Carlo ran upstairs and froze at the sight of the blood.
“Ma… what happened?”
“I thought she was just sleeping…” Mrs. Reyes cried. “I only brought the stick to wake her…”
Carlo didn’t answer.
He lifted Mia into his arms.
“Call an ambulance!”
Within minutes, flashing lights filled the street. Neighbors whispered outside:
“Looks like the mother-in-law has started her discipline already.”
Mrs. Reyes heard them.
She had no defense.
The Words That Shattered Everything
At the hospital, doctors rushed Mia into emergency care.
Carlo sat outside, trembling.
“This is my fault… I never asked why she wouldn’t wake up…”
His mother stood nearby, crying.
“I thought she was lazy…”
Carlo turned on her for the first time in his life.
“Lazy? She’s been waking up every day to clean with you. She’s been exhausted for months. Did you ever ask if she was okay?”
The doctor emerged.
“Who is the spouse?”
“I am,” Carlo stood immediately.
The doctor inhaled deeply.
“She has severe blood loss. And…”
Carlo’s hands shook.
“And what?”
“She’s pregnant.”
Silence.
“But now… the pregnancy is in critical condition.”
Carlo felt the ground disappear beneath him.
Last week, Mia had said softly:
“Carlo… my stomach hurts…”
He had replied:
“Just endure it. Ma doesn’t want the work to stop.”
He slammed his fist against the wall.
“What kind of husband am I?”
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