(BRENDA'S POV)
I was dumbstruck for a moment, conflicted on what to do. I can't agree to any of the terms, so I resorted to the only thing I can do–beg.
"Please, Ma, I can't divorce Desmond. I don't want our children to grow up without a father. I can't raise them on my own," tears were running down my cheeks again, now.
"You should have thought of that before you cheated on my son, and attempted to kill me. Now, save us the time by either choosing to divorce or spend the rest of your life in jail," my mother-in-law threatened.
"But I didn't try to kill you," I protested. No matter what, I will keep proving my innocence. "And I won't divorce Desmond. I love him, and I won't give up on our marriage."
My mother-in-law scoffed. "Love? You call this love? You've brought shame and ridicule to this family. And as for the children; we will take Aurora from you until we confirm she's Desmond's. We'll do a DNa test on the second child after you've put to bed."
Horror and fear gripped me. "No! You can't take my children from me. I won't let you."
But my mother in-law smiled coldly, looking unbothered. "Oh, but we can. And we will. You're not fit to be a mother. Now, are you going to sign the divorce papers, or do we call the cops?"
I went silent, still trying to process everything. How cruel can this woman be? She's not just forcing me to divorce her son, she also intends to take my children away from me.
"I see you like things the hard way, and I will be more than grateful to do things your way. Harriet, call the cops," my mother in-law ordered, turning to Harriet.
Harriet, who seemed like she had been waiting for the order, smirked at me and took out her phone. But just as she was about to dial the number, my mother spoke up. Since we arrived at the house, she had not uttered a word.
"Wait, there's no need to call the cops. Brenda will sign the divorce papers," my mother said, and I whipped my head to face her, shocked.
"Mom, no! You can't make decisions for me!"
But she just looked at me with sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but this is for the best. You're pregnant, and I can't let them take you to jail."
My mother in-law smiled triumphantly. "Unlike you, Brenda, your mother is a smart woman. She knows when to give in."
I shook my head vehemently, refusing to accept my mother's words. I can't give up this easily. "What are you saying, mother? I can never agree to this!"
But her expression hardened, and she slapped me hard across the face. "You foolish child, I'm trying to save you from yourself!"
I staggered backwards from the impact of the slap, shocked to my marrows. My mother had never laid a hand on me since she birthed me, and I couldn't believe she could do it now. "Mom?"
But she didn't show a sign of remorse, instead, she grabbed my arm and pulled me. "We're leaving now. Let's go home."
I tried to resist, but her grip tightened and kept pulling me along. "No, mom, I won't leave. And if I must, I won't leave without my daughter."
"Security, escort this woman and her wild daughter out," my mother in-law ordered.
The security guards rugged in, surrounding us. My mother kept shoving me towards the door, but I fought hard against her. "Please, mom, let's take Aurora with us. She's your granddaughter too," I begged.
Desmond spoke up at this point. "No, she stays with us. Like mother said, we'll run a DNA test to ascertain if she's mine. Don't worry, if she isn't mine, I will not hesitate to return her to you as I have no intention to raise a bastard."
But I stood my ground, trying to break free from my mother's grip. "If I'm leaving, I want my daughter with me."
They didn't budge. The security guards pushed my mother and I out of the house, and the door was slammed shut in our face.
Outside the house, I turned to face my mother, my eyes filled with tears and anger. "Why did you do that, mom? You're supposed to be on my side, not against me!"
"Of course, I'm on your side, Brenda. I just want what's best for you."
"No, you're not," I yelled. "If you were, you wouldn't have agreed to their terms. You wouldn't have slapped me and dragged me out here."
My mother tried to speak, but I ignored her. I turned to the door and started banging on it, shouting. "Please, let me see my daughter. I won't leave until I go with my Aurora."
Suddenly, the sky rumpled and the clouds went dark. In no time, rain started pouring down, but I didn't care. I kept screaming at the top of my voice, even though my voice was hoarse now. My mother tried to talk me out, but I wouldn't listen.
"Brenda, please, stop this. You're going to make yourself sick," she said, trying to pull me away.
But I shook her off. "No, mom! I'm not leaving without Aurora!"
My hair and clothes were drenched by the rain now, but that was not a concern to me. I went on banging on the door despite my white and hurting knuckles.
Few minutes later, I started feeling lightheaded. I tried to fight it, but my body gave in and I collapsed against the door, passing out in the rain.
I woke up to the sight of familiar purple walls, and I needed no one to tell me that I was in my room, at my mother's house. I groaned and sat up on the bed. My head hurt slightly and I was feeling a bit cold. I guess it's because I stood under the rain for long.
I glanced at the wall clock and it read 8:00 PM. I was surprised, I had been out for almost two hours. Quickly, I got off the bed, slid into my slippers and walked to my wardrobe.
I grabbed a head warmer for my damp hair, and a fur sweater to keep me warm. Afterward, I took hold of my phone from the table, and fished out a few dollar notes from my purse lying close to my phone. I guess mother placed them there.
Done with that, I walked out of the room. The clattering sound coming from the kitchen told me my mother was cooking. I was grateful that she was distracted, and wouldn't discover my absence on time.
Without further delay, I retreated to the back door, and sneaked out, shutting the door silently behind me. The rain had stopped falling now, and the cool night breeze hit my face as I walked into the darkness.