Chapter 3: The Truth Hannah Could No Longer Hide
Chapter 3: The Truth Hannah Could No Longer Hide
Hannah's shoulders shook as silent sobs filled the hospital room.
She tried to answer, but no words came.
Dr. Melissa Grant didn't rush her.
Instead, she gently placed a hand on Hannah's blanket and spoke in the calm voice of someone who had seen this before.
"Mrs. Parker... you're safe here. Whatever happened, you don't have to protect anyone."
The sentence broke something inside Hannah.
She covered her face and cried harder than I had ever seen.
"I... I tried..."
She couldn't finish.
I leaned closer, still holding Owen against my chest.
"Tried what?"
Her breathing became uneven.
"I tried to be a good mother..."
"You are," I whispered immediately.
She slowly shook her head.
"Your mother said I wasn't."
The room became painfully quiet.
Dr. Grant exchanged a quick glance with the nurse.
"Can you tell us exactly what happened?"
Hannah stared at the ceiling for several seconds before speaking.
"The first night after you left, I developed a fever."
I felt my heart sink.
"I could barely stand. I called Patricia because I thought she wanted to help."
Another tear rolled down her cheek.
"Instead... she told me I was pretending."
My hands tightened around Owen.
"She said every woman goes through this."
"She said if I couldn't handle one baby, I didn't deserve to be a mother."
Each sentence hit me harder than the last.
"I asked her to take me to the hospital."
Her voice cracked.
"She refused."
My entire body went numb.
"What?"
"She said hospitals were for real emergencies."
Dr. Grant quietly continued writing in Hannah's chart.
Hannah swallowed.
"She took my phone."
I stared at her.
"What?"
"So I couldn't bother you during your business trip."
The room fell completely silent.
Then Hannah whispered the words that made my blood run cold.
"She locked my phone in the kitchen drawer."
Dr. Grant slowly removed her glasses.
"Mr. Parker..."
I looked up.
"I need to ask another question."
I nodded.
"The bruises on her wrists..."
She paused.
"They weren't caused by a fall."
I already knew the answer.
But hearing it aloud was different.
"Mrs. Parker..."
Dr. Grant asked softly.
"Did someone grab you?"
Hannah closed her eyes.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
My knees nearly gave out.
"Who?"
She hesitated.
For one long second, I hoped I was wrong.
May you like
Then she whispered—
"Your mother."
