Chapter 23
After our wedding. I threw myself wholeheartedly into rural development work. Every village that needed help became my mission. No matter how treacherous the mountain roads or how harsh the conditions, I insisted on leading from the front. Initially, Edric was incredibly supportive of my work, often accompanying me to remote
areas.
“Treda, what you’re doing really makes a difference,” he used to tell me. “I’m so proud of you.”
But fate, it seemed, enjoyed testing people at their happiest moments.
It was an ordinary Tuesday morning. I was in a remote village in the Southwest, overseeing infrastructure development, when suddenly everything went black. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital bed.
Edric’s anxious face was the first thing I saw, followed by the doctor’s reassuring smile.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Vale. You’re pregnant.”
My emotions were a whirlwind of joy, worry, and uncertainty.
“However,” the doctor’s expression turned serious, “your condition is concerning. The combination of exhaustion and your naturally low fertility means you’re showing signs of threatened miscarriage. If you lose this baby, you may never have another chance to become a mother.”
Time seemed to stop. I thought of the child I’d lost years ago, remembered what the doctors had told me then. This baby might be God’s final gift to me.
After much soul–searching, I made the difficult decision to step back from my career and focus entirely on nurturing this pregnancy as a full–time mother.
Edric squeezed my hand, his eyes filled with understanding. “Freda, whatever you decide, I support you completely. The baby and your health are what matter most.”
Little Karina was born–the most precious gift of my life. To care for her properly, I completely left my professional
life behind to become a full–time mother.
In those early days, Edric was genuinely devoted to our family. He’d help with Karina after work, take us to Central Park on weekends, and seemed every inch the perfect husband and father.
But as time passed and his career soared, everything began to change.
Our company flourished under his leadership, and he became increasingly consumed by work. His days grew longer, his homecomings later. Often, Karina and I would be asleep before he returned, exhausted and distant.
“Edric, today is Karina’s birthday. Did you forget?” I asked, trying to hide my disappointment.
He paused, looking genuinely confused, then wearily replied, “Sorry, the project has been consuming everything. I’ll make it up to her tomorrow.”
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Chapter 23
Such incidents became routine. He began missing Karina’s milestones–her first steps, her first words, her first day of preschool.
When I tried to discuss it with him, he grew increasingly impatient.
“Freda, you’re home all day. How could you possibly understand the pressure I’m under?” he snapped during one particularly heated argument. “You don’t work–how would you know what it’s like out there?”
Those words cut through me like a blade. I had sacrificed my beloved career for our family and child, only to be met with his contempt and misunderstanding.
Our relationship began developing irreparable fractures. After every fight, Edric would storm out, claiming he needed to “grab drinks with the guys and clear his head.”
Eventually, I discovered that his “guys” was actually one person–Cathy, his late brother’s widow and his first love.
Cathy was everything I apparently wasn’t: gentle, understanding, perpetually supportive. After her husband died in a construction accident, she’d been left to raise her son Tyler alone. Edric had helped her through that difficult period, and ever since, she’d worshipped him with unwavering devotion.
Unlike me, who frequently clashed with Edric, Cathy was always there to listen, to comfort, to validate his
frustrations.
“Edric, you work so incredibly hard. Your family should appreciate that more,” she would coo.
“Exactly. Freda just doesn’t get it,” he’d respond, finding solace in her sympathetic ear.
I began noticing Edric’s growing detachment. His gaze had lost its warmth, my concerns no longer interested him, and he started taking Cathy’s calls even during our family time.
By the time Karina turned five, I’d made up my mind to return to work.
“I want to go back to work,” I announced to Edric one evening.
Without looking up from his laptop, he muttered, “Do whatever you want.”
I enrolled Karina at Oak Lane Academy, one of the city’s most prestigious private schools. I thought such an environment would provide her with the best possible education.
On Karina’s first day, I spotted a familiar figure in the school courtyard–Cathy was there too, dropping off Tyler.
“Freda?” She seemed genuinely surprised to see me. “What brings you here?”
“Dropping off my daughter,” I replied simply.
Something complex flickered in Cathy’s eyes before her practiced smile returned. “Of course. Tyler, sweetie, this is Karina’s mommy. You two should be good friends, okay?”
Tyler glanced at Karina with an expression I couldn’t quite read–something that made me inexplicably uncomfortable.
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At the time. I had no idea this seemingly innocent boy would become the source of my daughter’s torment.
Months later, Karina came home in tears, begging me never to make her return to Oak Lane Academy.
