My CEO Husband Denied My Maternity Leave—So I Gave Birth at His Company

That night, when we got home, he pulled me into his arms and asked how Mr. Mitchell had treated me at the office that day. At first, I'd found it fun too. After I got pregnant, he wanted me to quit, but I hated being stuck at home, so I insisted on staying. I never imagined it would go this far—that I'd be just days away from giving birth and still have to beg his assistant for maternity leave for the fourteenth time. I looked at Tanya. "I'm carrying a baby right now." "If anything happens to this child, you won't be able to take responsibility for it." Tanya's head snapped around. "Are you talking to me?" She looked like she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Christine, did being pregnant fry your brain? You think I can't handle you?" She jabbed a finger toward the conference room. "Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea who you're talking to? I'm the company's executive assistant! Let me make one thing perfectly clear!" "I have exactly two rules." "Either you put up with it." "Or you give birth right here." "Is that your rule, or Mr. Mitchell's?" Tanya's face darkened. The folder hit the floor at my feet. "You're picking a fight on purpose, aren't you?" "You can't just take time off whenever you want. What about everyone else? If every single person acted like you, would this company run at all?" Maggie quickly stepped between us. "Miss. Dawson, she's about to give birth. I'll submit her leave request to her direct supervisor later, so please don't be upset." "Out of my way!" Tanya shot her a glare. "Since when do you get a say in this?" Maggie didn't dare say another word. She just gave my sleeve a discreet tug. "Chrissy, don't waste your breath on her. Let's go." "The baby's what matters." Of course, I knew the baby mattered. That was exactly why I was done putting up with this. I looked Tanya straight in the eye. "Any losses the company incurs as a result of my maternity leave, I'll cover them." She stared at me for a moment, then gave me a slow once-over. "You?" "You think you're good enough for that?" She laughed right in my face. "One project at this company runs a few hundred thousand on the low end, a few million on the high end." "Someone like you, showing up to work pregnant just to make ends meet — you think you can afford that?" She tugged at my sweater. "Are you even wearing two thousand dollars' worth of clothes? I doubt you could even scrape together twenty thousand in savings. What a pathetic little act." "Now get back to work!" I glanced down at my clothes. They weren't expensive, true. My body had been changing so much during my pregnancy, so I'd just bought a few things that were comfortable to wear. As for everything Vincent had bought me, it was all sitting in the closet collecting dust. Tanya turned to leave. I spoke calmly. "One million, or three million?" She stopped in her tracks. "What?" "Didn't you say I'd cost the company money?" I looked at her and enunciated every word. "One million, three million, or five million?" "Name a number. I'm listening." She slowly turned back to face me. Everyone around us was looking at me now. Tanya was silent for a few seconds, then sneered. "You really are desperate for attention, aren't you?" I said nothing more, waiting for her to name her price. Instead, she waved a hand dismissively. "The meeting's starting. I'm not obligated to sit through your little performance." I took off the ID badge I'd worn on my chest for two years. Project Department. Christine Harper. I gave it one last glance before tossing it into the trash. "Forget it." "Do me a favor and tell Vincent." "I'm done playing this game with him." Tanya's face twisted with anger."You think you're important enough to say Mr. Mitchell's name? Employees these days really have no sense of their place." I picked up my bag and replied with a polite smile. "You're a woman, too." "I hope when you're pregnant someday, you get to carry the baby for three to five years." She glared at me. I smiled again. "Although, looking at you—I suspect your mother really did carry you for two years."

