Part 3
Dominic tried to recover control the way men like him always do.
He lowered his voice.
He softened his face.
He used my name like a key.
“Evelyn,” he said. “Please. We can handle this privately. I’ll increase your settlement. I’ll cover the hospital bills. I’ll even acknowledge the baby.”
Even.
That word told me everything.
Even acknowledge the child he had created.
Even pay the bills he had already tried to hide.
Even treat me like a human being if I agreed to save him first.
I looked at Simone.
She nodded once.
Then she played the audio.
Dominic’s voice filled the hospital room.
“Evelyn won’t fight. She doesn’t have the stomach for it. Once the baby issue disappears, the merger is clean.”
Celeste covered her mouth.
Arthur closed his eyes.
Dominic went still.
I watched his face carefully.
For years, I had mistaken his confidence for strength.
