As the obstetrician held the medical file in his hands, I couldn’t stop staring at the wounds on Gwen’s knees. Dark bruises covered the skin—some fresh, others already fading.

They hadn’t happened in a single day.

“How long has this been going on?” I asked, my voice barely audible.

The doctor let out a slow breath.

“Weeks. Possibly months. These injuries are consistent with someone being forced to kneel for extended periods. We also found severe dehydration, advanced iron deficiency, and dangerous malnutrition. At eight months pregnant, your wife should have gained weight—not lost it.”

The room began spinning.

Months.

For months I had believed my mother was taking care of the woman I loved.

Instead…

I had left Gwen completely alone.

I walked quietly into her hospital room.

She was asleep, her face pale against the white pillow, dried tears still visible on her cheeks.

I gently took her hand.

“I’m so sorry…”

Those were the only words I could manage.

A few moments later, her eyes slowly opened.

When she saw me, she forced a weak smile.

“You shouldn’t have missed your meeting…”

I shook my head.

“Forget the meeting.”

“But your company…”

“My company can wait. You and our son can’t.“

Tears immediately filled her eyes.

For nearly a minute, neither of us spoke.

Finally, I asked the question that had been tearing me apart.

“How long has my mother been doing this?”

Gwen closed her eyes.

“Lucas…”

“I need the truth.”

She took a shaky breath.

“Almost a year.”

My heart stopped.

“No…”

“At first, it was just insults. She kept saying that a woman who lived off a man didn’t deserve respect. Then she started taking away my breakfast because she said I was getting too fat. Whenever you traveled…”

Her voice cracked.

“…she invited her friends over.”

I clenched my fists.

“They made you serve them?”

She nodded.

“And afterward I had to clean the entire house.”

“While pregnant?”

Another nod.

“If I sat down for five minutes, she’d call me lazy.”

Rage burned through every part of my body.

But what she said next destroyed me.

“The meals she showed you during your video calls…”

“Weren’t made by her?”

A bitter smile crossed Gwen’s face.

“No.”

I stared at her.

“She ordered them from a restaurant right before you called.”

Every photo.

Every video.

Every proud message my mother had sent.

Every one of them had been fake.

“What did you actually eat?”

Gwen looked away.

“Plain rice… sometimes vegetables… and whatever leftovers her guests didn’t finish.”

I felt sick.

For nearly a year, I had deposited thousands of dollars into my mother’s account, believing I was feeding my pregnant wife.

Instead…

I had been paying for the banquets where Gwen was humiliated.

A knock interrupted us.

A nurse stepped inside.

“Mr. Dawson, someone is asking for you.”

“Who?”

“Your mother.”

The instant Gwen heard those words, her entire body stiffened.

Her fingers trembled uncontrollably.

That reaction alone told me everything I needed to know.

I walked into the hallway.

My mother stood there wearing an expensive white coat and oversized sunglasses.

She looked irritated—not worried.

“Lucas, this ridiculous drama has gone far enough.”

I stared at her in silence.

“Your assistants called me,” she continued. “They said you canceled your entire schedule because of that woman.”

That woman.

She couldn’t even say Gwen’s name.

“Did you come here to apologize?”

My mother laughed.

“Apologize? All I did was teach her discipline. Women today think they deserve everything.”

“She’s severely malnourished.”

“She’s exaggerating.”

“She’s dangerously anemic.”

“Pregnant women always complain.”

“Our son almost died.”

For a brief second, she hesitated.

I thought I saw guilt.

I was wrong.

“If that baby is weak,” she said coldly, “it’s because she never took proper care of herself.”

At that moment, I realized something terrifying.

My mother truly believed she had done nothing wrong.

There was no remorse.

No regret.

Only contempt.

“Give me the credit card.”

She frowned.

“What?”

“The card I gave you.”

“I don’t have it with me.”

I pulled out my phone.

“Then I’ll cancel it.”

Her face instantly changed.

“Lucas, don’t be ridiculous.”

I opened my banking app without taking my eyes off her.

One tap.

Card canceled.

Five seconds later, the confirmation appeared on my screen.

My mother went pale.

I immediately opened the transaction history.

The numbers made my stomach twist.

Forty-two thousand dollars.

Twenty-eight thousand.

Luxury boutiques.

Jewelry stores.

Private spas.

Five-star hotels.

Designer clothing.

Then one transaction caught my attention.

$86,000.

Wire transfer.

No description.

No explanation.

I slowly looked up.

“Who received this money?”

She looked away.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Every dollar came from me.”

“I’m your mother.”

“I’m asking one last time.”

Silence.

Before she could answer, my phone rang.

It was my company’s head of security.

“Mr. Dawson…”

“What is it?”

“We reviewed the security footage from your house like you requested.”

I stopped breathing.

“And?”

There was a long pause.

When he spoke again, his voice was completely different.

“Sir… you need to come here immediately. What happened today was only a small part of it. The cameras captured months of abuse… and there’s someone who entered your home every single time you left on a business trip.“

My grip tightened around the phone.

“Who?”

Another pause.

Then he whispered six words that made my blood run cold.

“Sir… I think you already know him.”