A Nest of Vipers

My husband was Nathan Buckner. We had been married for three years.

I'd been pregnant twice before, but I'd lost both babies.

It was all because of my in-laws' talking parrot.

The first time I got pregnant and went to their house, the parrot stared at my belly and kept repeating,

Get rid of the baby! Get rid of the baby!

The second time, the same thing happened. It looked at my stomach and said the same words.

I thought it was just nonsense, but to my shock, my in-laws took the parrot seriously and forced me to end the pregnancy.

I even showed them the prenatal report which proved that the baby was perfectly healthy and begged them.

But they dragged me to the hospital and made me have an abortion.

When I got pregnant a third time, I was extra cautious.

I went straight to the hospital.

The report confirmed the baby was healthy and even showed a 99.9% DNA match with Nathan's.

I thought everything would be fine this time.

But as soon as the parrot saw me again, it repeated the same words"Get rid of the baby."

And just like before, the Buckners immediately tried to drag me to the hospital for an abortion.

I couldn't understand.

The baby was perfectly healthy, and the DNA report proved it was Nathan's child.

Why would they trust a parrot over science and insist I get rid of it?

"You can't keep this baby. You're going to the hospital to get rid of it!"

"We've already scheduled the procedure. You're coming with us right now!"

My father-in-law, Frank Buckner, and mother-in-law, Doris Buckner, each grabbed an arm and dragged me toward the door.

Meanwhile, the parrot in the living room kept "yelling":

"Get rid of the baby! Get rid of the baby!"

I clung to the armrest of the couch with all my strength.

"No! I won't do it. The baby is healthy. Why are you doing this?"

I begged them for an explanation, but they refused to give me one.

When I wouldn't let go, Frank pried at my fingers and scolded me harshly.

"Stop with the nonsense!"

"You're our daughter-in-law. If we tell you to get rid of the baby, you must get rid of the baby!"

As he pried off my last finger, I broke down completely, screaming through my tears.

"The baby is healthy, and the report makes it clear that this baby carries the Buckner family's blood!"

"Why on earth would you believe a parrot's nonsense and force me to do this over and over again?"

This was my third pregnancy.

The first time, I had only been pregnant for five weeks.

When they heard the parrot say "Get rid of the baby", they dragged me straight to the hospital for an abortion, without a single word of explanation.

The second time, I had been pregnant for a month.

They listened to that parrot again and forced me to get an abortion.

Even then, they didn't bother explaining anything.

I had resisted both times.

During the second time, I even showed them the prenatal report proving that the baby was developing normally.

But they didn't even bother to look at it.

This time, I waited until I was pregnant for three months.

I underwent an amniocentesis and a full series of tests.

Everything proved beyond doubt that the baby was healthy and that its DNA matched my husband's.

Only then did I tell Frank and Doris about my third pregnancy.

Yet their reaction was the same. They insisted that I terminate the pregnancy no matter what.

The thought of losing this baby filled me with rage and despair.

Was my third baby destined to be taken from me as well?

Instead of responding to my pleas, they kept dragging me toward the door.

I wasn't strong enough to resist. In the end, they forced me outside.

While we waited for the elevator, I begged them desperately.

"Please, I'm begging you. This baby is innocent. You can't take its life away!"

"That parrot is just an animal. Stop listening to it!"

"Please, let me keep this baby!"

But even as I cried and dropped to my knees, they didn't waver.

Doris looked down at me coldly.

"You've already gotten rid of two. Whats one more?"

Just as I was about to resign myself to losing my baby again, the elevator doors slid open.

Standing inside were none other than my parents, William Walsh and Grace Walsh.

At that moment, I felt a flicker of hope.

I tore myself free from Frank and Doris and stumbled toward my parents.

Grabbing their hands, I choked out,

"Mom, Dad please, save me!"

The sight of my tear-streaked face clearly shocked them. They frowned as they sized me up.

"Chloe, what happened to you? Didn't you call us, saying that you have good news?"

"Why do you look like this?"

I called them earlier and asked them to come over.

After being forced to abort two babies, I didn't dare take any chances this time.

