Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images and Courtesy of Catherine Herring
When Catherine Herring’s husband, Mason, brought her breakfast in bed one day in April 2022, she wanted to believe it was just a romantic gesture. The pair had been fighting—they were currently living apart at his request—but were in marriage counseling, hoping to work things out.
She had recently learned that she was pregnant with their third child, and their counselor suggested spending spring break together to process. They had spent the last week snuggled up on the couch, watching movies and saying “I love you,” Herring said. So when the breakfast tray came in, she wanted to assume the best.
But Herring says she sensed something was off. Along with a biscuit, her husband brought her a tall glass of water that he urged her to finish, telling her she needed to hydrate more for the pregnancy. As the minutes went on, he became more and more forceful—almost angry—pushing her to finish the water before he left for the office.