One million dollars -- a dream come true for struggling college student Ashlynn Morgan. All she has to do is sign on the dotted line and agree to become surrogate mother for CEO multi billionaire Felix Dunnerson and his wife Deborah.
Yet, during th...
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"What were you thinking, signing an affidavit like this?" Joshua doesn't keep the annoyance out of his voice. "Do you know how much this can hurt you in the long run?"
I squeeze my eyes shut to keep the tears contained. A few still escape. "Like I said, I was out of it. I had just woken up from surgery and didn't even read it." My voice cracks with despair. Surely, the courts can't hold this against me.
"It's not gonna fly, Ashlynn. You are a law student. Courts expect you to read documents before you sign them."
"I know."
A few more tears make it through. I pinch the bridge of my nose to fight the hammering headache in my skull. After dodging Joshua's phone calls for over two weeks and ignoring his dozen voicemails, I expected him to be mad, but this ambush came out of left field. It's overwhelming.
My gaze drifts to the baby pram out on the terrace in the shade. Paddy is soundly asleep with his pacifier tucked firmly between his lips. A warm breeze floats in through the wide open door. He is innocent in all this, but my reckless behavior might put him in peril.
"What happens next?" I ask.
"Judge Delarosa is trying to work out the jurisdictional issue with Vermont. Nothing can happen before that."
"And how long will that take?"
"A week, two tops. The other side can prove that you materially misrepresented yourself by omitting that there was already a pending court case in California. The judge in Vermont should never have ruled on this."
But she did. Because my affidavit swore that no other court in the country was involved in the matter of Baby Q Dunnerson, which was a flat out lie. I shouldn't have signed the paperwork without reading it.
"And when do you think we'll have the hearing in San Francisco?"
"If we are lucky, we'll get a couple of weeks to prepare. They are alleging unfitness and want to terminate your parental rights, so the court will make sure we have enough time for a defense. This is really serious."
They were going to go that route anyway. As long as I have my parental rights, Deborah won't be able to adopt the baby.
"So what's our defense?"
The few beats of hesitation are enough to convince me that I'm in real trouble. "We need to discuss it. After you so obviously lied in your affidavit by alleging that Felix had endangered the life of a child before in order to get the protection order, they will claim all this stuff about domestic abuse is a figment of your imagination. They'll argue that you're a loose cannon and then flip it around to show that you are the actual danger to Quentin."
With a sigh, I drop my head against the backrest of the couch. I'm so fucked. In my eagerness to keep my son by my side, I gave them the best ammunition to destroy my chances to be a mother to him.
