Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Mark rushed into the room, shouting that his son had been switched.
“Mary and Sarah gave birth at the same time. Did you mix up the babies? Mine is a boy!”
Mrs. Lee’s daughter–in–law hurried to push Mark out: “Get out quickly, it’s bad luck for men to enter during childbirth! Don’t worry, there’s no mistake. Your Mary gave birth first, Sarah hasn’t delivered yet! Go see your wife.”
Hearing Mark’s yelling, I suddenly felt a surge of energy, followed by another baby’s cry.
Mrs. Lee shouted: “It’s born, it’s a boy! Where’s Sarah’s husband? Come take the baby!”
Tom came to me holding our son, tears falling as he looked at me with concern.
“Sarah, I’m a father! Thank you for your hard work.”
Before I could say anything, we heard my sister crying next door.
“You can’t control whether it’s a boy or girl. The radio said it’s not just about the woman, it’s also about the man…”
Mark naturally didn’t want to believe this. In his mind, having children was solely the woman’s responsibility.
Hearing the sounds of my sister being beaten, I felt bad and asked Tom to get my parents to stop it.
My father tried to mediate: “Mark, first comes the flower, then the fruit. Mary will surely have more children. Look at her mother, didn’t she have two girls first, then four boys?”
Mark sneered: “Girls are a waste of money. I only want sons!”
He left immediately, abandoning my sister and daughter at our parents‘ home, not even naming the child.
My sister cried, her eyes red, mumbling: “Let’s name the girl Victoria. Next time I’ll surely give Mark a son.”
Tom took me home. To nourish me, he went to the city and sold his most prized books, apparently some rare manuscripts, to buy me a package of brown sugar and a small basket
of eggs.
When our child was a month old, my parents rarely visited.
“Sarah, look how poor you are. Can you afford to raise this child? Why not give him to your sister? Just because she couldn’t have a son on the first try, your sister is being beaten badly by her husband.”
I frowned.
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Chapter 3
“This is the Quinn family’s son. The Quinns are also hoping for an heir! Mark not having a son is purely because of his own physical issues, it has nothing to do with my sister. If you really care about her, return half of that $500 bride price and help her get a divorce.”
My mother immediately objected, saying I was being unreasonable.
“You stupid girl, which rural family would accept a divorced daughter? It’s so shameful! Besides, Mark is just beating his own wife. Which man doesn’t beat his wife? How does that warrant a divorce? It’s only your weak husband who doesn’t.”
I knew clearly that my parents had already used my sister’s bride price to buy houses and land for my brothers to find wives. They didn’t truly care about their daughters‘ lives.
I retorted: “Tom isn’t weak, he’s educated! Men who hit women aren’t even human!”
Seeing my displeasure, Tom immediately stood up and ushered my parents out.
“Father–in–law, Mother–in–law, Sarah needs to rest. Please leave.”
My parents left in a huff.
We named our son Robert. By the time Robert was a few months old, I had fully recovered.
I heard that my sister later returned to the Johnson’s house with her daughter. She got pregnant again before the baby was even weaned. This time, my sister looked much thinner and lifeless, and even Mark had become more subdued.
A few months later, news came that the college entrance exams were being reinstated. Tom’s family must have contacted him, but I pretended not to know and continued being a good wife.
One day, Tom packed his bags, left me a large sum of money, and said he was going to the city for the exam. He told me to wait at home with the child.
I held Robert and watched him leave, when suddenly I started vomiting uncontrollably.
With this naturally fertile body, I was pregnant again.
During this time, my sister gave birth to another daughter, named Grace. Mark started drinking heavily like in the previous life, frequently beating my sister.
Tom was gone for nearly half a year without any news.
People in the village started gossiping that Tom had abandoned me and returned to enjoy city life.
I wasn’t worried at all that he wouldn’t come back. We had a marriage certificate, and I trusted his character.
One night, there was a sudden knock at the door. Thinking it was Tom, I put on a robe and
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turned on the light. To my surprise, it was Mark
He stared at my pale shoulders, his eyes reddening.
“Look at that figure. Your sister doesn’t compare to you at all. I heard your husband went to the city and abandoned you? Come with me instead. Your sister is useless and had another girl. You come and give me a son!”
He tried to lunge at me.
I grabbed an iron shovel from the corner to hit him, but I couldn’t match his strength. He pinned my arm behind my back and pushed me onto the bed.
I protected my belly and screamed for help.
Mark laughed: “Who dares to come save you? Your husband ran away long ago! You were supposed to be my woman anyway. Why should you give the Quinns a son? Hurry up and empty that belly to make room for my son.”
Mark’s large hand reached for my stomach.
Suddenly, Mark let out a scream and was flipped onto the ground.
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