I thought Alex was going to scold me, but when he saw how obedient I seemed, the words stuck in his throat. Even Susan and Maisie froze in surprise. Before anyone could react, I turned and ran straight out of the house, heading five miles away to the grocery store.
By the time I returned with bags full of snacks, Maisie’s face was already twisted with displeasure. She dug through the bags one by one and scoffed.
“Clara, I asked for extra-spicy tamales, and you brought back mild? Are you trying to annoy me? And this? I wanted mango. Why did you buy a box of strawberries? Was that on purpose, too?”
I ignored her complaints and just kept my eyes fixed on her belly.
On the way back, I had downed an entire bottle of abortion pills. I wanted to see if she’d be affected by it. However, she looked perfectly fine. Did I not take enough?
While I was still doubting myself, Maisie suddenly smirked. “So, you really don’t take my words seriously, huh?”
She put on an act, sighing dramatically as if she were the victim. “Oh, it’s my fault, really. I shouldn’t have kept this baby after Luke died. If I’d known you hated me so much, maybe I should’ve gotten rid of it!”
With that, she started pounding on her belly. Instantly, a stabbing pain shot through my abdomen.
She was doing it on purpose!
I clenched my teeth, forcing myself to look apologetic. “Maisie, I was only thinking of your health. You developed an allergy to mangoes after you got pregnant, remember? That’s why I bought a box of strawberries instead. If you had an allergic reaction, it could hurt the baby. This is the only grandchild our family has left from Luke. Please don’t be reckless.”
Hearing me say that, Susan immediately thought of her late son, Luke, and rushed to persuade Maisie to calm down. She even praised me for being thoughtful and considerate.
Maisie tried to cling to Alex for support, but even he got nervous at the thought of something happening to the child.
He quickly sided with me. “Maisie, she’s just looking out for you and the baby. Be good. Once you give birth to the baby, I’ll buy you anything you want.”
Watching them fawn over each other made my stomach churn. Disgust rising in me, I rushed into the bathroom and swallowed another whole bottle of abortion pills. However, again, nothing happened to Maisie. It seemed that the effect only worked one way.
Meanwhile, Alex had cooked Maisie some mac and cheese with extra-hot sauce and was spoon-feeding her the strawberries himself.
At least this time, I had switched everything around, so my pregnancy symptoms weren’t nearly as bad as in my past life, and I didn’t go into anaphylactic shock from the mango. I finally felt a bit of relief.
Exhausted, I went back to my room to rest. However, lying in bed, I couldn’t sleep. Until I figured out what was going on, Maisie had me completely under her thumb.
Just as I was thinking about how to break free, a wave of nausea hit me. I bolted to the bathroom and threw up violently. My vomit was streaked with blood and bile.
Clutching the toilet, I tried to recall everything I’d eaten. That was when it hit me.
I grabbed my phone and opened Maisie’s social feed. There it was. She had gone out alone, belly and all, and filmed herself at a barbecue joint.
“Craving hit! I had to sneak out for some grilled goodness,” she had captioned smugly.
