Chapter 4: The Night They Decided I Was The Enemy
The night Fiona was born was supposed to be the happiest night of my life.
It was the night I became a mother.
The night Luca held my hand while I cried.
The night he whispered, “We’re a family now.””
For two years, I replayed those memories whenever things felt difficult.
Whenever Wendy criticized me.
Whenever Luca stayed silent.
Whenever I wondered if I was fighting too hard for my place in my own family.
I held onto that night because I believed it proved something.
I believed Luca loved me.
But now Wendy’s message sat on my phone screen like a threat.
*Now that you know, you should ask Luca what happened the night Fiona was born.*
My fingers felt numb.
I looked at Luca.
He looked terrified.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Terrified.
And that was worse.
Because fear meant there was something he knew I could never forgive.
“What happened that night?”” I asked.
Luca didn’t answer.
“Luca.””
He looked at Rachel.
Then back at me.
“Jessi, you need to understand something.””
I almost laughed.
“No.””
My voice was quiet.
“You need to understand something.””
His face fell.
“For two years, I trusted you with everything.””
I pointed toward the phone.
“And apparently, while I was trying to build a family with you, you and your mother were trying to figure out how to remove me from it.””
“That’s not what happened.””
“You literally said you wanted me to leave.””
He looked away.
I stepped closer.
“So tell me about the night Fiona was born.””
The room went silent.
Finally, Luca sat down.
His hands trembled slightly.
“I was scared.””
I stared at him.
“You were scared?””
“Yes.””
“Because our daughter was born?””
“No.””
That answer stopped me.
He swallowed.
“Because of what happened after.””
A cold feeling moved through my chest.
“What happened after?””
He looked at the floor.
“When Fiona was born, she didn’t cry immediately.””
I remembered.
Of course I remembered.
Every second of that day was burned into me.
The bright hospital lights.
The doctors moving quickly.
The fear.
The silence before that first tiny cry.
I remembered Luca standing beside me.
I remembered him crying.
“She was fine,” I whispered.
“Yes.””
“She was healthy.””
“Yes.””
“Then why are we talking about this?””
Luca rubbed his face.
“Because Mom saw everything.””
I frowned.
“Your mother wasn’t even in the delivery room.””
“No.””
He paused.
“But she was there afterward.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
I remembered Wendy arriving hours after Fiona was born.
I remembered her standing beside the hospital bed.
I remembered her looking at my exhausted face.
And instead of saying congratulations, she had said:
“She’s beautiful.””
A pause.
Then:
“But she seems so quiet.””
At the time, I thought it was just another strange comment.
Now I wondered if it had been the beginning.
“What did she say to you?”” I asked.
Luca stayed silent.
“Tell me.””
His voice became smaller.
“She said something felt wrong.””
I closed my eyes.
Of course she did.
“She said a mother’s instincts notice things.””
My hands tightened.
“And you believed her?””
“I didn’t at first.””
“At first?””
He looked at me.
“I defended you.””
The words almost made me smile.
Almost.
“You defended me?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“When Mom started asking questions.””
“What questions?””
His jaw tightened.
“She asked if you had noticed anything unusual.””
I felt a chill.
“About a newborn?””
“Yes.””
“Luca.””
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
My voice broke.
“You’re telling me your mother looked at a newborn baby and started searching for something wrong?””
He didn’t answer.
Because that was exactly what he was telling me.
Rachel shook her head.
“This is insane.””
Luca looked frustrated.
“You don’t understand.””
“No,” Rachel said.
“I understand perfectly.””
He ignored her.
“Mom was worried.””
“She was suspicious.””
“She wanted to help.””
“She wanted control.””
His expression hardened.
“You always hated her.””
The sentence hit me.
Not because it was true.
Because it showed me how long he had been carrying that belief.
I stared at him.
“I hated your mother?””
“Yes.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“I hated what she did.””
“That’s the same thing.””
“No, Luca.””
I stepped closer.
“It isn’t.””
The room became quiet.
“I wanted you to set boundaries.””
