For the sake of my sister–in–law, my husband made me miscarry seven
times in five years
Chapter 1
Married to Jake for five years, and still no baby.
He always said it was him, some kind of
problem on his end. Begged me not to think
less of him.
Then, the day I ended up in the ER with killer
cramps and bleeding, Jake went to grab me
lunch. A nurse bustled in to stick me with an IV.
That’s when she dropped the bomb.
“I just don’t get you, letting your man get so
rough when you’re pregnant… Now look,
another miscarriage.”
So, all those times, those seven times over five
years when I doubled over with pain and started
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bleeding, it wasn’t just a bad period. It was
losing a baby.
Jake wasn’t the one with the “problem.” He
didn’t want me to have a baby.
My head swam. I forced myself up, needing to
find a doctor, to ask what was happening. I
barely made it to the doorway when I heard him
talking.
“Mr. Johnson, with this much blood loss, I don’t
think your wife will ever be able to carry a
pregnancy to term.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Jake said. “Wasn’t planning on her having my kids anyway. I only married
her to shut everyone up, keep them from bad-
mouthing Abby. Abby’s had it rough enough, raising her kid alone. Nobody’s gonna take
away her son’s inheritance.”
Abby was his brother’s widow.
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11:14
89
So, all that sweet talk, the “love,” was a freakin‘
act.
What was the point of staying with him after
that?
I must have looked like I’d seen a ghost
standing there in the doorway. The doctor was looking at some kind of report, sounding all professional. “Mr. Johnson, your wife was three months along this time. You’re using extreme
methods to induce a miscarriage.”
“You’re risking her never being able to conceive again. Or even worse, causing some serious damage. And those ‘anti–bleeding‘ pills you
keep giving her are really hard on her system.”
The doctor sounded legitimately worried.
“Worked all the other times, didn’t it? She won’t
1.1.
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suspect a thing. She just thinks it’s a heavy
period.”
“But, Mr. Johnson, don’t you want a child of
your own? You’re being so generous to your
sister–in–law. I don’t know-”
Jake’s voice suddenly dropped. “I couldn’t get
Abby to love me. I had to at least give her the
best possible life.”
“Aren’t you afraid of causing your wife pain?”
Doc showing some empathy.
Jake sighed. “Abby has her own pain. Since her
husband died, she’s been raising that kid alone.
Abby’s kid inheriting the family fortune is the
best gift I could ever give her.”
“As for Claire, me being there for her should be
enough, right?
“And make sure those infertility reports you
It turns out, I was preventing the birth of our
child so that his sister–in–law, Sue Ellen’s child
would be the only Johnson heir.
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11:15
89
I’d tried using birth control, but Jake’s infertility
report was so convincing. I trusted him
unconditionally.
Whenever I bled too much, I thought my body
was weak, and I was never suspicious that I
was having a miscarriage.
Jake would always reassure me. “Claire,
women’s periods are never regular. I’ll get you
some pain pills.”
His tender love and care. But his pain killers
were blood clotters meant to prevent a full
miscarriage.
If I hadn’t been in so much pain that I’d needed
the hospital, I never would have known.
I heard the scrape of a chair inside. I ran back
to my room.
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89
<
Looking in the glass, my skin was pale and
beads of sweat dotted my forehead. It hurt so much.
I fell back into bed, tears streaming down my
face. Jake came in, and I wiped my face. I had to suppress the pain.
“Claire, what’s wrong? You look even worse
than before.”
Jake was holding a thermos. He opened it, pouring a cup of steamy soup.
“The window must be too drafty.”
He turned and closed the window, wiping the
spoon carefully. He blew on the soup and
brought it closer to me.
“Claire, you haven’t been eating right, so I got
you your favorite chicken noodle soup. When
you get better, I’ll take you out, okay?”
11:15
89
Jake’s voice was as soft as ever, as if it wasn’t
him in the doctor’s office just minutes ago.
The spoon touched my lips, and I felt my
stomach churn.
He saw my hesitation and didn’t get annoyed. “Claire, sweetie, you haven’t eaten in days.”
“I’m worried sick.”