"Why else would you look so stupid?" Somebody nearby couldn't hold back a laugh. Tanya's face turned livid. I turned and headed for the elevator. Behind me, whispers broke out all around the office. "First time I've ever seen anyone stand up to Miss Dawson like that." "But she's not wrong. The woman's due any day and they still won't approve her maternity leave." "Telling a pregnant woman to just keep the baby in. Who even says that?" "What if something actually goes wrong?" Every word landed on Tanya like a slap. The one thing she cared about most was her authority. Sure enough, the sharp click of heels came pounding up behind me. "Christine!" The elevator arrived right then. Ding. I'd just stepped inside when a hand grabbed me from behind and yanked me backward. I staggered as I turned. Smack. A slap across my face. Then a second. A third. Three sharp cracks. The whole office went dead silent. I caught myself against the elevator door, half my face burning, too stunned to even react. In my whole life, no one had ever hit me like that. Maggie rushed to my side. "Miss. Dawson! She's pregnant!" "Out of my way! If I don't teach her a real lesson today, how am I supposed to keep the rest of you in line?" Tanya shoved her aside. She turned to glare at the crowd. "All of you, take a good look! Don't think that being pregnant means everyone has to bend over backward for you!" "This company isn't your living room. You don't just come and go whenever you please." "And the rest of you! As long as I'm in charge of a project, no one gets pregnant, and no one goes on maternity leave!" "Anyone who lets a pregnancy interfere with work will end up just like her!" A few of the women around us already looked visibly uncomfortable. But Tanya was only getting warmed up. She turned back to me and gave me a contemptuous once-over. "It's not like you're the first woman to ever have a baby." "Everyone else can show up for work. What makes you so special?" "If your husband can't afford to support you, then you shouldn't be having a baby." "Walking around with that belly, playing the victim every day. Who's it for?" I didn't say anything. My phone screen was glowing. Somewhere in the middle of all this, the call had connected. The contact name was just one word. Husband. The call had lasted two minutes and seventeen seconds. The other end remained silent the entire time. But I knew Vincent had heard. I raised the phone to my ear and asked in a steady voice, "Did you hear that?" His breathing grew ragged. "Christine…" "If you heard it, then get over here now!" I hung up. Tanya glanced at the name on my screen and burst out laughing. "You certainly live up to the title of spoiled little wife." "Three slaps, and you're already crying to your husband?" She folded her arms. "So let me ask. Where does this husband of yours work, exactly?" "The security booth?" "Or is he out delivering takeout?" She clicked her tongue. "Oh dear, our building doesn't let people like that just wander up. Should I send someone down to escort him in?" I nodded. "Sure. But you'd better go yourself." Tanya paused, then doubled over laughing. "Christine, you really can't stop playing this part, can you?" When she'd laughed enough, her face darkened. "Let me tell you something." "I slapped you, so what? All you can do is take it." "Your husband won't make a difference." "You people are nothing but low-class trash, and this is exactly how you deserve to be treated." She jabbed a finger into my shoulder. "Little princess, now that you know you're wrong, get back to the meeting. Do I have to ask you twice?" The jab knocked me back half a step, until my lower back hit the edge of a large planter. But it struck me that she had a point. Why was I waiting on Vincent? My business was mine to handle. I addressed her by name. "Tanya Dawson." "What?" I smiled and beckoned her over. "Come here a second." She actually stepped forward. I pulled my arm back and swung. Her head snapped to the side, her cheek flushing red. Before she could react, I slapped her again with the back of my hand. Three. Four. Five. Six. The whole office had gone silent except for the sound of my hand slapping her. Tanya stood there stunned. I flexed my stinging hand and smiled faintly. "You slapped me three times. I give you six in return." "That's fair. I'm not asking for too much, am I?" "Christine! Aaah!" Tanya shrieked and lunged at me. I couldn't move fast enough to avoid the hit with my pregnant belly in the way. Her foot slammed into my leg. My lower back hit the wall, and a sharp pain shot through my abdomen. Maggie went pale with fear and threw herself between us. "Miss. Dawson! Stop hitting her!" "Christine is about to give birth!" But Tanya had completely lost her mind. "Do you have any idea who I am?" "How dare you hit me! Are you insane?" "Ten of you couldn't cover the damages! I'll make you pay for this! Aaah!" She lunged at me again. I grabbed the fire extinguisher by the wall. Crack. It came down hard on her head.