There was silence between them for several minutes. Eva wished she’d been honest from the beginning. It seemed the two of them had more in common than she’d initially thought.

“I dropped out of college after three years,” she said, breaking the quiet. “My parents raised me to be a lawyer. The second I started grade school, that’s all they ever talked about. I went along with it. I wanted them to be proud of me. It took me more than twenty years to realize that nothing I did was going to make that happen.”

“I’m sorry,” Filipe said.

“I had everything,” Eva said. “If I wanted it, my parents gave it to me. But it came at a price. I sold my soul to them. Whatever they asked of me, I did. I didn’t live on campus; I didn’t drink or go to parties; I didn’t have fun. I didn’t make real friends; I didn’t go on dates, and I lived at home. And I hated every second of it.

“I reached a point where I couldn’t carry on anymore. I saw a counselor. My parents didn’t know. The whole experience really opened my eyes, and I dropped out two months later. Two weeks after that, I was living in a studio apartment in Brooklyn. My parents paid the deposit and two months of rent, then I got my job at Gustavo’s. I haven’t heard from them since.”

“They cut you off?”

“I’m going to make it maybe another month or two before I end up on their doorstep,” Eva said bitterly. “I’ll pick up right where I left off. It’s either that, or the unemployment line. I’d rather try to establish boundaries with them than be homeless.”

Filipe shook his head.

“It shouldn’t come to that,” he said. “Your parents should support you and love you, no matter who you decide to be—especially if they have the money to do it.”

“Would your parents support you if you left Luiza?”

It was silent again. Filipe either didn’t know the answer, or didn’t want to share it.

“That’s not why I’m still with her,” he said. “I’m still married because I had a good childhood. My parents loved me and supported me. I love them. They mean the world to me. And, if this is something I can do to make them feel fulfilled—to make my mother happy—I want to do it.”

“You say they love you,” Eva said. “But that’s not something you ask of someone you love.”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Filipe said. “This isn’t a problem that normal people have.”

“It’s not like you rule a country,” she argued. “You’re mostly a symbolic figure, right? Why should anyone care who you marry?”

Filipe sighed.

“I didn’t tell you the truth so you could try to talk me out of it,” he said. “This is my reality. It’s not going to change.”

“So, what happens when you meet the girl of your dreams?” Eva asked, getting angry again. “You’re just going to brush her aside because you’re married to someone you hate but you’re too stubborn to leave?”

“I knew you wouldn’t get it,” he said. “This isn’t about love. This isn’t about finding the woman of my dreams. I don’t get to have that.”

“But what about the future? You’re just going to be alone forever?”

“I guess so,” Filipe said.

“I don’t buy it,” Eva said. “When you feel real love for someone, you’re going to realize what you’re missing. You’re going to want it. And it’s going to be so much more important than keeping your parents happy. If they love you, when that time comes, they’ll understand.”

“You’re missing the point,” he said. “I’m not going to feel that way for someone else. I don’t open myself up to those kinds of feelings.”

“So, you’re a playboy?” Eva asked, her voice cold. “That’s your solution? If you need to get laid, you’re better off sleeping with your wife. It’s not fair to use women like that.”

“I’m only using them if I lie,” Filipe said. “Some women aren’t like you, Eva. Some women are okay with one night. Some women even want that.”

Eva stood up.

“I’m not listening to this anymore,” she said. “I thought maybe I could understand you, but I can’t. I walked away from the people who wanted to control me. You’re going to let them ruin your life. And you’re going to hurt—who knows how many—people along the way. Your mother wouldn’t want that for you.”

“You might want to wait,” Filipe said. “Because I might be able to help you.”

Her instincts told her to walk away—maybe even run. She didn’t need this man’s charity.

But you do.

“How?” Eva asked. “And don’t tell me you’re going to write me a check, because I’m not going to take it.”

Filipe looked at her differently now. His gaze was filled with hunger. He needed something—and he needed it badly.

“There’s something I want,” he said. “More than anything in this world. We talked about it the other night.”

“Yeah,” she said, sitting back down. “You want meaning.”

“Exactly,” Filipe said. “And then, we talked about families. And I told you how much I want to have children of my own.”

Eva’s eyes grew wide.

“Don’t tell me you did something,” she hissed. “I swear, if you broke the condom or did something to get me pregnant, I’ll—”

“Eva,” Filipe said sternly, locking his gaze with hers. “I didn’t do anything like that.”

Her body eased. She took a deep breath.

“I thought you were insane for a minute,” she said.

