Lucas had long dreamed of the sea. He had saved money for the vacation for years, and now that he had finally bought the tickets, he felt almost happy.
When his wife, Emma, found out she was pregnant and the doctors strictly forbade her from flying, she was sure her husband would stay by her side. But one day, Lucas spoke coldly and without emotion:
“The tickets are already bought. Why waste the money? I’ll go alone, and you can go to your mother’s house for now and help her with chores.”
Emma didn’t know how to respond. She was six months pregnant, and her back ached from even a slight bend, but she decided not to argue.
Two days later, Lucas left for his vacation, and she was taken to his mother’s house—in a remote village where the toilet was behind the shed, there was only cold water, and “rest” meant a short sleep after a hard day’s work.
Every morning, his mother cooked soup, placed a plate in front of Emma, and said:
“You do the work, then you eat.”
The pregnant woman went out to the garden and spent long hours digging the soil, feeling her breathing become heavier. At night, she dreamed of the sea—not because she missed the vacation, but because that’s where her husband had gone. He sent photos from the beach and short messages:
“Having a great time, just like you said.”
One day, under the scorching sun, Emma was digging for potatoes. She tried to call Lucas—he didn’t answer.
But what happened that day in the garden shocked the entire village.
From the heat and exhaustion, her head began to spin. The ground swam before her eyes. She dropped to her knees, breathing heavily. His mother came out to the yard, looked down at her, and said dryly:
“You’re pregnant, not sick. No time to sit—the potatoes won’t dig themselves up.”
Emma tried to stand up but couldn’t. In the next moment, her body slumped, and she fell face-first into the dirt.
A neighbor passing by saw this and screamed. People rushed over, lifted Emma into a car, and drove her to the hospital.
The doctors delivered terrifying news: a little longer, and the baby would not have been saved.
Since then, the neighbors avoided his mother’s house. No one could forgive her for pushing a pregnant woman to such a dangerous extreme.
When Lucas returned from the sea, tanned and satisfied, he found his wife in the hospital room—pale, gaunt, with eyes that held no love left for him.