ABUSE

I Never Thought He Would Harm Our Daughter, Then He Did

It was the last time I let him hold her

Photo by Elias Derksen on Unsplash

The sound of the football game blaring from the living room speakers disappeared. The house fell silent except for her screams.

“What is she screaming about now?”

I glanced up. My husband’s flushed face stared at me from the doorway. His mouth hung open, waiting for a response to his question. I stared into his eyes, searching for a glimpse of something.

“She threw up,” I replied over the screams of our four-month-old daughter.

She clutched onto my dark hair that cascaded over her damp body as I held her to my chest. My sodden t-shirt glued our bodies together.

I searched his eyes again.

“Can you take her? Pull off her onesie while I can change my t-shirt?”

He closed his mouth and stepped into the nursery. His raised arms filled the space between us. Inhaling, I laid our daughter into his arms. He turned towards the changing table as my fingers found the hem of my t-shirt and swiftly pulled it over my head.

I paused briefly before stepping forward and slipping past him as he unbuttoned the onesie.