Chapter 4 - The Motel Room
My own sister had sold me out.
I ducked behind a large snowbank, holding my breath as Marcus inspected the key.
He handed Chloe a thick stack of cash in a white envelope.
I felt violently sick to my stomach.
My entire family was colluding with a monster to steal my child.
I waited until they walked into the house before I sprinted away in the opposite direction.
I couldn't go back to my car because Marcus now had the key to it.
I carried my crying baby through the freezing snow for two agonizing miles.
My feet were completely numb by the time I saw the neon sign of a cheap roadside motel.
I paid the night manager my last forty dollars for a room at the back of the building.
The room smelled like stale smoke and bleach, but it had a heavy deadbolt on the door.
I wrapped Lily in a thin blanket and rocked her until she finally fell asleep.
I sat on the edge of the sagging mattress and pulled out my phone.
I needed to know why Marcus suddenly wanted a baby he had denied for eight months.
I searched his name on the internet.
The first news article that popped up explained everything.
Marcus's extremely wealthy grandfather had died three days ago.
The article detailed the terms of the massive family trust fund.
Marcus would only inherit the fifty-million-dollar fortune if he produced a legitimate heir.
He didn't want to be a father to Lily.
He just needed to possess her like a prop to unlock his inheritance.
And my greedy mother wanted a cut of the money for helping him get it.
Suddenly, a loud, aggressive pounding echoed against the motel room door.
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The night manager yelled through the thin wood.
He said the police were outside looking for a kidnapped baby matching Lily's description.
