The tension in the house had been building long before he walked through the door.For days, his mother had been picking at every small thing—how his wife cooked, how she rested, how she moved. Nothing was ever right. In her eyes, the pregnancy had become a convenient excuse, proof that her daughter-in-law was “lazy,” “overly sensitive,” and unwilling to follow advice.The arguments grew sharper with each passing day. Words turned cold. Glances turned hostile. And that afternoon, the conflict finally crossed a line that could not be undone.In a moment of uncontrolled anger, the mother grabbed a bucket filled with water and hurled it at her pregnant daughter-in-law.
The water soaked her instantly.She stood frozen, drenched, clutching her belly, shock and pain written across her face.That was the exact moment the front door opened.He stepped inside and stopped dead.Before him stood his mother, still gripping the bucket, and his wife—shivering, wet, and trembling, her eyes wide with disbelief. For a split second, time seemed to pause.He set his bag down slowly. Without shouting, without panic, he spoke his mother’s name—firmly, loudly enough that the room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.