“I’m here.” My voice sounded far away, like it belonged to someone else. “When?”
“I was thinking next weekend.”
“Next weekend? Nicole, that’s a week away.”
“As much as it hurts to let her go, I know it’s best for her. And for me.”
The familiar rage bubbled up. “You’ve spent six years keeping her from me. Now I’m suddenly what she needs?”
“Are you saying no?”
I forced myself to breathe. To focus. None of the rest mattered—not the years, not the money, not the lies. What mattered was Margot.
“Of course not. But does she know?” I asked. “Does she know you’re planning to send her away?”
“I’m not sending her away. I’m arranging for her to live with her father. And no, I haven’t told her yet. I wanted to make sure you were on board first.”
“On board? Nicole, she’s my daughter. Of course I’m on board. I’ve been trying to see her for six years.”
“Well, now you’ll get your chance.” Her tone shifted, becoming businesslike. “But Vance, we need to discuss the logistics. This transition is going to be expensive for me—movingcosts, legal fees. And since you’ve done so well for yourself while neglecting your daughter, I’ll need compensation.”
There it was.
“How much?” I asked flatly.
“I’m not asking for much. Just enough to help me start fresh. Considering what you made on your app, I think a million is only fair.”
A million dollars. To buy back my own child.
“You want me to pay you to take my daughter?”
“I’m asking you to help with transition costs. I’ve been raising her alone for six years, Vance. That hasn’t been cheap.”
Alone. Because she’d made sure I couldn’t help. But none of that mattered. Not really. Because I’d have Margot. I’d get to be her father again.
“Fine. I’ll get a cashier’s check prepared.”
“Thank you.” Her voice softened—barely. She’d always loved money. “I’ll have my lawyer draw up the paperwork. You’ll have full custody. I’ll sign away my rights.”
Sign away her rights. As if Margot were a thing she could simply discard.
“Does she want this?” I asked quietly. “Does Margot want to live with me?”
Silence.
“Nicole, does my daughter want to live with me, or does she think I abandoned her?”
“She’s ten, Vance. She’ll adjust.”
My hands shook. “What have you told her about me?”
“The truth. That you chose to stay in France over your family.”
Of course she had. But it wasn’t true. I would have done anything to be in my daughter’s life. The courts had seen it Nicole’s way, and nothing I did had ever changed that. Until now.
“I want to talk to her. Before next weekend.”
“That’s not a good idea,” Nicole said. “Let’s just get through the transition, and then you can work on rebuilding your relationship with her.”