“You wanted me to choose.””
“Yes.””
His face tightened.
“And that was the problem.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
“You always made me choose between you and my mother.””
I stared at him.
Then I understood.
This was what Wendy had been building.
Not just criticism.
A story.
A story where I was the villain.
Where I was controlling.
Where I was separating Luca from his family.
“Did Wendy tell you that?””
He didn’t answer.
That was enough.
I walked toward the window.
Outside, people moved through the street like normal life was still happening.
Like my entire world hadn’t just changed.
“Tell me the rest.””
Luca remained silent.
“Please.””
The word surprised him.
Because I wasn’t begging.
I was asking for the final piece of a truth I already knew.
He took a deep breath.
“After Fiona was born, Mom started saying you were too attached.””
I turned.
“What?””
“She said you were overly protective.””
“She was a newborn.””
“I know.””
“She said I was bonding with my daughter?””
“She said you weren’t allowing anyone else to.””
I laughed softly.
A painful laugh.
“I wouldn’t let her take Fiona away from me?””
“She said you didn’t trust anyone.””
“Because she kept ignoring my boundaries.””
Luca looked down.
“And then she said something else.””
“What?””
His face changed.
Like he didn’t want to repeat it.
“What?””
“She said maybe you were trying to keep Fiona away because you knew something was wrong.””
My breath caught.
“What does that even mean?””
“She thought you were hiding something.””
I stared at him.
“She thought I was hiding something about my own child?””
“Yes.””
“And you listened.””
“I was confused.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You were influenced.””
He looked at me.
“Jessi—”
“No.””
My voice became stronger.
“You didn’t just listen to your mother. You started looking at me like I was guilty.””
He didn’t deny it.
That hurt more than anything.
I sat down slowly.
For years, I had wondered why Luca watched me so carefully whenever Fiona cried.
Why he questioned my decisions.
Why he asked doctors extra questions after appointments.
Why he always seemed relieved when someone else agreed with him.
I thought he was being cautious.
I thought he was being a good father.
But maybe he had been searching for proof.
Proof that Wendy was right.
“Did you ever believe I was hurting her?””
The question came out quietly.
Luca’s face changed.
“No.””
“Did you?””
“No.””
“Then why?””
He looked away.
And that was the moment I realized something.
He didn’t need to believe I was hurting Fiona.
He only needed to believe I was the problem.
“I thought,” he said slowly, “if you stepped back, things would get better.””
I felt sick.
“Stepped back?””
“Yes.””
“From what?””
“From making every decision.””
I stared at him.
“From being her mother?””
“No.””
But he couldn’t say it convincingly.
My phone buzzed.
Another message.
This time from the unknown number.
I opened it.
A photo.
Not a screenshot.
A real photo.
Taken inside the hospital.
My blood froze.
It showed Luca.
Standing outside my hospital room.
Talking to Wendy.
The timestamp was two hours after Fiona was born.
I zoomed in.
There was a conversation underneath.
A transcript.
Someone had recorded it.
Wendy:
*She’s not going to listen unless she feels threatened.*
Luca:
*I don’t want to hurt her.*
Wendy:
*Then make her believe everyone else sees what she refuses to see.*
Luca:
*And if she doesn’t change?*
Wendy:
*Then she’ll leave.*
My hands started shaking.
I looked at Luca.
He knew.
He knew I had seen it.
“You were planning this since the hospital?””
His silence answered.
Rachel whispered:
“Oh my god.””
I couldn’t hear anything else.
Not the rain.
Not the room.
Not even my own breathing.
Because the truth was finally clear.
The birthday party wasn’t where Luca betrayed me.
It was where the betrayal became impossible to hide.
He had been choosing against me since the day Fiona was born.
Then my phone received one final message.
From Wendy.
*There’s still one thing Luca hasn’t told you. Ask him who paid for the consultant.*
I slowly raised my eyes.
“Who paid for the consultant?””
Luca froze.
And this time, he didn’t look afraid.
May you like
He looked defeated.
Because he knew the next secret would destroy everything.
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