As the days passed, Hannah got worse. The numbness spread into both legs. After sitting for a while, she couldn’t stand up right away. She couldn’t hold the baby for long without trembling. Most of the time, she had to lean against a wall—sometimes even ask her mother-in-law, Carol Parker, for help.
One night, Hannah ended up on the living-room floor, hugging her back in agony.
“Babe… I can’t—this hurts so much…” she whispered, trying not to wake the baby.
Ethan stood over her with the same annoyed look.
“You just want to be waited on,” he said coldly. “You’re doing it again.”
Hannah nodded through tears. She had never felt despair this deep. His words hit like knives.
The next night, Ethan couldn’t sleep. He got out of bed, opened his laptop, and clicked into the home security camera feed. He remembered the living-room camera had been recording for days—he figured maybe a stray animal or someone had walked by outside.
At first, he only meant to skim through it.
Then something made him stop.
Hannah was on the screen, sitting on the couch like usual. But seconds later, she tried to stand and pick up the baby—and Ethan’s breath caught.