The Ledger from the Abyss
Eight months pregnant, Maya is pushed into a pool after her husband steals the birth fund she saved for their child. A hidden ledger, financial evidence and a survivor who refuses to stay silent turn a family celebration into a fight for her daughter, her future and the truth.
Fiction. Contains pregnancy complications, domestic abuse, financial coercion, family betrayal, medical distress and legal proceedings.Chapter One: Overboard Bill
The moment she fell into the water, her daughter stopped moving. One second, I was eight months pregnant, surrounded by pink balloons and the smiling faces of relatives; the next second, I was sinking to the bottom of the swimming pool, while my husband was standing by the pool, clutching the envelope containing the future of our child.
The envelope contained US$23,000—a sum of money that I, who had a background in law, had saved by privately taking on consulting jobs. The money was meant to be set aside for private maternity wards, emergency medical care and maternity funds for the months after giving birth when you are unable to work.
However, at the baby shower, mother-in-law Diane wore a white dress.
She accepted everyone’s compliments as a matter of course, and then burst into tears at the gift table. “My landlord is selling the house,” she announced in public, “and I will be living on the street at the end of the month!”
I know this is a lie. Diane clearly had a house that was entirely her own. Before I could say anything, Eric had pulled the sealed bank envelope out of my handbag.
“Problem solved,” he said.
My breath hitched: “Put it back.”
He smiled proudly at his family: “Maya has a lot of money. Mom sacrificed her life for me.”
“That’s money reserved for having children.”
“You are giving birth to a child, not buying a yacht.”
Roaring laughter spread in the courtyard.
I reached for the envelope, but Eric jerked his hand away and yelled, “Don’t embarrass me!”
The sister-in-law immediately blocked the way, while Diane held the money tightly to her chest: “A good wife should be lucky to have a mother who can help her husband.”
Just then, someone bumped into me. I’ll never know if that was intentional. My high heels slipped on the wet stone surface, my back hit the edge of the pool hard, and I fell into the deep water.
The cold water swallowed up all sounds in an instant. For a second, no one moved to pull me. The heavy skirt pulled me down desperately, and severe pain tore through my abdomen. I kicked my legs up as hard as I could, but my body felt as heavy as lead. When I lowered my head, the pale material of my skirt was stained red with blood.
The world is cold. All I remember is a stranger jumping down and saving me, all I remember is the blaring ambulance siren, all I remember is Eric fussing with the emergency workers because they cut off his expensive shirt.
At the hospital, doctors diagnosed placental abruption. Through emergency surgery, my daughter was born. Her face was blue and she didn’t cry, and she was immediately taken to the intensive care unit. Eric never stepped into the recovery room again.
He only dared to stand outside the door and complained to his mother: If I hadn’t “made a fuss and asked for trouble,” none of this would have happened.
I could hear clearly through the half-opened ward door.
I also heard Diane ask, “Did you transfer the rest of the money?”
Eric replied: “Tomorrow.”
They thought I was unconscious. They forget what I do for a living. I’m not just a consultant. I am a forensic accountant. From the moment I lay on the hospital bed, I began to follow every flow.