Chapter 3
Melvin posted on Instagram as he boarded the plane to the Alps, while I lay in the operating room, hemorrhaging. For eight grueling hours, the medical team worked tirelessly to save both me and my child. The next day, as I was receiving an IV drip, the news broke that the search and rescue team in the Alps had gone missing.
The family group chat on WhatsApp blew up with the news, and my father-in-law immediately headed for the Alps, with all the relatives praying for Melvin's safety. Just then, my mother-in-law, who had been absent since my pregnancy, stormed into my room, yelling hysterically.
“Samara, why are you still lying there? Get to the Alps and save my son!” she shouted, startling Adelyn awake from her nap. I frowned as Lilian thoughtfully took my daughter outside.
“Mom, I just gave birth yesterday and nearly died on the operating table. How am I supposed to rescue your reckless son?” I replied, keeping my voice steady.
My words seemed to incense Angie. She pointed at me, hands on her hips. “How dare you talk like that? He's your husband! Your husband is missing in the Alps, and you're just lying in a hospital bed?”
“Not lying, recovering post-partum,” I replied calmly.
Angie paused, then erupted. “You’re trying to provoke me, aren’t you? I bet Melvin’s disappearance is your doing!” Her accusations grew ludicrous, and my heart turned cold.
In the past, I’d tolerated far too much from my in-laws on Melvin’s behalf until they mistook my patience for weakness. But today, I refused to back down.
“Firstly, Melvin is an adult and responsible for his own actions.”
“Secondly, when he left me to go into labor alone to rush to his old flame in the Alps, our relationship ended.”
“Lastly, he reached out for help before he went missing, but I could only tell him to contact the rescue teams quickly, nothing more.”
I believed I’d shown enough compassion.
But Angie, indifferent to reason, continued ranting, “Melvin was right to rescue Samara! He’s a good man; it shows his loyalty!”
“Medicine is so advanced now; what danger is there in childbirth? Samara could only rely on my son. If something happened to her, would you be accountable?”
“You’re petty and malicious!”
Already unsettled by hormones, her self-righteous rant tested my patience. Fighting postpartum pain, I stood and delivered my own tirade.
“I’m malicious? Even professional rescue teams struggle with the Alps’ dangers, but you expect me, days after giving birth, to go there. Isn’t that practically murder?”
“Melvin led the rescue, aware of the risks. He prepared for the possibility of leaving our daughter fatherless!”
“He risked his life for someone unrelated to us, and I don't care if he lives or dies. I refuse to let my daughter lose both parents.”
Even as strong-headed as Angie was, my retort left her speechless.
“But he is your husband…”
I interrupted, knowing where this was going, “He’s not my husband anymore. I’m ready for a divorce!”
“Provided he returns alive!”