Page 47 of At His Beck & Call

Getting out my phone, I open my banking app, watching the little icon swirl on the screen. My cell is so old that I barely have a signal most of the time, and everything always takes forever to load.

I fill the coffee machine with water and clean the filter before I look at the screen again.

When I do, I nearly drop the pot in shock. There is over twenty grand in my account.

I pick up my phone, staring at the number in front of me in total disbelief. I’ve worked at the firm for only four days. Surely this isn’t a standard pricing plan.

Opening WhatsApp, I fire off a message to Bethany.

LISSA:IS 10k NORMAL FOR ONE SESSION???

The reply comes through almost instantly.

BETHANY:IT’S SUPER GENEROUS, BUT I’VE HAD SOME CLIENTS PAY ME THAT MUCH BEFORE. YOU MUST HAVE BLOWN HIS MIND. LITERALLY!

I lean against the kitchen counter. I’ve never even seen that much money before. James handled everything related to our finances. He sent me money when I needed it, but usually only the very specific amounts he deemed necessary for groceries and clothes for Henry.

He never gave me a credit card that I could have used to escape him.

Henry’s hospital treatment is going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but, for the first time, my ability to pay it actually feels like a possibility.

Tears well in my eyes as I stare down at that beautiful, shiny number. That will soon be enough for the treatment deposit.

The doctor explained to me that, without insurance, the hospital doesn’t just assume I’ll be able to pay. They make sure to get a down payment in advance, and the plan is aggressive if any payments are missed. The interest is eye-watering.

But now I have the money to cover it.

I have it!

The thought is empowering. Yes, I might have opened my legs to get that money, but I don’t care. I’ll do whatever I have to to keep Henry healthy and safe.

Besides, Bethany isn’t ashamed of what she does for a living; why should I be?

I look over at Henry sleeping in the bed and let out a breath that I feel as if I’ve been holding for weeks. If things keep going as they are, I’ll be able to see this through right to the end. It isn’t a pipe dream anymore; I’m going to be able to save my son without relying on his father or anyone else.

All I have to do is keep Oliver Heath happy.

With renewed vigor, I start cleaning the whole apartment, getting the laundry together, and making Henry breakfast. By the time he wakes up and walks out of the bedroom, rubbing blearily at his eyes and squinting at the daylight streaming through the windows, everything is spotless, and there are eggs cooking on the stove.

“How are you doin’, baby?” I ask, smiling at him as he rubs at his tummy. He’s started doing that every morning now, his belly distended and swollen on one side.

In only 24 hours, we will have met with the doctor, and he’ll begin the treatment plan. That’s no time at all.

I can do this.

After Henry has gotten dressed for school, we sit together at the kitchen table, giggling over our eggs as he teases me about my hair, which is sticking out in all directions.

I allow myself to bask in the relief my bank balance has given me, letting myself really relax for the first time in forever.

Then, once I’m dressed and ready to get to work, we head out. I open the front door of our apartment building, and I see a man at the base of the steps waiting for us. My good mood is instantly shattered into tiny pieces.

“Daddy!” Henry shouts, running past me and down the stairs toward James. My ex is standing there, a wide grin on his face, his arms outstretched to embrace his son.

He looks as handsome as ever, wearing an olive green cashmere sweater over his toned chest, his light brown hair wavy and thick. There was a time when I loved to run my fingers through it, but now the sight of it makes me feel physically sick.

What the fuck is he doing here?

The protective order I have against him should stop him from showing up unannounced, but James has a habit of bending the rules in his favor. Even the judge had been lenient with him the last time he’d broken the terms of the order. Jameshad turned on the charm, telling her he ‘only wanted to see his son’.