My husband left me to face labor alone because of a work pitch. A week later, he burst in demanding to see his child. I stared at him with ice in my veins and asked, "What baby?"

Two people stepped past Marcus into my hospital room.

The man was tall, with silvering hair at his temples and eyes that held the weight of the world. He wore a simple, elegant dark suit. The woman beside him was striking, her face pale and stained with tears, her hands trembling as she clutched a designer handbag.

I recognized them instantly from the local news. Arthur and Victoria Sterling. They owned half the commercial real estate in the city.

"Mr. Sterling," Richard gasped, his corporate instincts kicking in even as his life burned down. "What... what are you doing here?"

Arthur Sterling ignored my husband entirely. He walked straight to the side of my bed and looked down at me. For a moment, the incredibly powerful billionaire looked entirely broken.

"Emma," Arthur said, his voice thick with emotion. "The hospital contacted us two days ago. They traced the genetic markers. The embryo... the daughter you carried... she is ours."

Victoria let out a muffled sob, covering her mouth. "We tried for ten years," she wept. "She was our last viable embryo. The clinic told us she was destroyed in a lab accident. We thought we had lost our only chance at a child."

I felt tears streaming down my face. "She's beautiful, Victoria. She's so strong. She's in the NICU, but she's fighting."

"We know," Arthur said gently. "We've been sitting outside the NICU for forty-eight hours. We just didn't want to intrude on you until you were strong enough."

"Wait a minute," Richard interjected, his eyes darting frantically between me, Marcus, and the Sterlings. "If you know about the mix-up... the NDA is breached. The clinic will freeze the settlement money!"

Marcus actually laughed. It was a cold, cruel sound. "Oh, Richard. You really are the dumbest man in the room. The clinic didn't just freeze the money. The Sterlings own the holding company that owns the fertility clinic. You didn't extort a bunch of doctors. You extorted Arthur Sterling."

Richard stumbled backward until his back hit the wall.

"You knew my wife was carrying my child," Arthur said, slowly turning to face Richard. The sorrow in his eyes vanished, replaced by a terrifying, icy rage. "You knew she was in danger. You took six million dollars to keep my daughter hidden from me. And then, when my daughter was being born, you went to sleep."

"I... I didn't know it was yours!" Richard stammered, sweating profusely. "Mr. Sterling, please, it was a business decision—"

"You are a monster," Victoria hissed.

"Marcus," I said, my voice slicing through the tension. "Get him out of my room. Now."

"With pleasure," Marcus replied.

Richard tried to argue, tried to step toward me, but Marcus grabbed him by the collar of his expensive suit and violently shoved him out into the hallway.

"Emma, we can fix this!" Richard screamed from the corridor as hospital security rushed over. "I'm your husband! We have joint accounts! You can't do this to me!"

The heavy wooden door clicked shut, cutting off his pathetic screams.

I leaned back against my pillows, exhausted. Victoria stepped forward and gently took my hand.

"You gave us our daughter," Victoria whispered, her tears falling onto my skin. "You suffered for nine months. You went through labor alone. We owe you a debt we can never repay."