Mommy's Coming, Sweetheart

On the day my daughter turned one month old, my husband's beloved first love barged in while clutching an unconscious baby. She slapped herself repeatedly while pleading frantically to me. If it weren't for my lack of milk, I definitely wouldn't have dared to trouble you to feed my child. I deserve to die for this. Please, I beg you, spare my child's life! Don't poison her!

In a fit of rage, my husband sent me to a cattle ranch to "learn what real motherly love is." A month later, he brought the whole family to pick me up. Seeing me gently coax a newborn calf to stroll, he nodded with satisfaction. "Looks like this month on the ranch has really helped you develop some deep motherly instincts."

I acted as if I hadn't heard him, lowering my head to kiss the big yellow cow's face. "What would you and our daughter like for dinner tonight?"

Grinding his teeth, my husband snapped, "I sent you to the ranch for a month to reflect and this is how you repay me? Acting crazy to disgust me?"

Just then, the little calf stumbled into a muddy pit and started crying. I rushed to scoop it into my arms and began nursing it with a bottle. "There, there, baby. Don't cry. Mommy's milk will make everything better."

***

When my husband, Jace Shepard, came to pick me up with the entire family in tow, I was out on the pasture, walking a wobbly-legged calf that had just been born not long ago. "Zara already forgave you for hurting the baby," he said. "She even told me to hurry and bring you home. Willow, tell me, did your time here at the ranch change you at all?"

Surrounded by relatives and friends, I looked at him with soft eyes, but my attention never left the calf stumbling beside me. "Slow down, little one, don't hurt yourself."

Zara smiled at me gently. "Willow, Jace has already put aside the past to come and get you. Don't hold a grudge against Jace anymore, or he'll say you're arrogant again."

Jace seemed to be in a good mood, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Although Willow's temper is still as stubborn as ever, this month at the cattle ranch has instilled a deep sense of motherhood in her. My efforts weren't in vain."

Ignoring their little performance, I walked straight to the cowshed's entrance and took off my shoes. "Baby, Mommy's home."

Jace's pupils constricted and he eagerly followed me in. "Why did you leave our daughter with those animals in the cowshed? My precious daughter, let Daddy see you!"

Everyone stared at me strangely as I cradled the calf in my arms and softly sang a lullaby: "Rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye, down to Grandma's bridge we go "

Jace was both angry and anxious, his chest heaving. "Where's our daughter? Willow, what madness is this? You're holding a calf!"

The little calf startled and flinched. I immediately held it tighter, my eyes warily fixed on Jace. He looked disturbed by my gaze and turned to the owner of the cattle ranch, his face dark. "I sent my wife here for a nice break. How could she have become like this, completely out of her mind, in just one month?"

The cattle ranch owner looked at Jace with a distressed expression. "Mr. Shepard, I really don't know what happened to your wife. I clearly prepared the best room on the farm for her and your daughter, but she insisted on moving into this cowshed."

Jace frowned, deep in thought. Zara immediately clutched her chest, tears welling up in her eyes. "I understand now, Willow is still blaming me in her heart. It's my fault for being a husbandless widow, relying on Jace and causing him trouble. Jace, you've been so kind to me. No matter what Willow does to me, I won't complain. If it weren't for her hurting the child, I definitely wouldn't have revealed it, causing Willow to be sent to the cattle ranch for a month-long 'vacation.'"

Zara's few words easily ignited Jace's anger. "Willow, I originally thought that after a month of 'soul-cleansing' at the natural cattle ranch, you would show some remorse. I never expected your nature to be so unchangeable that you would resort to such despicable means to gain my sympathy and make things difficult for Zara."

Jace lunged toward me, trying to snatch the calf from my arms by force. "Stop clinging to this stupid animal and playing crazy! I don't have time for your act. Where is our daughter?"

My eyes burned red as I screamed, completely losing it. "No one touches my baby!"

To protect the whimpering calf, I bit down hard on a chunk of flesh on Jace's hand. Jace's face contorted in pain, clutching his bleeding hand as he stumbled backward in disbelief. Zara cried out, rushing to Jace's side with a look of distress. "Jace, are you alright?"

Before Jace could speak, she heavily knelt down and hugged my leg. "Willow, this is all my fault. I never should've taken advantage of my long-time friendship with Jace to ask for his help during my most desperate moment. I never meant to disrupt your family and I definitely shouldn't have asked you to breastfeed my baby just because I couldn't produce milk. That must've pushed you over the edge and made you lose control."

"I only told Jace because I was terrified when the baby suddenly passed out. I wasn't thinking straight. Otherwise, I never would've said anything and gotten you sent to the cattle ranch. This is all my fault. If you want to hit or yell at someone, do it to me. Jace is your husband. He only wanted to help you get better. He didn't do anything wrong. Why take it out on him like this and bite him so hard?"

I remained silent as Zara continued to plead without getting up. Even as her forehead became bruised from hitting the ground, I remained unmoved by her insincere performance. At that time, my own daughter was just a month old. As a mother myself, I naturally felt protective and loving towards tiny, soft babies. I treated Zara's child as my own, showering her with affection. Yet, she had the heart to harm her own child and then frame me for it.

"Zara, don't kneel to her. Willow is heartless and stubborn; she doesn't deserve your kneeling!" Jace pulled Zara up with a pained expression and held her tightly in his arms. Then, he glared at me. "Willow, I think you've gone mad. I'm your husband! Biting me so badly, do you even want to continue living?"

Just as he finished speaking, a 'moo' sound came from the entrance of the cowshed. When I heard the familiar sound of the big yellow cow, my eyes suddenly lit up. I rushed past everyone to greet him. "Honey, you're back."

Not just Jace but everyone present was stunned into silence. It took a long while for Jace to regain his voice and composure. "Willow, what did you just call that animal?"

