than my child's life. I was shaking with rage."My last name might be Abbott, but this baby is mine and Matt's. You have no right to decide whether he lives or dies. I'm already 30! It took me forever to get pregnant, Mom, and you know that!"Mom sounded completely unbothered. "So what? If you can't have one, just adopt. That way you can save your money for your brother."To her, the baby it had taken me four years to conceive was no more than a product she could send back for a refund.I could feel my blood boiling."Mom, I'm your child too." My voice trembled with anger. "Have you ever cared about me at all?""I raised you and put you through school. Haven't I been good enough to you? Your brother is this family's future. Instead of helping out, you want to stand in the way of his future. What good are you as a big sister?"What good was I?She had been saying that for as long as I could remember.When I came in first in m

Chapter 2

I took the soup, and my tears fell into the bowl.Matt hurried over. "Why are you crying? Are you feeling sick?"Through my tears, I told them what Mom had said.Barbara's expression changed. She came over and wrapped her arms around me."Jillian, that's your baby. Nobody else gets a say in this. It's your call."The tears came pouring out, and I could not stop them.After a pause, she added, "I couldn't do anything about how you were treated growing up, but you're part of this family now, and I won't let anyone treat you that way again."I cried so hard that I could not speak. For the first time, I felt like someone was truly in my corner.However, I never expected Mom to come after me again.After dinner, Matt was washing the dishes in the kitchen while Barbara sat with me on the living room couch, watching TV.Barbara's phone rang on the coffee table. It was Mom, so Barbara answered and put it on speaker."Hello, Linda," she said politely.Mom's voice came through the li

Chapter 3

"Shut up!" I roared. "You're no mother of mine!"I hung up in a rage, but I could not stop shaking.Suddenly, a sharp cramp twisted through my lower stomach, and I felt a rush of warmth between my legs.Matt went pale as he rushed me to the hospital."It's a threatened miscarriage in the first trimester," the doctor said as he pulled down his mask. "Luckily, you came in early enough, and the baby is fine. You'll need to stay a few days for observation. Avoid getting upset, and stay on strict bed rest."The baby was fine.Those words cut through all the darkness in my head, and I thanked the doctor over and over.I would try not to get angry, try not to get upset, and try not to remember that I still had a mother.Matt stayed by my bed the whole night, holding my hand. It was not until dawn that he finally fell asleep with his head resting on the edge of the bed.I looked at the few gray hairs sprouting at the back of his head, and my heart twisted.He was only 30. We had been

Chapter 4

"I earned my money myself. It has nothing to do with you. As of today, you're not getting another cent from me. We're done!"I hung up and removed them from every shared payment and authorized user card linked to my accounts.Yesterday, I had seen Tucker bragging all over social media that he was throwing a birthday party for his girlfriend tonight at the Harborlight Grand and inviting his entire class.Dinner at the Harborlight ran 1,500 dollars a table. I could not wait to see how they would pay for it now.After dinner, my attending physician came by on her rounds.She flipped through my chart, checked the numbers on the monitor, and nodded. "You're recovering well. Keep resting in bed, and make sure you stay calm."I nodded.Dr. Karen Mayfield jotted a few notes in my chart and casually asked, "This is your first pregnancy, right?""Yes," I said. "My husband and I both got tested before, and the doctor said there was nothing wrong with either of us. We just could not get pr

Chapter 5

Mom went white on the spot. She shot to her feet, her voice shrill. "What? That's impossible! Run it again!"The manager hesitated, then ran the card a second time. The card reader let out another failed beep.Mom snatched the card reader away and tried it herself. The result was the same.The manager stood there, and his expression had gone from respectful to cold."Ma'am." He cleared his throat. "Maybe you could check with your bank to see if something is wrong with the card?"Mom froze for a moment, then whipped her head toward Tucker as if she had just been thrown a lifeline. "Hurry! Call the bank and find out what's going on!"Tucker fumbled for his phone and dialed the bank's customer service line.He was so panicked that he did not even notice his phone was still connected to the livestream's Bluetooth speaker.The customer service rep's voice came through the speaker loud and clear, every single word."Hello, how can I help you today?""Hi, um, my card isn't going thr

