Maya felt a wave of cold nausea wash over her. “My children are not items to be handed out, Dad.”
Jessica stepped closer to one of the bassinets, gazing down at the sleeping infant. “Think about it, Maya. You won’t even be able to give enough attention to three of them at once.”
Maya pushed herself up against the pillows, ignoring the burning pain radiating from her surgical incision. “Get away from my baby, Jessica.”
Jessica stepped back, startled.
But Richard didn’t budge. He rose from his chair and walked slowly toward the exact same bassinet.
And Maya watched in horror as he reached his hands inside…
Part 2
“Dad, do not touch my son.”
Richard paused over the bassinet, but he didn’t pull his hands back.
Maya knew that expression on his face all too well. It was the same cold, unyielding look he wore whenever anyone dared to challenge his authority.
“You’re making a dramatic scene,” Richard said flatly. “We’re your family.”
“Which is precisely why you should understand when I say no.”
Daniel lost his temper, stepping forward from the wall. “Do you have any idea how many fertility treatments we’ve paid for, Maya?! How many nights Jessica has cried herself to sleep because she can’t be a mother?!”
Maya looked at her brother. “I feel for you both. Truly, I do. But my children are not the solution to your problems.”
Jessica burst into quiet, manipulative tears. Eleanor rushed over to wrap her arms around her daughter-in-law, whispering comforting words.
Nobody offered a single word of comfort to Maya.
The sheer cruelty of it opened her eyes completely.
The night before, when she was home alone, heavily pregnant with triplets and experiencing terrifying contractions, not a single one of them had cared enough to get out of bed to help her.
Now, all four of them had shown up right on time because they thought they could take something away from her.