Chapter 4

"So you're the Windsor girl?"

A woman in a sharp black designer suit stood at my door. She was impeccably preserved, her chin tilted upward as her eyes swept from my slippers all the way to my belly.

Hale’s mother, Victoria Harman.

Samantha stood behind her, holding a bouquet of lilies, offering me her signature sweet smile.

Victoria didn't wait for an invitation. She walked right past me.

Slapping her leather Chanel bag onto the dining table, she surveyed the one-bedroom apartment, her lips curling downward.

"This is the best apartment Dr. Selby could offer?"

"It’s not bad, Victoria. It gets plenty of sun—" Samantha started.

Victoria raised a hand to cut her off. "Samantha, you are far too kind. Some people simply don't deserve your generosity."

She pulled out a chair and sat down, retrieving a manila folder from her bag. She pulled out a few printed sheets.

"Windsor Higgins. Female, twenty-six. Admitted to the Sky Care Orphanage at age six."

"Discharged at eighteen. High school graduate."

"Worked as a cashier, waitress, retail associate, and barista. Zero assets under her name."

She spoke slowly, like an HR executive reviewing a failing resume.

"This is Hale's so-called 'friend'?"

I stood opposite her, my hands hanging loosely at my sides.

This background check was indeed thorough.

Too bad they had only dug up the fake identity I had manufactured three years ago.

She threw the file onto the table and tapped her finger on the paper.

"Windsor, I won't make this difficult for you. The Harman family will raise the child."

"Sign this agreement. Relinquish your parental rights, and I’ll give you a sum of money to leave this city."

Samantha poured a glass of water, placed it in front of Victoria, and turned to me with soft eyes.

"Windsor, Victoria is doing this for your own good. Raising a child alone is so hard. With the Harmans—"

"I have no intention of giving my child to anyone."

My voice was calmer than I expected.

Victoria’s expression didn't waver. She had clearly anticipated my refusal.

"You think you have a choice?" She stood up, taking a step toward me.

"This apartment belongs to the Selby family. Hale has already terminated the lease on your old studio."

"You have absolutely nothing in this city. A girl from an orphanage... how do you plan to support a baby?"

"I said, I'm not signing."

"Windsor, don't overplay your hand."

Her voice dropped an octave, turning menacing.

"Hale offering you two hundred thousand is the absolute limit of my patience."

"Do you honestly think he cares about you? Last week, he bought a thirty-million-dollar estate in the Hamptons. That is his wedding gift to Samantha."

My fingers curled into my palms. Thirty million dollars.

During those three years of eating instant ramen and riding crowded buses with me, thirty million dollars was apparently just a casual wedding gift to him.

Samantha stepped forward, gently wrapping her arm around Victoria’s.

"Don't worry, Victoria. It's Windsor's first time being a mother. It's normal for her to be emotional."

She turned back to me, her voice soft and coaxing.

"Windsor, think about it rationally."

"If the baby stays with the Harmans, she’ll go to the best private schools and have the best resources. Isn't that better than staying with you?"

"I know it hurts your motherly instincts, but you have to think about what's best for the baby—"

"Enough," I said, staring directly into her eyes.

"Don't you get tired of this, Samantha? Every word you say sounds like a cheap therapy session."

Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second before recovering.

Victoria picked up the agreement and a pen, pushing them toward me.

"Sign it, and we can keep things civilized. If you don't—" She glanced cold-bloodedly at my stomach.

"I have a hundred ways to make you sign."

I took a step back.

She lunged forward, grabbing my wrist with surprising force for a wealthy, middle-aged woman.

"Let go of me—"

My body was violently thrown backward. My spine collided heavily with the doorframe, and a sharp, stabbing pain shot through my lower abdomen.

I doubled over, clutching my belly.

Victoria let go, stepping back with an indifferent expression.

Samantha murmured beside her, "Maybe we should let her rest? The impact might cause uterine contractions. That wouldn't be good."

When she said wouldn't be good, her tone was devoid of any real empathy.

She was analyzing me like a specimen in a lab, not a living person writhing in agony.

I looked down. A dark stain was blooming through my pants.

Neither of them moved to help.

Victoria calmly picked up the pen and the papers, placing them right in front of me on the floor.

Samantha knelt down, her voice incredibly gentle.

"Windsor, sign this first, and I’ll take you to the hospital right away, okay? I’ll handle Hale."

I forced myself to stand, gripping the doorframe to keep from collapsing.

My hand slipped into my pocket and grabbed my phone.

I didn't call Hale.

I dialed the number I hadn't touched in three years.

It rang once before a frantic voice picked up.

"Miss Higgins? You—"

I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end.

"Audit all transaction records between the Harman Medical Group and the Selby family. I want the results in three days."

The line went silent for a second, and then the voice turned instantly respectful.

"Yes, ma'am. Mr. Higgins has been looking for you everywhere. He—"

I hung up.

Victoria and Samantha stared at me, their faces painted with identical confusion.

I picked up the agreement from the floor, ripped it straight down the middle, and let the torn sheets flutter down to their expensive shoes.

"Tell Hale... this child's last name is Higgins."