So, I reached out to Mom and Dad for help, and thankfully, they really came.

With them here, I finally gathered my courage.

I sobbed, trembling. "Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Buckner are bullying me."

My parents' faces darkened with anger. Mom snapped.

"Frank, Doris, my daughter married into your family as your daughter-in-law, not a punching bag!"

Dad added, "You owe us an explanation today. We won't just let this slide."

Frank and Doris glanced at them but didn't argue.

They led everyone back into the living room.

Frank spoke up, "Chloe's pregnancy isn't viable. The baby has to go."

The moment I heard those words, dread washed over me.

I was about to beg Mom and Dad to take me home when the parrot piped up again.

It stared straight at my stomach, chanting nonstop,

"Get rid of the baby! Get rid of the baby!"

My parents' expressions shifted.

They exchanged a look with Frank and Doris, as though they'd reached some sort of silent agreement.

The next moment, Mom and Dad turned to me with grim faces.

"Chloe, you have to terminate this pregnancy."

"Be good. Go to the hospital with Frank and Doris."

Their words hit me like a slap.

I never would have imagined that Mom and Dad would be just as absurd as the Buckners.

They were blindly believing the parrot's words and forcing me to get rid of the baby too.

Hearing it from them hurt more than anything.

My eyes widened in disbelief as I shouted,

"How can you listen to a parrot? We're talking about your grandchild!"

"It's twenty-first century! How can you trust a bird over a doctor's report?"

I snatched the papers from the floor and shoved them at my parents.

But they shook me off, scolding me as if I was the one being unreasonable.

"We said you can't keep this baby. Stop causing trouble! Do as you're told!"

Meanwhile, the parrot squawked even louder, driving me mad.

My eyes burned as I glared at it.

"It's you and your nonsense! You're the one who deserves to die!"

I lunged for the parrot, ready to wring its neck.

Seeing that, Mom and Dad grabbed me roughly, holding me back.

Mom slapped me across the face, and Dad dug his fingers into my arm.

They both shouted, "Chloe, stop disgracing us! Go to the hospital and get rid of that baby!"

As I watched Mom and Dad lay their hands on me, a cold emptiness spread through my chest.

I hid the first two forced abortions from them because I didn't want them to worry or start a fight.

This time, unable to cope with it alone, I hoped they would stand by me and protect me.

But I was wrong. They were siding with Doris and Frank and pressuring me to give up my baby.

Clutching my belly, I sobbed. My tears dripped onto the floor.

No one was on my side. I was completely alone.

I spotted the front door wide open and tried to run.

Doris and Frank moved quickly and blocked my path.

Seeing me resist repeatedly, they lost all patience.

Frank tied me up with a rope, while Doris came back from the kitchen holding an abortion pill.

My blood ran cold. I scrambled backward, crying.

"Doris, please"

"For the sake of all these years I've spent serving this familyplease, let this baby live!"

"If you let me keep him, I'll do anything you want!"

"He's only three months old! He's done nothing wrong! Please, give him a chance to live..."

I also turned to Mom and Dad, pleading through tears.

"Mom, Dad, please help me."

"I've already lost two babies. I can't lose another."

"I'm your daughter. Don't just stand there while I suffer like this!"

I cried until my throat ached.

I tried everything I could, but not even one of them showed me an ounce of pity.

Their eyes were cold, filled only with determination to end the life in my belly.

Before forcing me to take the abortion pill, Doris said,

"Chloe, if the parrot said that this baby can't stay, it means it can't stay."

"Don't blame us. It just isn't meant to be."

Frank nodded. "You can always have another one. Losing this baby is no big deal!"

Their words were cruel and dismissive.

Mom and Dad stayed silent, but their silence was enough to show that they agreed.

I was left broken, drowning in pain and despair.

The memory of my first two losses came crashing back, raw as ever.

Doris pried my mouth open and forced the abortion pill down my throat.

I choked and coughed, and then I suddenly heard a furious voice.

"What the hell are you doing to Chloe?"

I looked up and saw Nathan's stunned, furious eyes.

