Chapter 1
My water had broken, and the pain was bad enough that I thought I might die, but Eric Palmer sat there peeling an apple as though nothing were happening.
Between contractions, the nurse pushed Eric to sign the forms so they could wheel me into the delivery room.
Instead, he held the apple up to my mouth and gently wiped the cold sweat off my forehead.
I gritted my teeth and reached for his hand. He took mine, and then he pulled a document out of his briefcase.
It was a voluntary waiver of marital property rights.
"Honey, having a baby is risky," Eric said. "If you love me and not my money, sign this first. Then I'll have the doctor give you the epidural. Okay?"
*****
The nurse stood in the doorway holding the surgical consent form, and she opened her mouth without saying anything.
I stared at the paper in Eric's hand.
It was neatly printed with a law firm's seal on the corner, and he had been planning this for a long time.
Another contraction hit, the pain spreading from my lower back.
I arched my body, nails digging into my palms, cold sweat dripping down my cheeks onto the cover of the waiver form.
Eric moved the paper out of the way and wiped the sweat off it with a tissue so the document wouldn't be stained.
He said, "Honey, don't be nervous.
"Just sign this, and I'll call the anesthesiologist right away. Once you get the epidural, the pain will be gone."
"Eric," I gritted out, "are you out of your mind?"
He didn't answer. His mother, Bianca, came through the door.
She was carrying a thermos, and she glanced at my belly, walked over to Eric, and patted his shoulder.
"Did she sign it?" she asked Eric.
I heard it clearly. Eric shook his head.
Bianca sighed, came over to the bed, and took my hand. Her palm was rough.
"Sarah," she said patiently, "I know you're hurting right now, but sign it, and think of it as giving Eric a little peace of mind.
"Every woman goes through this when she has a baby. There's no need to make a fuss."
She paused, forcing a smile.
"It's just a formality, to prove you didn't marry us for the money.
"If you really mean to build a life with Eric, what's the harm in signing? If the two of you do well, that paper is scrap."
I looked from Eric to Bianca.
Eric stood there with his hands in his pockets and a troubled look on his face.
I looked down at the waiver.
The first clause said that I, Sarah Lynn, voluntarily gave up my share of the property at Apartment 1801, Emerald Bay.
It also confirmed that the property belonged to Eric Palmer alone.
The second clause said that I voluntarily waived all claims to any shares in Eric Palmer's company earned during the marriage.
The third clause said that if the marriage ended, I agreed to walk away with nothing and make no claim on any marital property.
I was so angry my hands were shaking.
"Eric," I said, looking up, "my parents put 270 thousand dollars into the down payment on that place."
"They gave it freely," he answered right away. "And the deed is in my name."
"The startup money for your company," I said.
"I'll pay back your 100 thousand dollars, but that was a loan, not an investment."
He was calm, and he had an answer ready for everything.
The nurse came back in, glanced at the fetal monitor, and her face changed.
"Sir, she's already six centimeters dilated. You need to decide about the epidural now, because we are running out of room."
"I know," Eric cut her off, and he looked at me. "You heard her, honey. We're running out of time."
He pulled out the pen I had given him the year before and handed it over. The metal felt cold against my fingers.
Eric crouched down to my eye level with a pained look on his face.
"Honey, I'm not trying to hurt you. Just think, having a baby is dangerous.
"If something goes wrong, it'll be a mess trying to sort out the money.
"If you sign this now, no matter what happens in the future, at least our family won't have to fight over it."
He reached out and brushed the hair from my forehead.
"I'm protecting you, and I'm protecting our child."
Bianca nodded along. "That's right, Sarah. Eric would never hurt you."
I had been with Eric for five years. He used to bring me coffee every morning, and at our wedding he told everyone that marrying me was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to him.
Now he was crouched beside the delivery bed, asking me in a soft voice to give up everything.
A worse wave of pain hit, and I curled up and swallowed the sound.
Eric took my hand and slipped the pen between my fingers.
"Sign it, and the pain will go away, honey," he said softly.
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Sign it, and I'll call the doctor right away."
I gripped the pen with fingers slick with sweat, and Bianca pressed her hand down over mine.
"Sign it, Sarah. Don't keep the baby waiting."
The numbers on the fetal monitor were jumping fast.