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...
اوووه! هذه الصورة لا تتبع إرشادات المحتوى الخاصة بنا. لمتابعة النشر، يرجى إزالتها أو تحميل صورة أخرى.
I storm into the bathroom stall and slam the door closed. My whole body is shaking and I want to punch the walls. Resting my fists against the tiles, I try to calm my rapid breath. I will lose my son due to a bunch of lies. It's so unfair.
Wiping over my eyes to stop the tears from falling, I pull the phone from my pocket and dial Patrick's number. Rebecca will have to come through for me. It's my only chance now.
"Ashlynn, is everything alright?"
"No." I sniff when the stubborn tears refuse to stay put. "Deborah lied under oath and those medical records are my last chance. You need to call Rebecca and tell her to testify."
Silence.
"Patrick?"
"That might be a problem. She and Gwen have decided that they want to adopt as soon as they are married and Gwen already quit her job. They are relying on Rebecca's income. If she testifies, she will lose her medical license. No way I could do this to them."
"But you don't understand—"
"There must be another way. Can't you tell the court you obtained the records from an anonymous source?"
"They need to be authenticated in order to be admissible. That can only be done by hospital staff." Preferably even by the doctor who wrote the notes in Deborah's chart, even though I'm sure there are ways around it if someone like Rebecca witnessed the examination.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what to tell you." The static in the line is like a wall between us.
"Can you at least call her and ask?"
Patrick sighs. "To be honest, I never thought it would go this far. When I gave you the records, I assumed you'd show them to Felix and it would scare him enough to back off. There's no way Rebecca will go to court. She actually has no idea I took them."
My brows knit together. "Then how did you get them?"
"Please, Ashlynn, don't let me spell it out for you. There are ways if you know how to trick a firewall. That's all I'm gonna say."
"You mean you hacked the hospital's computer?"
The sudden, uncomfortable silence is broken by more static. "I have to go. Paddy just woke up and needs his diaper changed."
Before I can mutter another word, he hangs up. I lean my forehead against the cool tiles. My last shot went up in flames—and what's even worse it that Patrick lied to me. If I had shown the records to Felix at any time, he would've made the biggest stink and probably got the police involved if I refused to disclose my source. Didn't Patrick realize the implications of walking around with illegally obtained documents, especially ones that are as sensitive as medical records?
Still in a daze, I make my way back into the courtroom and drop into my chair. The judge is just settling back in at the bench.
Joshua leans closer. "Are you feeling alright? You are pale as a ghost."
