Chapter 3

I canceled the wedding home I'd put a hold on for Nolan Fox, the one that cost over two million.

The deposit was eight hundred thousand, and they said they'd dock three percent off the top. Fine by me.

Whatever happened, I wasn't spending another cent on those two ungrateful leeches!

I pulled myself together and got ready to head to the hospital for my clinic shift.

I never expected that when I opened the door first thing in the morning, I'd see those two little animals again.

Maria Dickerson was standing there looking smug, a hundred-thousand-dollar necklace around her neck.

The clothes she had on, the bag on her arm — I'd seen every one of them in the order history on my phone.

The moment Nolan saw me, he put on a fawning smile. "Mom, done making a scene?"

"You still haven't sent me this month's allowance. What's the deal, why aren't you answering my messages?"

Allowance?

I'd just transferred him twenty thousand at the start of the month, and he was already broke again?

I looked up at him and waved him off. "No."

"Didn't you say you wouldn't forgive me unless I wrote an apology? That you wouldn't claim me as your mother?"

"What's this now? Only remember me the second you're short on cash?"

Nolan looked positively pleased with himself. "Mom, this time I've got good news."

"Once you hear it, you'll hand over the money all on your own."

As he spoke, Nolan pulled a medical record out of his pocket and pressed it into my palm.

"Here — Maria's pregnant! You're going to be a grandma!"

"What?"

I frowned and glanced down at the record. There was no joy on my face, only shock and speechlessness.

Then I saw Maria stroking her belly, pitching her voice up.

"I'm your family's biggest hero now. I'm a generous person, so I'll let what happened last time slide."

Nolan nodded along like a dog. "That's right, Mom, see how good Maria is? We can't treat her badly."

"The two of us talked it over and made a decision. We're just letting you know."

"We've decided to bump the dowry up to one point two million."

"That two-million house is too small for Maria's taste. We've got our eye on a big penthouse — it's only three million right now."

"Just switch it to that one."

"If there's no problem, transfer the money to Maria's card this week."

Hearing that, I stood frozen in place.

So they hadn't come to share good news, and they hadn't come to make peace.

They'd damn well come to hit me up for money again?

I tossed the medical record right back at them, and like I'd just heard the biggest joke in the world, I couldn't keep the corner of my mouth from lifting.

"Money?"

"No!"

"And by the way — not only am I not giving you more, I'm not giving you a single cent for the dowry or the house."

"And don't come asking me for an allowance ever again. If I ever give you two one more penny, my name isn't Finch!"

With that, I locked the door tight, turned, and walked away.

Behind me, Maria threw out a threat. "You won't pay?"

"You think I won't? I'll go abort this kid right now! This is your own grandchild!"

Nolan panicked and shouted after me, "Mom, this is a Fox family heir! It's just a little money!"

"How can you be so stingy!"

I sighed. "My own grandchild?"

"I can walk away from my own son — never mind a grandchild."

"Abort the kid, huh? Then you'd better hurry up and get a slot."

"Otherwise the hospital's going to close for the day!"

And with that, to the shock of the two ungrateful leeches, I got in my car.

Behind me they were still cursing up a storm.

"You old good-for-nothing! You old hag!"

"No money and you still wanted to marry me into the family!"

I didn't give them the time of day.

At the hospital, I had clinic duty today, and I was slammed all afternoon.

In the quiet moments, that medical record Nolan had shoved into my hand kept coming back to me.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something about it was off.

Then, all of a sudden, the door to the consultation room swung open, and a young nurse called out.

"Dr. Finch, there's an emergency! You need to come out and see!"