The room was filled with a quiet warmth, the kind that wrapped around hearts like a gentle embrace. The soft lullaby of a rocking chair creaked through the nursery, where tiny Julina, barely a few days old, lay peacefully in her crib. Her tiny fingers curled around the air, her pink lips parting as she let out a sleepy sigh.
But something was wrong.
The atmosphere in the room shifted. The air felt heavier, as if an unseen force had pressed against it. Standing near the crib was Jade, her mother, her eyes flickering with an unexplainable tension. A mother’s arms should be the safest place in the world for her child, a place of comfort and warmth. Yet, in this moment, something else had taken over Jade’s mind.
Million stood outside the nursery, a lump forming in his throat. He had watched his wife, Jade, grow distant ever since the birth of their daughter. There had been moments where her gaze seemed distant, her expressions shifting unpredictably. He wanted to believe it was exhaustion, the sleepless nights catching up with her, the overwhelming weight of new motherhood pressing down.
But tonight, what he saw broke him.
A single tear slipped down his cheek as he peered through the slightly open door. His breath caught in his throat as he saw Jade leaning over the crib, her hands trembling, her face twisted with an emotion he couldn’t understand.
Then it happened.
Before he could react, Jade’s lips parted, and in a swift, unthinkable motion, she bit down on Julina’s fragile arm.
The newborn’s piercing cry shattered the silence.
Million’s heart stopped. His vision blurred with tears. He rushed into the room, his feet heavy yet urgent.
“Jade!” he gasped, pulling her away. “What are you doing?!”
Jade stumbled back, her eyes wide, as if waking from a dream. Her lips trembled, and she looked down at her own hands, as if they belonged to someone else. A deep, dark horror filled her eyes as she realized what she had done.
Julina’s cries filled the space, desperate and pained. Million scooped her up instantly, cradling her tiny body against his chest. His hands trembled as he checked her arm—a deep red mark, small teeth imprints on her soft, delicate skin. His heart ached with every second of her sobs.
Jade collapsed onto the floor, her hands clutching her head.
“I— I don’t know what happened,” she whispered, her voice barely there. “I— I wasn’t myself.”
Million was torn between fury and sorrow. His love for Jade had always been deep, but this—this was something he couldn’t understand. He held Julina tightly, feeling her tiny heartbeat against him.
“Why, Jade?” he whispered, his voice breaking. “Why would you hurt her?”
Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head violently. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s happening to me. Something is wrong with me, Million… I need help.”
A million drops of tears fell that night.
Million’s tears, for the wife he no longer recognized.
Jade’s tears, for the mother she wanted to be but couldn’t understand why she had failed.
And Julina’s tears, the innocent cries of a newborn who had only just entered the world, only to feel pain from the very person meant to protect her.
The weight of it all crashed down like an unstoppable storm.
Million took a deep breath, his chest tightening. He knew what he had to do. This wasn’t just exhaustion—this was something deeper. Something darker.
Postpartum psychosis.
The words he had read about in parenting books suddenly made sense. The distant stares, the out-of-body moments, the unpredictable emotions. And now this. It wasn’t just Jade losing herself—it was an illness taking hold of her.
He kneeled beside her, still holding Julina close. “Jade, listen to me,” he said gently but firmly. “You need help. I will get you help. But I can’t let this happen again.”
Jade looked at him, her tears spilling freely, her body trembling. “Please… I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want to be like this.”
He nodded, his own tears still falling. “Then we’ll fight this together. But first, we need to get you the help you need.”
As the cries softened into small hiccups, Million knew their family had changed forever. The road ahead would be long, full of pain, healing, and uncertainty. But he would not let Julina suffer. And he would not abandon Jade to the darkness trying to consume her.
That night, as Julina finally fell asleep in his arms, Million held onto hope. Hope that love, patience, and the right help could bring them back from this.
But the image of Jade biting their newborn would never leave his mind.
And a million tears would never be enough to wash that moment away.
