Every nerve in my body seized. My head snapped up, and I glared at her with bloodshot eyes.
"Grace, what are you trying to do?"
"I'm warning you—if you lay a single finger on my daughter, I will make you pay with your life."
She steadied herself against the edge of the bed and settled into the chair, her gaze dropping to her swollen belly, her expression melting into tenderness.
"Miss Harding, please, calm down. We're both mothers. I don't want to make things difficult for you."
She reached into her bag, pulled out a bank card, and set it on the bed.
"There's a million dollars on this card. More than enough to cover Jeanette's surgery."
"My only condition is that Julian never finds out she exists."
A million dollars. Enough for the surgery and the medication.
The refusal climbed to the tip of my tongue, but I forced it back down.
Between a life without a father and a life at all, I would always choose her life.
So I swallowed the bitterness burning in my throat.
"Fine. I agree."
A smug smile spread across Grace's face. She rose slowly to her feet.
She took two steps, then frowned and turned back to me with a helpless look.