“You can’t just show up here and expect me to talk,” I replied, my heart racing.
“I’m not asking for your permission. I’m offering you a deal.”
With that, Victoria opened her checkbook right there in the parking lot, not caring about the surrounding eyes. “One hundred thousand dollars. Take it and surrender custody quietly.”
I blinked, momentarily stunned by the audacity. “You think I would trade my daughter for money?”
“You’ve stolen her life from me!” she shouted, her voice rising over the hum of the parking lot.
My breath caught in my throat as several hospital staff members halted mid-step, glancing over with concern. I took a step back, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. “I did not steal Mia’s life. I saved her on the day you decided she was an inconvenience.”
Victoria’s polished facade shattered in the face of my words. Her mouth twisted into a snarl, anger radiating off her like heat from a fire. I could see the fury build in her dark eyes, but before I could speak again, she turned on her heel and stormed back to her car, shouting orders to her team.
I stood frozen, the weight of her presence lingering long after she vanished. But somewhere inside my car, Mia sat, recording every moment of Victoria’s desperate attempt to buy her way back into our lives. I had no idea how it would unravel, but the unease had transformed into a hard knot of fear in my stomach.
The Courtroom Showdown
Days later, the courtroom was chaotic, the air thick with tension and the scent of polished wood. I sat at one end, waiting for the proceedings to begin, my heart racing. The judge entered, and silence fell like a shroud over the room. I could feel the weight of eyes upon me—some curious, others judgmental. It felt as though I was on display, a mere pawn in a game I never wanted to play.
