My Daughter's Abusive Husband

I stood at the door of my daughter Mia's house, holding the freshly made chicken soup. The door opened, and Mia was standing in the hallway, holding her waist, her face pale. "Mom, why are you here?" Her voice was weak as she reached out to take the bag from my hand. I pulled my hand away and set the bag down on the shoe cabinet. "You're pregnant, and I'm worried. I came to check on you." My eyes drifted downward, and I suddenly saw her arm showing outside the sleeve—bruised, like someone had squeezed it hard. My heart tightened immediately. I grabbed her arm. "Mia, what happened to your arm?" Mia suddenly pulled her hand back and tugged at her sleeve, her eyes avoiding mine: "N-nothing, Mom, I just accidentally bumped into the corner of the table yesterday." "Can bumping into the corner of a table really leave a mark like that?" I stared into her eyes, my voice involuntarily rising, "Did Leo Clark hit you?" Leo Clark is Mia's husband. We never agreed to this marriage from the beginning, but Mia insisted on going through with it. Mia lowered her head even more, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly: "Mom, please don't jump to conclusions. Leo's been good to me. How could he hit me?" Just then, my three-year-old granddaughter Nola ran out of the room and threw herself into my arms. "Grandma!" she cried. I picked up Nola and stroked her head. Just as I was about to speak, she whispered into my ear, "Grandma, Dad was mean to Mom again yesterday. He even pushed Mom to the ground, and she cried for a long time." My heart felt like it had been smashed by a heavy hammer, and my hands trembling as I held Nola. I looked at Mia; her eyes were red, and she turned away, too afraid to meet my gaze. "Where is Leo Clark?" I asked, holding back the fire burning in my heart. Mia sniffled, "He said the company had an emergency and left early this morning." "Emergency? I bet he's just afraid to face me!" I gritted my teeth, already determined—I have to stay in this family. Leo Clark came back at noon for lunch. He forced a smile as soon as he walked in: "Mom, you're here? Why didn't you say so earlier? I could have come to pick you up." I ignored his fake warmth and handed a rib to Nola. "Nola, eat up, grow tall." Leo sat beside Mia and reached out to touch her belly, but Mia instinctively flinched. That little move didn't escape my eye. I put down my chopsticks and said, "Leo Clark, I'm here this time to stay for a while." Leo Clark's smile stiffened for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. "Mom, you still have things to take care of at home. I'm here looking after Mia, so please don't worry." "Don't worry?" I sneered, "If I weren't worried, then how did Mia get those bruises on her arms?" Leo Clark's face instantly went pale. He glanced at Mia and said, "Mom, that's just a misunderstanding. Mia and I were joking around, and I accidentally caused it." "Playing around can actually make someone cry? Playing around can even scare Nola?" I pulled Nola onto my lap. "Nola, tell Dad, did he really push Mom down yesterday?" Nola shrank her neck, looking timidly at Leo Clark. "Dad, please don't be angry, I—I didn't mean to say it." Leo Clark's expression darkened even more. He forced a smile at me. "Mom, the child is little and doesn't understand. She's just talking nonsense. You should go back—the family needs you." "I'm not going back." I said firmly, "Mia is pregnant and needs care. I'm here and can help out. If you feel it's inconvenient, then you can move out." Leo Clark didn't expect me to be so firm. He froze for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Mom, why are you doing this? This is between me and Mia—we can handle it ourselves." "Handle it?" I pointed at Mia's arm. "Is this how you handle it? Leo Clark, I'm telling you, starting today, I'm staying here. If you ever lay a hand on Mia again, I won't let you get away with it!" Mia tugged at my shirt beside me. "Mom, please don't argue with him, I'm fine." "You're fine? You've been beaten like this and you still say you're fine?" I looked at Mia with a heavy heart. "Today's matter, I have the final say. I must stay!" Seeing my firm stance, Leo Clark realized he couldn't argue with me, so he kept his head down and sat quietly without saying a word.