When I saw him, my tears fell even harder.

"Honey, please save our baby."

He rushed over, shoved his parents aside, untied me and pulled me into his arms.

Seeing me crying so desperately, his eyes grew red.

He stroked my back and whispered, "It's okay, Chloe. Don't be afraid. I'm here now."

Now that I finally had someone to lean on, I broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.

Nathan loved me. He always treated me with care and never let me suffer even the slightest grievance.

He often traveled for weeks at a time, but he would hire multiple housekeepers to make sure I was well cared for.

He was back from a business trip now because I'd called him.

Once I quieted a little, he stared at Frank, Doris, Mom, and Dad. Fury blazed in his eyes.

"Mom, Dad, Chloe is your daughter-in-law."

"How could you treat her this way? Didn't you promise you would treat her like your own daughter?"

Then, he turned to Mom and Dad.

"You are Chloe's parents, and yet you stood by while she was being mistreated."

"Do you even deserve to be her parents?"

None of them argued back. They simply said that my pregnancy had to be terminated.

Nathan ignored them.

He bent down to scoop me up into his arms and was ready to take me to the hospital when the parrot spoke again.

"Get rid of the baby! Get rid of the baby!"

I instinctively covered Nathan's ears and looked at him through tears.

"Please, don't listen to it."

But I knew he heard it. And just like that, his expression changed.

He looked away from me and turned to stare at the parrot.

The parrot's words echoed through the whole house, etching themselves into my mind.

I grabbed Nathan's face, forcing him to look at me.

"Honey, don't believe it. It's nonsense. Please, don't listen to that bird."

I clung to my last shred of hope.

Nathan loved me. He was educated and rational.

Surely, he wouldn't force me to give up our baby because of a bird.

But when I looked at him with all my hope, he said the same thing as the rest of them.

"Chloe, terminate the pregnancy."

His words struck me like lightning, destroying my last hope.

I grabbed his collar with my trembling hands.

"Nathan, do you even know what you're saying?"

He nodded firmly. "This baby has to go. You have no choice."

I slapped him hard across the face when I heard what he said.

I took the amniocentesis report from the floor and shoved it at him.

My voice was raw with rage as I shouted:

"This is your baby! He's healthy and perfect!"

"Why would you still choose to believe a parrot and kill him?"

Nathan barely glanced at the report before frowning coldly.

"It doesn't matter what you say. This baby can't be born."

"Whether you like it or not, this pregnancy has to be terminated."

At that moment, all strength drained from me.

I could only laugh bitterly.

"Nathan, this is our third baby. Your parents forced me to abort our first and second baby too."

His eyes widened, filled with shock and disbelief.

I never told him about the first two babies I lost. I never even mentioned that I was pregnant.

I'd planned to surprise him when he returned from his business trips, but each time, his parents and that parrot ruined everything.

I hid it because I was afraid that he would resent his parents if he learned the truth.

But I shouldn't have bothered. They were all the same.

Just then, a sharp pain tore through my abdomen, and warm blood gushed down my legs.

I knew that the abortion pill had already taken my baby.

All of them let out a sigh of relief. Even the parrot finally fell silent, satisfied.

They all rejoiced that the baby was gone. Only I was drowning in grief.

At the hospital, during the procedure, I stayed conscious long enough to feel the life ripped out of me once again.

When I lost consciousness, regret washed over me.

I regretted not being able to protect my baby.

Or perhaps, I regretted ever carrying such a doomed baby in the first place.

When I woke again, it was past midnight.

I was lying in the guest room of my in-laws' house. Nathan sat slumped at my bedside.

I wanted nothing more than to escape this ridiculous home.

So, I slipped out of bed quietly.

But as I passed the study, I heard the parrotthe cursed bird that had destroyed all three of my childrenchattering inside.

Hearing its voice, a surge of hatred flared in my chest.

Without thinking, I pushed the study door open, filled with an urge to kill it.

But the moment the door swung open, what I saw made me freeze to the core.

It was a scene I would never forget.

And in that instant, I finally understood why my in-laws, my parents, and even my husband had all listened to that parrot.