At lunchtime, as I sat on the office balcony soaking up some sunshine, I scrolled through social media while I ate. Madison’s baby announcement post popped up in my feed again, due to so many people liking and commenting on it. I couldn’t help reading some of the comments.
“Couldn’t happen to a BETTER girl. So happy for you, Maddie—you’re going to be the perfect mother!”
“That baby is SO LUCKY it gets to have you as its mom! It won the baby lottery if you ask me!”
My heart thumped angrily in my chest.She is not this baby’s mother!
Against my better judgment, I finally banged out an angry comment of my own. Before hitting Post, I paused.
Was this smart?
Then I remembered the way she’d barged into my ultrasound appointment and insulted me in front of the sonographer. The way she’d barged into the bachelorette party and embarrassed me in front of my friends. The woman had zero boundaries, and if I was honest with myself, I didn’t think Max had it in him to check his girlfriend. It was time for me to stand up for myself and enforce my boundaries.
I read what I’d written once more:
“Madison fails to mention one important detail—SHE’S NOT THE BABY’S MOTHER! I am. And thank God for that. I plan to do everything in my power to make sure she has as little to do with this baby as possible. After the way you’ve treated me, Madison, this can’t come as a surprise to you.”
Yes, it was aggressive. More aggressive than I’d probably ever been in my entire life. But that was the language that Madison spoke. This could be my chance to actually get through to her.
I felt a rush as I punched the Post button. I bit the end off a carrot stick with a triumphant grin.So this is what it feels like to take back control.
I made it to my mom’s house around seven that evening. Mom said she was feeling better and had a delicious homemade dinner waiting for me. She squealed in delight and kissed my belly when she saw how much bigger it had gotten.
We ate in the living room in front of the TV, just like Max and I had, and watched the ultrasound DVD. Mom’s eyes shone with tears as we watched the baby moving around on the screen.
“Have you and Max talked about names yet?” she asked.
Immediately, my stomach plummeted. I didn’t want to think about Max just then, because that meant thinking about Madison.
“Honey? What’s the matter?” Mom asked, reaching for my hand.
“Oh … it’s nothing. Things are just really difficult with his girlfriend right now. She’s kind of making my life hell.”
“What do you mean?”
“Madison is acting like she wants to replace me as the baby’s mother.”
I filled Mom in on her unwelcome appearances at the bachelorette party and ultrasound, and the way she’d implied I was their surrogate on social media.
The longer I talked, the more the concern in my mom’s eyes grew.
I sighed. “I’m sorry for dumping all that on you. Please don’t worry, Mom. Everything’s going to be fine. It’s just … a complicated situation.”
“Do you think you might need to consult with a lawyer?” she asked gently. “To work out a custody agreement?”
The idea hadn’t occurred to me before, and it sent me deeper into my own thoughts. I’d thought Max and I would work out everything amicably. I didn’t want lawyers to be a permanent part of our lives—or the baby’s.
Mom reached out and put her hand over mine. “Savannah, hon—you are this baby’s mother, and nothing will ever change that. This is a lot to navigate, but try to remember to stay calm. It sounds like this Madison girl might be trying to provoke you. If you let her see your emotions get the best of you, she can use that against you.”
Her statement hit me hard.She’s so right. I have to look like the calm and collected one, so Madison will look like the crazy one in comparison.“That’s so true. Thank you, Mom. I needed to hear that.”
After Mom went to sleep, I lay in my childhood bed, thoughts batting around in my brain like flies in a jar. How could I make Madison look like the crazy one, instead of the other way around? Was the smart thing to do really to just ignore her, and let her do all the flapping?
My phone dinged with a text from Ellie, telling me she hoped Mom and I were having a nice night together. As I shot her back a kiss emoji, I noticed a string of notifications from people I didn’t know, responding to the comment I’d made on Madison’s post earlier that day.Uh-oh.My stomach knotted as I started scrolling through the hailstorm of hate.
“What a bitch! I can’t believe you would be so cruel, knowing what Madison has gone through trying to have a baby of her own! #savage”
“What a nasty thing to say. Good thing you’re going to be raising this baby instead of her, Madison!”
