“You are being stubborn for the sake of it,” he said, his face flush as he gripped his glass. “You do not have the resources to handle this alone, and you know it. If something goes wrong, who is going to pay the bills? Your little trust fund from your father’s estate won’t cover a week in the neonatal intensive care unit.”
He did not know about the trust that held sixty percent of Morrison Holdings, the multi-billion dollar company where he worked as a vice president. He believed I was a penniless ex-wife holding onto a dream of a quiet life.
“I have enough to take care of my daughter,” I said.
“On what?” he laughed, a harsh, dry sound. “Your little savings? You need us, Cassidy. You need the Morrison backing if you want this child to have any kind of future.”
“My decision is final,” I said.
“We will see what the lawyers say about that,” he said, turning his back to me to pour another drink.
He adjusted his gold watch again, the metal catching the light. I knew from the corporate records Arthur had shown me that Brendan’s personal credit card debt had reached six figures, yet he still wore a ten-thousand-dollar timepiece to impress his colleagues.
“Is that a new watch, Brendan?” I asked.
“It is an investment,” he said quickly, his voice turning defensive. “In my position, appearance is everything. Especially with the promotion coming up at the shareholder meeting.”
“An investment you can afford?” I asked.
“I make three hundred thousand a year, Cassidy,” he said, glaring at me. “I think I can manage my own budget without input from someone living in a rented one-bedroom.”
I kept my expression neutral, choosing not to mention the collection notices that had been forwarded to my mail by mistake. I stood up from the chair, my back aching slightly from the drive.
“I am going to get some water,” I said.
I left the living room and walked down the narrow back hallway toward the dining room, hoping for a moment of quiet. Instead, I met Jessica coming out of the pantry. She was holding a jar of imported olives, her eyes narrowing as she saw me.
