He kept his eyes on the wall calendar above my head and wouldn’t look down at the plastic bassinet beside my mattress.

“What are you doing here, Julian?” I asked, keeping my hands flat on the blanket.

“Drop the criminal wire fraud complaint,” he said, the corporate polish gone from his voice, replaced by a low, urgent rush.

“If the state board revokes my foundation auditing license, the trust annuity freezes for good.”

Chloe set her briefcase on the vinyl armchair and tapped her fountain pen three times against her legal pad.

“We’re preparing an emergency motion to terminate your parental rights completely,” Chloe told him flatly.