o the hospital's VIP lounge. A senior partner from a top-tier law firm

He slid a freshly printed divorce agreement, stamped wi

t sit. His tall, broad frame cast a h

. He listed the stripping of Daryl's rights to the Doyle family

d stared out the window at the Manhattan skyline, acting as

t a pre-signed check, placed it on top of

xplained. "The condition is that you surrender all custody r

door burst open. Marlene's attending

ut of breath. "Marlene woke up briefly in the ICU. She

y viewing this as an unnecessary delay, but she sto

nit. Marlene lay in the bed, an oxygen mask strapped to her face.

es were wide with desperate pleading, b

intercom button on the wall. Her voice piped i

. "And I am taking Cassie. Your son is a f

heart monitor next to her bed instantly er

ack into a deep coma. Doctors and nurses spri

because of Blaire's words. The las

d Blaire's wrist. His grip was like a steel vise, p

tered. She stared up at Daryl, her eyes wide with sudden

ehind his father, his previous terror keeping him pinned to the wall as he s

ed like a guided missile, completely bypassing Blaire's trembling form. The invisible wave curved over her shoulder and slammed

y. He pointed a shaking

ared. The sound sho

hitting the wall. A dark red brui

n, you are permanently banned from coming near my mother. If you ta

ntent in his eyes was so real, so suffocating, that her

r, nervously held up the divorce agreemen

hands. He marched back into the VIP lounge a

ipping clauses. He flipped to the last page an

up the five-mill

k in half. Then he tore it again, and again, until it was noth