Ignoring his words, I gently lowered my head and kissed the big yellow cow's face. "What do you and our daughter want for dinner tonight?"

"Willow!" Jace gritted his teeth in anger. "I sent you to the cattle ranch to enjoy a month of peaceful life and this is how you repay me? Playing crazy and treating an animal like your husband to disgust me?"

While he stared at me in disbelief, I calmly fetched a basin of water and knelt down to wash the yellow cow's feet with practiced care. "You've been out working in the fields again and got all muddy. If you don't clean up properly, you're not allowed in bed tonight."

One of the relatives gasped softly. "Jace, I think Willow might actually be losing it. She doesn't seem like she's faking it."

Jace took a deep breath. "Willow, enough already. If you're really unwell, I'll take you to a doctor right now."

As soon as the suggestion of taking me to the doctor was mentioned, Zara immediately rushed forward, sobbing. "Yes, Willow, you've been eating fresh milk and healthy vegetables at the cattle ranch, breathing the freshest air and enjoying the most peaceful and comfortable life. Even if you were a little lonely sometimes, it was only for a month. Please stop being stubborn. If you continue like this, you'll only make yourself and Jace a laughingstock."

Jace echoed, "That's right. It's only been a month. I don't believe any experience could turn someone completely insane in such a short time. What's more, this place is a paradise on earth, a secluded haven."

His face darkened inch by inch as he thought of it. "Willow, I'll give you one last chance. If you remain stubborn, then you can stay in this cattle ranch forever and live with this animal."

Hearing his words, Zara gave me a triumphant little smirk that no one else noticed, her lips curling up with satisfaction she couldn't hide. Seeing that I remained unmoved, Jace quickly lost patience. He gritted his teeth and snapped, "Willow, you really don't know what's good for you. Since you're beyond saving, I won't waste another second on you. Hand over our daughter, I'm taking her away from this place right now! I won't let my sweet, well-behaved daughter be raised to become something less than human!"

Because I didn't respond to him, he turned to the owner of the ranch and barked, "Where's my daughter? Where is she?"

The ranch owner was so flustered his legs went weak. He stammered but couldn't get a word out. "I've been paying you a hundred thousand a month to take good care of them, both mother and child! What are you hiding? Why don't you even know where my daughter is?"

Under Jace's sharp and suspicious gaze, the ranch owner went pale, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. "Jace, don't scare him like that," Zara cut in gently. "The baby's only two months old. She can't be away from her mother yet. Honestly, besides Willow, no one knows where she might be."

Then she turned to me, trying to sound sincere. "Willow, the ranch owner's just a humble farmer. He's done his best looking after you this past month. Please don't make things harder for him than they already are, okay?"

Jace immediately caught her drift. He shot me a cold glare and warned in a low voice, "Willow, where have you hidden our daughter? If anything happens to our precious little girl, don't blame me for being ruthless."

I finished washing the big yellow ox's feet and then fetched a basin of water to find the little calf. "Baby, be good. Mommy's here to change your diaper."

Jace's face was ashen and he suddenly knocked over the basin of water in my hand. "Willow, I've had enough of you!"

He took out a pocket watch from his collar and opened it, revealing a small and soft custom-made photo of our daughter when she was just born. "That's just a calf, an animal! Open your eyes and take a good look at this little pumpkin. This is your own daughter!"

I stared blankly at the pocket watch, seeing the soft, chubby little baby on it. She was so tiny; her eyes hadn't even opened yet. Suddenly, the stench of blood and rot filled my nose. Terrifying images surged through my mind. It was as if the tiny baby, along with her swaddling clothes, didn't even have time to cry before being torn apart by countless sharp teeth.

It was as if a knife was stabbing into my body, gouging out my heart and scraping my bones, bit by bit. Although slow, each cut was deep and bloody. My whole body shuddered and I came back to my senses at the tender "moo-moo" crying sound. Then, disregarding everything else, I rushed towards the little calf that had fallen into the mud pit and held it tightly in my arms, feeling sorry for it. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Mommy's here."

Jace also rushed over, his eyes bloodshot and slapped me hard across the face. "Willow, don't push me!"

The slap from him made my head spin and a buzzing sound filled my ears. Still, I didn't care about any of that. All I could see was the wronged little calf in my arms. So, I familiarly lifted my shirt to feed it. "Good baby, don't cry. Once you drink Mommy's milk, everything will be alright."

"Oh my God!"

Amidst the gasps of the crowd, a look of utter shock washed over Jace as if struck by lightning. "Willow, you? All I did was send you and the child to the cattle ranch for a month's break. Were you really that wrong? Did you have to throw such a tantrum and do something so disgusting, blurring the lines between people and animals, just to spite me?"

He snapped, yanking my hair so hard it made a loud crack in my neck. I didn't feel any pain. I just kept nursing the little calf, gently patting its head. "Don't be scared, don't be scared. Mommy's here. Everything's okay."

After his brief breakdown, Jace suddenly let out a cold, cruel laugh. "Willow, you're such a good actress, huh? Let's see how long you can keep up the performance after I roast your precious little calf."

He snatched the calf from my arms. I frantically tried to stop him, but the cattle ranch owner held me firmly to the ground. Under the intense heat of the fire, the iron griddle quickly grew scorching hot. Bound by its legs, the little calf cried out miserably, its tearful eyes looking at me helplessly as the heat seared its flesh.

Meeting those clear, innocent eyes that knew nothing of death, I was suddenly struck by the memory of my daughter's bewildered gaze at me just before she was torn apart.

"Don't be afraid, Mommy's coming." Ignoring the searing pain in my already twisted arms, I threw myself onto the red-hot griddle amidst Jace's hysterical roars.