At 6:30 on a freezing Thursday morning, my sister called to tell me our father had passed away. There was only one problem. Dad was sitting three feet away from me at my kitchen table, wearing a navy flannel robe, sipping fresh coffee, and stealing bacon from my plate like he had been doing every morning for the past two days.

Julian screamed in sudden agony as the heavy glass shattered against his skull.

Blood instantly poured down the side of his face, blinding his right eye.

He instinctively let go of the steering wheel to clutch his bleeding head.

The sleek Mercedes swerved violently toward the steep mountain guardrail.

I lunged across the center console and grabbed the steering wheel with both hands.

I desperately tried to correct the spin, but the car was moving entirely too fast.

We smashed brutally through the metal barrier.

The world turned upside down as the car tumbled aggressively down the steep, forested embankment.

The airbags deployed with an explosive bang, completely knocking the breath out of my lungs.

The sound of crunching metal and shattering glass was absolutely deafening.

Finally, the ruined car slammed into a massive oak tree and came to a violent halt.

Complete and terrifying silence descended over the wrecked vehicle.

Thick white smoke hissed loudly from the completely destroyed engine block.

I coughed, tasting the metallic tang of blood in my mouth.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and painfully kicked the jammed passenger door open.

I crawled out into the cold, damp dirt of the forest floor.

I looked back inside the crushed cabin to check on Julian.

He was pinned brutally beneath the collapsed dashboard, completely unconscious and bleeding heavily.

I didn't feel a single ounce of pity for the monster who tried to destroy my family.

I stumbled away from the wreckage, my entire body aching with severe bruises.

I knew I was only a few miles away from our family estate.

I began the agonizing hike through the dense, freezing woods.

I had to reach my father before Serena forced him to open that hidden safe.

An hour later, the massive stone walls of the family mansion loomed through the trees.

I crept quietly toward the massive glass windows of the grand living room.

I peered cautiously through the expensive velvet curtains.

When my newborn 'passed away,' my mother-in-law leaned in and said

My Husband Left Me Alone in My Car While I Was in Labor

“You’re Dead When We Get Home,” He Snapped

My father was tied securely to a wooden chair in the center of the room.

Serena was standing gracefully in front of him, holding a terrifyingly large kitchen knife.

Chapter 6 - The Crash