Love Hanging By A Thread

My heart plummeted, akin to a heavy stone sinking into the depths of despair.

The phone, a lifeline to salvation, remained obstinately silent. Michael turned off his phone.

Anxiety clawed at my insides.

I recalled the first time I had stumbled upon their secret affair.

I trailed them secretly.

Michael had confronted me with sharp words.

"I was merely assisting Tina with her move. Why must you be so petty?"

Therefore, I was armed with Tina's address.

I turned to the doctor. "Tell Stella to hold on. I will find Michael now."

Outside the community, I pleaded my case to the security guard, who granted me passage after a cursory registration.

Standing before Tina's door, I knocked on the door loudly.

The door swung open, and Tina's face, once welcoming, now frosted over at the sight of me.

"Where is Michael?" I demanded with urgency.

"There are two babies in Mia's belly. Michael is delivering them. What are you doing here?"

Her words were a shield, barring my entry.

Time was a luxury I could not afford. I called out Michael's name.

In my haste, I pushed past her.

She stumbled on purpose, her knees striking the ground.

She clutched at her knees and cried, "I know you were mad at me for calling Michael, but I had no choice. Mia couldn't give birth to her babies, and only Michael could save it. That's several lives! How could you do that to me?"

Michael was engaging in delivering.

His attention was drawn by the commotion, and he left the doghouse.

He helped Tina to her feet with concern and yelled at me, "Lilia Blake, are you done yet? Stella likes you so much, but you cursed her just to trick me away."

His words were a knife to my heart, but I brushed aside his accusations as I pulled him towards the door. "There is no time. Stella is dying, so you should come with me."

But Michael was indifferent to my panic.

He shook off my grasp with a force that sent me reeling.

His sneer cut deep. "Stop your lies. What can't a person like you do?"

I felt as though I were plunging into an icy abyss, the chill seeping into my very bones.

Reflecting on our marriage, I remembered a time when Michael and I shared happiness at the beginning.

Michael had once praised me. "You are gentle, considerate, independent, and capable. It's comfortable to live with you."

We had our share of joyous moments, and in those early days, he confided in me, sharing everything that weighed on his heart.

He had confided in me the tragic tale of his mother, her life claimed by eclampsia as she birthed Stella.

Her last words were a haunting plea. "Michael, you are a man and must take good care of your sister."

These memories would draw tears from him, tears of guilt for failing to protect Stella and causing her the unbearable pain of losing her husband, Bob Morgan.

Stella had just discovered her pregnancy then.

Michael was overjoyed, insisting on taking Bob for a winter swim to celebrate.

Tragedy struck when Michael's leg cramped during the swim, and it was Bob who saved him.

Bob expended his final ounce of strength to push Michael to safety before being swept away by the unforgiving waves.

Bob's last words were a plea for Michael to look after Stella.

Michael made the promise with tear-filled eyes.

Before Tina entered our lives, Michael valued Stella more than his own life.

He meticulously attended to almost every examination during her pregnancy, not merely out of fraternal duty but also to honor the life debt he owed to Bob.

In those days, I would hold him, offering comfort and sharing the burden of his grief.

Stella was a paragon of sensibility. Although she lived with us, her diligence was evident in her daily chores and the delicious meals she prepared.

We spoke of caring for her, yet it was often she who tended to our needs.

Her life, marked by the absence of a mother and the tragic loss of her husband at a young age, was a source of constant sorrow.

Therefore, I had embraced Stella as my own kin.

But our happy life ended when Tina, Michael's first love, returned.

In a matter of months, Michael seemed ensnared by a spell.

With the ease of a manipulator, Tina employed underhanded tactics to transform me, once a gentle and considerate wife, into a vicious and wicked woman in Michael's eyes.

Initially, I attributed his waning interest in me to work pressures.

But a creeping sense of unease took root because I witnessed him frequently in the company of another woman.

Driven by a mix of suspicion and desperation, I surreptitiously installed a location service on his phone.

Unable to bear his betrayal, I confronted him and Tina at her residence.

The confrontation ended with Michael's fury directed at me.

He demanded to know why I had become so controlling and why I couldn't emulate Tina's magnanimity.

I laughed bitterly, reminding him that I was his wife, not some stranger. His constant dalliances with his mistress hardly warranted magnanimity from me.

Enraged, he shattered his phone, declaring that I had no right to infringe upon his freedom.

Seeing no change in his stance, I raised my voice, accusing him, "Michael, are you forsaking Stella's life due to your prejudice against me? Did you forget the promises made to your mother and Bob?"

But my accusations were met with a cold, indifferent glance and a dismissive, "Are you done?"

"Do you think your lies are brilliant?" Michael retorted. "I examined Stella before sending her to the hospital. She couldn't possibly be in a difficult labor. Or do you doubt my medical expertise? Lilia, this is my last warning. Stella is my sister. No one knows her condition better than I do. I will handle her care. If you dare to curse her again, be prepared for the consequences."

"What?"

I looked at him blankly.

Before I could respond, Tina's sobs filled the air once more.

"Michael, come quickly. The last puppy's head seems stuck. Is Mia going to die?"

At her words, he rushed to her side, offering reassurances. "Don't worry. Mia will be fine."

It dawned on me then that no amount of begging would sway him.

Either he refused to believe me, or his arrogance blinded him to the possibility of error.

A profound sense of helplessness washed over me.

Just as I was about to resume my pleas, my phone rang.

The obstetrician stated with urgency, "Mrs. Smith, why hasn't Mr. Smith arrived yet? Stella can't hold on any longer. Both she and the baby are gone. Please, come and see her for the last time."