Chapter 6

"Tucker, you're disgusting." Kaylee turned and walked out.His professor and his friends got up one after another, looking awkward and avoiding his eyes. "Uh, Tucker, we're gonna head out.""Tuck, let's just pretend today never happened.""Take care of yourself, man."Soon the room was empty except for Tucker and Mom, who stood among tables full of half-eaten food.…Matt rushed into my hospital room, his voice hoarse. "The test results are back!"My heart started to race. He came over and handed me the report, and his hand was shaking. According to the report, the sample contained a high concentration of contraceptive compounds.I let out a bitter laugh and closed my eyes. Tears slid down my cheeks. After 30 years, I had finally cried the last of them."Jillian." Matt crouched down and took my hand. "Are you okay?"I looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "I'm fine. I already had a feeling. It's just..."I glanced down at the report and read that line one more time.

Chapter 7

"Mom." I went cold all over. "Do you have any idea what long-term birth control can do to a person's body?"She replied impatiently, "What could it possibly do? It's not poison. It's not going to kill anyone. Stop trying to scare me.""The doctor said long-term use can throw off your hormones, and in serious cases, it can cause permanent infertility. You almost made it so I could never be a mother."The line went quiet for a moment.Then she said, "But you're not infertile, are you? You got pregnant, didn't you?"Those two careless questions cut into me like knives.It was as if the damage could be forgiven as long as it did not end in the worst possible outcome, and as if she had done nothing wrong as long as I was still alive."Mom." My voice was quiet. "Did you know the doctor said my ovarian function is much worse than most women my age? Because I was on that stuff for so long, my egg quality is declining too. I was lucky to get pregnant with this baby. If I had waited any l

Chapter 8

Three days later, I was discharged, and Matt brought me home. Still, I knew the storm had not hit yet. Mom was not going to let this go.For the next three days, my phone did not stop ringing.Aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides, relatives I barely heard from once a year, suddenly came out of the woodwork. They all said pretty much the same thing."Jillian, honey, your mom's getting older. Don't hold it against her.""Everything your mom did was for your own good. Why can't you understand that?""He's your own brother. How can you just abandon him?""You cut off all the cards, and now your brother can't even afford to eat. How can you be so heartless to your own brother?""You're going to the police about your own mother? Have you lost your mind? She's your mom!"The last call came from my aunt, Sharon Jobs, the wife of Mom's brother.She was the most aggressive of them all. "Jillian Abbott, let me tell you something. If you dare go to the police about your mother, then a

Chapter 9

I hung up.I thought I had already cut ties with that family. I thought blocking them, canceling the authorized cards, and filing a police report had put an end to the last 30 years.Yet they could still find me. They could still drag me back into that mess at the very moment I was happiest.My phone rang again. This time, it was Mom.I answered."Jillian!" Her voice was urgent and commanding. "Your brother's in trouble! Get over here right now!""I'm at the hospital. I just finished my prenatal checkup.""That's all you care about! Your brother is about to go to prison, and you're worried about a checkup?"I was silent for a moment. "Mom, he was driving drunk and hit someone. What am I supposed to do?""What are you supposed to do? You're supposed to help him!" Her voice rose. "You're his sister! If you don't help him, who will?""How am I supposed to help?"She paused, then said something I would never forget."You're going to take the fall for your brother!" she said it

Chapter 10

Tucker lifted his head and looked at me. There was nothing on his face but entitlement. He did not show the slightest bit of guilt or regret. He was just waiting for me to save him.It was just like the past 30 years. Every time he got into trouble, I was the one who cleaned up his mess. He had never had to take responsibility for anything he did, because he had a sister.I smiled. "Tucker, do you honestly think the only reason I'm alive is to be your stepping stone?""Jill!" His voice turned shrill. "What's the point of saying that now? It's already done! If you don't help me, I'm done for! Can you really stand there and watch your own brother go to prison?""Yes, I can." My voice was calm. "Tucker, you're 21. You're an adult. You drove drunk and hit someone, so you need to take responsibility for it. I'm not your mother, and I have no obligation to go to prison for you.""You!" His face turned beet red, and he spun around to yell at Mom. "Mom, look at her! She says she won't hel

Scanner le code pour lire sur l'application