When I arrived at the hospital to bring home my wife and

newborn twins, I was met with shock: Suzie was gone,

leaving only a note. “Goodbye. Take care of them.

Ask your mother WHY she did this to me.” I was stunned.

Suzie had seemed fine, but the note suggested something darker.

At home, I confronted my mother, suspecting her involvement.

She’d never liked Suzie, but I never realized how much her

constant criticisms had affected Suzie until I found a letter

from Mom, calling Suzie “not good enough.” “You’ve trapped

him with this pregnancy,” it read. The truth hit hard: my

mother’s actions had driven Suzie to leave.

I learned from Suzie’s friend, Sara, that Suzie had felt

“trapped” by the pregnancy and my mother’s cruelty. She

feared my mother would turn me against her. Suzie’s disappearance

was her way of escaping her emotional turmoil.

A year later, Suzie returned, apologizing for leaving. She had

struggled with postpartum depression and her feelings of inadequacy

. With therapy, she had rebuilt herself. “I didn’t want to leave,” she

confessed, “but I didn’t know how to stay.” Together, we worked

through the pain, rebuilding our family and love for one another.