Chapter 7 - The Floodgates Open
"It didn't start like this, Mom," Emily whispered frantically, the tears finally overflowing and tracing wet lines down her pale cheeks. "It started slowly, right after we moved in with them six weeks ago."
She explained how their apartment lease had unexpectedly ended. Ryan had used his signature charm to convince her that it would be "smarter financially" to stay with his wealthy parents just until after the baby was born. He promised they could save money for a down payment on their own house. Patricia had played the role of the doting mother-in-law perfectly, promising she would be there to help Emily with the exhausting final trimester of her pregnancy.
"But the moment all my boxes were unpacked, the rules started," Emily cried softly, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
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The trap had been sprung with terrifying efficiency. Patricia dictated that there were to be absolutely no naps during the day, regardless of how exhausted Emily felt, because "lazy mothers raise lazy children." There was no ordering takeout when she was too tired to stand, because "a proper wife should always cook for her husband."
Worse than the physical labor was the total social isolation. Emily was strictly forbidden from having her friends visit the house because Patricia claimed that "outsiders only bring drama and germs." I stood there, clutching the dish towel, feeling physically sick as I listened to the systematic dismantling of my daughter's freedom. The financial trap they had set had quickly evolved into a psychological prison, designed entirely to break her spirit and strip her of her independence before the baby arrived.
