Mommy's Coming, Sweetheart

Jace lunged toward me, trying to snatch the calf from my arms by force. "Stop clinging to this stupid animal and playing crazy! I don't have time for your act. Where is our daughter?"

My eyes burned red as I screamed, completely losing it. "No one touches my baby!"

To protect the whimpering calf, I bit down hard on a chunk of flesh on Jace's hand. Jace's face contorted in pain, clutching his bleeding hand as he stumbled backward in disbelief. Zara cried out, rushing to Jace's side with a look of distress. "Jace, are you alright?"

Before Jace could speak, she heavily knelt down and hugged my leg. "Willow, this is all my fault. I never should've taken advantage of my long-time friendship with Jace to ask for his help during my most desperate moment. I never meant to disrupt your family and I definitely shouldn't have asked you to breastfeed my baby just because I couldn't produce milk. That must've pushed you over the edge and made you lose control."

"I only told Jace because I was terrified when the baby suddenly passed out. I wasn't thinking straight. Otherwise, I never would've said anything and gotten you sent to the cattle ranch. This is all my fault. If you want to hit or yell at someone, do it to me. Jace is your husband. He only wanted to help you get better. He didn't do anything wrong. Why take it out on him like this and bite him so hard?"

I remained silent as Zara continued to plead without getting up. Even as her forehead became bruised from hitting the ground, I remained unmoved by her insincere performance. At that time, my own daughter was just a month old. As a mother myself, I naturally felt protective and loving towards tiny, soft babies. I treated Zara's child as my own, showering her with affection. Yet, she had the heart to harm her own child and then frame me for it.

"Zara, don't kneel to her. Willow is heartless and stubborn; she doesn't deserve your kneeling!" Jace pulled Zara up with a pained expression and held her tightly in his arms. Then, he glared at me. "Willow, I think you've gone mad. I'm your husband! Biting me so badly, do you even want to continue living?"

Just as he finished speaking, a 'moo' sound came from the entrance of the cowshed. When I heard the familiar sound of the big yellow cow, my eyes suddenly lit up. I rushed past everyone to greet him. "Honey, you're back."

Not just Jace but everyone present was stunned into silence. It took a long while for Jace to regain his voice and composure. "Willow, what did you just call that animal?"

Ignoring his words, I gently lowered my head and kissed the big yellow cow's face. "What do you and our daughter want for dinner tonight?"

"Willow!" Jace gritted his teeth in anger. "I sent you to the cattle ranch to enjoy a month of peaceful life and this is how you repay me? Playing crazy and treating an animal like your husband to disgust me?"

While he stared at me in disbelief, I calmly fetched a basin of water and knelt down to wash the yellow cow's feet with practiced care. "You've been out working in the fields again and got all muddy. If you don't clean up properly, you're not allowed in bed tonight."

One of the relatives gasped softly. "Jace, I think Willow might actually be losing it. She doesn't seem like she's faking it."

Jace took a deep breath. "Willow, enough already. If you're really unwell, I'll take you to a doctor right now."

As soon as the suggestion of taking me to the doctor was mentioned, Zara immediately rushed forward, sobbing. "Yes, Willow, you've been eating fresh milk and healthy vegetables at the cattle ranch, breathing the freshest air and enjoying the most peaceful and comfortable life. Even if you were a little lonely sometimes, it was only for a month. Please stop being stubborn. If you continue like this, you'll only make yourself and Jace a laughingstock."