My name is Marco. I’m the CEO of my own company. I give everything for my wife, Elena, who is eight months pregnant with our first child.

Since it was our anniversary, I decided to come home early. Three in the afternoon. I brought flowers and her favorite cheesecake. I wanted to surprise her.

When I entered the gate, I felt something strange. The house was quiet.

I slowly stepped through the main door. I wanted to surprise Elena.

But the moment I stepped into the living room, I was the one who got shocked.

I dropped the cake.

In the middle of our marble floor, I saw Elena.

Her belly was huge. She was clearly struggling to move. Yet she was kneeling on the floor, holding a rag and a bucket. She kept scrubbing and scrubbing, drenched in sweat, crying.

Around her stood our three maids. Their heads were bowed. They were crying too. But they weren’t doing anything. They were just watching Elena.

And on the sofa? My mother, Doña Miranda. Sitting there, drinking tea with her eyebrow raised.

“Faster, Elena!” my mother shouted. “The edges are still dirty! Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you’re a señorita! Remember where you came from. You grew up poor. You’re used to housework. Stop pretending!”

“M-Ma…” Elena cried, holding her lower back. “My stomach hurts… I feel dizzy…”

“I don’t care! Don’t stop until that floor is shining! And you maids—if any of you try to help her, I’ll fire you!”

My whole body went cold.

My mother… the woman I believed truly loved my wife… was turning her into a servant in my own house whenever I wasn’t around?

“MA!” I shouted.

They all jumped in shock. Doña Miranda turned pale when she saw me.

“M-Marco?” my mother stammered. “Son! You’re early! I thought you’d be home tonight!”

I rushed to Elena and helped her stand. She was trembling from exhaustion. Her knees were red from kneeling for so long.

“What are you doing to my wife?!” I shouted at my mother.

“Son, you’re mistaken!” my mother quickly changed her tone, suddenly gentle. “Elena insisted! She said she wanted to exercise! She said she wanted to help! Right, Elena?”

My mother looked at Elena with a threatening glare.

Elena lowered her head. “Y-Yes, Marco… I just wanted to clean…”

But I wasn’t stupid.

I turned to the maids.

“Manang Fe,” I called the oldest helper. “Tell me the truth. How many times has this happened?”

Manang Fe burst into tears. She couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Sir Marco… please forgive us…” she sobbed. “Señora Miranda does this every day when you leave for the office. She makes Ma’am Elena wash clothes. She forces her to scrub the floors. We’re not allowed to help. She said if we told you, she would have our families back in the province killed.”

My world collapsed.

“Every day?” I whispered. “My wife is eight months pregnant… and you treat her like an animal?!”

“Because she’s not worthy of you!” my mother suddenly screamed, her true colors showing. “She’s poor, Marco! She’s after your money! She needs to know her place! I’m your mother, so I’m the one who decides in this house!”

I slowly walked toward my mother. The woman I had respected my whole life was a monster.

“Ma,” I said, my voice shaking. “Because of you… my child was almost harmed. Because of you, my wife has been suffering.”

“That’s just discipline!”

“That’s not discipline. That’s abuse.”

I took out my phone.

“Guard,” I called the security outside. “Come in. Now.”

Two security guards entered.

“Ma,” I said coldly. “Leave.”

“W-What?! You’re kicking me out?! I’m your mother!”

“Yes. And she is my wife. She is my family now. And I won’t let you hurt them for even one more second.”

I pointed to the door.

“Pack your bags, Ma. The driver will take you back to the province. I’m cutting off your allowance and your access to this house. You are no longer welcome here.”

“Marco! You ungrateful son! You’ll fall without me!” my mother screamed as the guards dragged her out.

When the noise was finally gone, I held Elena tightly in my arms.

“I’m sorry, love…” Elena cried. “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you and your mom to fight… I just endured it…”

“Shhh. It’s not your fault,” I whispered, gently stroking her belly. “It’s my fault for being blind. But I promise, from now on, I will protect you and our child—no matter who stands against us.”

That day, I lost a mother, but I saved my real world: my wife and child.