I was thrilled to bring my wife, Suzie, and our newborn twins home when I arrived at the hospital. However, when I walked into the room, Suzie had left a mysterious note that read, “Goodbye,” and the infants were asleep. Look after them. Find out from your mother why she treated me this way.
I went to my mother, Mandy, feeling bewildered and desperate, but she denied everything and attempted to minimize how badly she had treated Suzie. That night, I uncovered a letter my mother had written to Suzie, calling her unworthy and begging her to leave. Now it was obvious—Suzie had left because of my mother’s brutality.
Determined to find her, I reached out to Suzie’s pals. One showed that Suzie had felt trapped by the pregnancy and my mother’s continuous criticism. But Suzie vanished in spite of months of searching. I got a picture of Suzie holding the twins at the hospital a year later.
with the words, “I hope you forgive me,” attached. At that moment, I realized she was still alive and concerned. However, the hurt of her absence persisted. Then Suzie came back on the first birthday of the twins. She expressed her regret for leaving and explained how she had been overcome by postpartum depression and my mother’s critical remarks. She had recovered from therapy and was prepared to return. With love and perseverance, we pieced our family back together, one agonizing step at a time.