I was lying in the VIP suite of the hospital with my newborn daughter asleep in my arms. My brother and Attorney Marshall were sitting nearby, and two bodyguards stood guard at the door.
We all knew one thing for sure: the Simmonses weren’t going to let this go quietly.
Sure enough, on the second day after giving birth, the hallway outside exploded with noise.
“We’re family! Why won’t you let us in?” That sharp, grating voice belonged to Colin’s mother. “She’s my granddaughter! What right do you have to keep us out?”
My brother’s brows drew together as he turned to the guards. “Get rid of them.”
But before the bodyguards could act, I heard Colin’s voice cut through the shouting, desperate, almost pleading. “Roxanne! I know you’re in there! Just let me see the baby. Just one look. Please!“}
I looked down at my daughter’s tiny, sleeping face. My heart was like ice.
Right then, the door burst open.
Taking advantage of a nurse stepping out, Colin shoved his way into the room. His mother and sister, Dale, were right behind him.
There was a flash of smug triumph on Dale’s face, like she’d just pulled off some great revenge.
“What the hell are you doing?!” my brother shouted, immediately stepping in front of me.
The guards rushed forward, ready to remove them, but Colin’s mother was like a woman possessed. She dodged everyone and charged toward my bed.
“Give me the baby! She’s a Simmons! My granddaughter!”
She reached out with her bony hands, trying to grab my daughter.
Instinctively, I pulled my baby closer and leaned back.
“Get away from me!” I snapped. My voice was weak from childbirth, but the anger behind it was fierce.)
“Roxanne, just give her to us,” Colin said from the side, his expression a mess of guilt and desperation. “We promise we’ll take good care of her. You’re just one woman. Raising a child alone won’t be easy. And… she’s a Simmons by blood.“>
“A Simmons?” I let out a bitter laugh. “You think you deserve to claim her? When you kicked me out of my own house, did you remember she was a Simmons? When you nearly caused me to mişcarry, did it cross you
minds that she was your so–called blood?“}
Dale sneered from the side. “Come on, sis, don’t be like that. The baby’s here now. We’re family. Of course, we should all raise her together. She’s our family’s only heir, after all. She’s going to inherit the family estate someday.”
“Inherit what?” I shot her a cold glare. “Your piles of debt? Or your family’s shameless morals?”
Seeing that she couldn’t get her hands on the baby, his mother flopped onto the floor and began wailing at the top of her lungs. “This is injustice! Rich people bullying the poor! She gave birth to our granddaughter but won’t even let us see her! She’s trying to steal our family’s blood!”
Her dramatic screams drew attention. Patients and their families started gathering outside the room.
Colin looked more and more embarrassed, but he still wouldn’t back down. “Roxanne, the baby needs to come with us. You’re the heiress of the Harrises. You’ll move on, remarry. But we… we can’t be left without an heir.”
“Your heir?” Attorney Marshall finally stepped forward, holding a folder in his hand. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. According to the divorce agreement signed by Mr. Colin and Miss Roxanne, the child will be raised solely by Miss Roxanne, with no legal ties to the Simmonses. Mr. Colin relinquished all visitation and custody rights.”W
“What?!” Colin’s face drained of color. “I never agreed to that!”
“You did,” Attorney Marshall said calmly. “It’s all in the supplemental clause of the divorce contract you signed, clearly written in black and white.”
Colin snatched the papers out of his hand and stared at them. His signature was right there at the bottom.
Seeing that, he went completely still.
