“There it is.”
“What?”
“The only pain you understand is your own.”
Adrian lowered his voice.
“Sign tonight. You will receive the Palm Beach house, five million dollars, and generous support for the child.”
Margaret stared at him.
“The child?”
Adrian did not look at Grace.
Emma slowly turned the first page.
The agreement required her to surrender all voting shares in Calloway Global. It also stated that the company had been created primarily through Adrian’s leadership and that Emma’s financial contributions had been repaid.
It was not a divorce settlement.
It was a confession he wanted her to sign.
“You planned this before the party,” she said.
Adrian said nothing.
Vanessa stealing the medical records suddenly made sense.
“You needed proof that I was emotionally unstable.”
Charles shifted uncomfortably.
Emma continued reading.
The agreement granted Adrian control over medical decisions involving Grace if Emma were declared incapable.
She looked up.
“How long have you been preparing to take my daughter?”
Margaret inhaled sharply.
Adrian’s composure slipped.
“No one is taking her.”
“Then why is this here?”
“Because you are unpredictable.”
“I installed cameras after being robbed.”
“You publicly attacked my employee.”
“Your mistress.”
“Sign the papers.”
Emma closed the folder.
“No.”
Adrian leaned toward her.
“Think carefully. The house, the company accounts, the cars—they are in structures you do not understand.”
“I built the first structure.”
“You haven’t attended a board meeting in seven months.”
“Because you told me the pregnancy was dangerous.”
“It was.”
“My doctor never said that.”
Silence settled between them.
Adrian’s eyes sharpened.
Emma had discovered another lie.
Margaret stepped between her son and the hospital bed.
“Leave.”
Adrian looked at his mother in disbelief.
“You’re choosing her?”
“I am choosing decency.”
“She has turned you against me.”
“No,” Margaret said. “You did that yourself.”
Adrian picked up the folder.
“You have forty-eight hours, Emma. After that, the offer changes.”
Emma watched him walk out.
Charles lingered.
For the first time, he looked ashamed.
“Mrs. Calloway,” he said softly, “you should obtain independent counsel immediately.”
“Why are you telling me that?”
His eyes moved toward the bassinet.
