Another night, I heard Noah crying loudly in the background.
Not normal crying.
It sounded dry and desperate, like his tiny body was exhausted from asking for help.
“Why is he crying like that?” I asked immediately.
Ashley laughed through the phone.
“He’s a baby, Ethan. Babies cry. What do you expect him to do?”
Something deep in my stomach twisted painfully.
“Put Emily on the phone,” I demanded.
“She’s sleeping.”
“Then show me Noah.”
“He just ate.”
“Mom,” I said slowly, “is Emily eating properly?”
My mother’s face hardened instantly.
“Do you think I don’t know how to care for a woman after childbirth?” she snapped. “I raised two children myself. Your wife is not some fragile princess.”
I went silent after that.
Because she was my mother.
Because I was hundreds of miles away.
Because I wanted to believe my family would never hurt the people I loved.
