“Not a car or a thing?!”
Melissa shrugged — not cruel exactly, but completely detached. “I gave birth to her. I get to decide.”
I felt something shift within me.
It wasn’t panic anymore. It was a kind of icy clarity. A fire that burned cold and bright.
I nodded slowly and forced myself to sit down across from her.
“Alright,” I said.
“You need money. Tell me exactly what that means.”
Melissa blinked, thrown off for a moment. She looked at me, probably expecting outrage, begging, maybe even threats.
But I just stared at her, calmly.
“I mean, how much are we talking?” I asked. “And how do you imagine this working?”
Her voice steadied. She had rehearsed this.
“I want $15,000,” she said.
“In cash. No bank transfers. No checks.
You give it to me, and I’ll withdraw my request. You keep her. That’s it.”
Megan choked on a sob and stormed out of the room.
Continue reading…
