Richard stood at the top of the stairs.
“Come with me.”
In his office, silence filled the room.
He stood by the window before speaking.
“You know who I am.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And yet you risked your life… with your child in your arms.”
He turned.
“Weren’t you afraid?”
Maya looked at Lily.
Then back at him.
“I was.”
Her voice was calm.
“But fear isn’t stronger than a mother’s instinct.”
“He wasn’t your son.”
She shook her head.
“In that moment… he was.”
The silence that followed was heavy.
For the first time, Richard had no answer.
“How much do you earn?” he asked.
“Enough not to starve.”
“That’s not enough.”
“It isn’t.”
He wrote a check and handed it to her.
She looked—and stepped back.
“It’s too much.”
“It’s the least I can do.”
“No,” she said firmly. “It isn’t.”
His brow tightened.
“You’re refusing?”
“I’m being honest. I didn’t save him for money.”
“Then why?” he demanded.
Her answer came without hesitation.
“Because no one else did.”
That hit him harder than anything else.
Before he could respond, the door burst open.
“Miss Maya!”
The boy—Ethan—ran in and hugged her tightly.
“I knew you’d come back!”
Lily laughed, caught in his joy.
For the first time, the cold room felt alive.
“Dad… can she stay with me?” Ethan asked.