Chapter 2 - The Million Dollar Check
Claire stared at the signed custody documents in absolute, paralyzing disbelief.
The harsh beeping of the neonatal heart monitors seemed to grow deafeningly loud in her ears.
She grabbed the edge of the nurse's counter, her knuckles turning entirely white as she fought off a wave of severe dizziness.
She desperately tried to remember exactly what the hospital staff had told her to sign before the anesthesia took effect.
They had claimed the paperwork was strictly for an emergency blood transfusion.
Victoria watched Claire panic with a look of supreme, undeniable satisfaction on her aristocratic face.
She checked her diamond wristwatch and informed Claire that a private security team was coming to escort her off the premises.
Claire fiercely shook her head, her maternal instincts completely overpowering her physical exhaustion.
She loudly declared that no judge in the country would uphold a contract signed by a woman bleeding under heavy sedation.
Victoria laughed softly, a terrifying sound that held absolutely no warmth or human empathy.
She reminded Claire that the Vale family practically owned every single judge sitting in the state supreme court.
Suddenly, the glass doors of the neonatal unit swung open with a violent crash.
Adrian marched into the room, his dark blue surgical scrubs now covered by a tailored suit jacket.
Claire felt a sudden, desperate surge of hope that the man she once loved would finally defend her.
She stepped toward him, pleading with him to look at the fraudulent papers his mother had just presented.
Adrian did not look at the papers, nor did he look at the sleeping babies in the incubators.
He looked directly at Claire, and his gray-green eyes were filled with an intense, burning disgust.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a crumpled, canceled bank check.
He threw the piece of paper onto the counter right next to the forged custody documents.
Claire looked down and saw a check written from Victoria Vale's private account for exactly one million dollars.
The check was dated eight months ago, on the exact same day Claire had suddenly packed her bags and left Adrian's penthouse.
The endorsement line on the back of the check clearly showed Claire's exact, unmistakable signature.
Adrian stepped incredibly close to Claire, his voice dropping to a harsh, heartbroken whisper.
May you like
He asked her if one million dollars was truly worth abandoning him and hiding his children in a cheap apartment.
Before Claire could even open her mouth to deny cashing the fake check, two massive armed security guards stepped into the room.
