At the office, I could not focus. Around one that afternoon, dread settled in my chest. I canceled my meetings and drove home.

As soon as I reached the driveway, I heard Liam screaming.

I rushed inside.

Liam was crying desperately in his bassinet.

Then I saw Alina unconscious on the floor beside the sofa. A half-peeled potato and kitchen knife lay nearby. She had collapsed from complete exhaustion.

Ten feet away, Eleanor sat at the dining table, calmly eating the meal Alina had prepared.

She rolled her eyes and said Alina was being dramatic.

Something inside me broke.

I checked Alina’s pulse, carried her to the car, and returned for Liam and the diaper bag.

Eleanor finally stood.

“David, what are you doing? Dinner is almost ready.”

I walked out without answering.

As I drove away, my phone showed an alert from our security camera. Eleanor was moving toward the drawer where we kept our passports and Liam’s birth certificate.

The danger had not ended.

It had only changed shape.

PART 2: CUTTING HER OUT

I drove to a hotel several towns away. Alina remained unconscious for nearly two hours while I cared for her and rocked Liam.

When she woke, she panicked and reached for the baby.

“He’s safe,” I told her. “You’re both safe.”

Then she began to cry.

Alina finally told me everything.

Eleanor had insulted her daily, forced her to complete exhausting chores, isolated her from friends, and convinced her she was failing as a wife and mother.