“I’m not,” Filipe soothed. “I would never do that to you.”

“I hope not,” she said. “I don’t understand. You want to start a family. How am I supposed to help? I barely have a family of my own.”

There was a long pause as Filipe tried to find the right words.

“I want a child of my own,” he said. “One who I can raise as a single parent without any complications. Luiza has sworn off children. She can’t stand the thought of ‘ruining’ her body.”

She looked at him. His face gave nothing away. He sighed.

“I came to the city looking for a surrogate.”

“Oh,” Eva said, smiling a little. “You know, normal men don’t ask their one-night stands to be surrogates. But I guess, given my situation, I understand. But it would be weird, getting inseminated with Luiza’s eggs and your sperm. Plus, seeing you all the time. It would be uncomfortable. Surrogacy doesn’t pay enough for that.”

“That’s not what I’m asking,” Filipe said.

“It’s not?”

“Maybe surrogacy isn’t the right word,” he said. “Luiza isn’t willing to donate her eggs.”

“I don’t get it.”

“I’m looking for a mother for my child,” Filipe said. “A woman willing to have the baby and sign away her parental rights.”

Eva stared at him in shock.

“I know this is a lot,” Filipe began.

“You want me to be your baby mama?” Eva asked. “You want me to have a child with you, then let you take it away from me? That’s not surrogacy. That’s stealing.”

“It’s not stealing if it’s done willingly,” he said. “And I would pay you handsomely for it.”

“I’m one hundred percent sure this conversation just became illegal in at least eighteen different states,” Eva said. “You can’t buy my baby.”

“I can’t,” Filipe said. “You’re absolutely right. If, at any time, you decide to keep the baby for yourself and raise it alone, you’re welcome to do so. In that case, you’ll only get half the money. But there’s no contractual obligation. I understand it’s hard to separate being a mother from being someone who needs a big paycheck. If you can’t do it, you can change your mind. There’s no pressure. And that isn’t illegal.”

“It should be,” she said. “It should be illegal to take advantage of someone’s financial problems like this. If I wasn’t two months away from being homeless, you wouldn’t even be asking me.”

“I’m offering you a million dollars,” he said. “That isn’t a small sum, and there are hundreds of women in New York who would be more than willing to do it—women who aren’t struggling as much as you are. I want to help you. And I wouldn’t mind my child being like you.”

“You’re certifiable,” Eva said, hardly able to believe what she was hearing. “What the hell would make you think I’d want this?”

“You said you wouldn’t mind having a child of your own,” Filipe said. “But you’re afraid of screwing it up. This way, you know that you have a baby. You’ve brought another human into the world. But you aren’t responsible for it. You have no monetary obligation, no need to choose schools or worry about disciplining him or her. I can send you pictures over the years.”

“So, I get all the benefits and you do all the hard work?” Eva asked. “It sounds more like you want me to carry a living creature in my uterus for nine months, then hand it over for you to claim as your own.”

“Eva, you have to understand why I’m doing this. Luiza won’t give me a baby, and I want my mother to meet her grandchild, before it’s too late.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” she said. “Unless Luiza goes into hiding for nine months, it’s going to be obvious that she isn’t pregnant. You can’t expect the baby not to look like you, which means you can’t claim you adopted it. If you want a biological child, you need to leave your wife. Otherwise, everyone is going to know you’re a cheater. That’s not going to please your parents.”

“It’s not that complicated,” Filipe said. “I’ll get Luiza on board. We’ll tell everyone we adopted it. No one has to know that it’s mine. Lots of parents look like their adopted children. It’s just coincidence.”

“Then why not actually adopt?”

“I want my child to be mine. Surely you can understand that.”

“What kind of world are you going to raise this baby in?” Eva asked. “It’s going to grow up thinking that you and Luiza adopted it from someone who didn’t want it. Are you ever going to explain what really happened? That it has a mother in Brooklyn who gave up the idea of parenthood for a million bucks? That you paid me off? What’s going to happen to your reputation then?”

“I’ll worry about all of those things when the time comes,” he said. “Right now, I want a baby more than anything in this world. And Luiza won’t give it to me.”

“Then you don’t want a baby more than anything in this world,” Eva snapped. “If you did, you would leave Luiza and find a woman who loves you enough to start a family together. This isn’t the way to get what you want. There’s a reason people say money can’t buy everything. You can’t buy this. It’ll come back and bite you later. Your child may never want to see you again when they find out the truth. Don’t pass this off as simple. It’s complicated and messy and twisted, and you know it.”

“So what?” Filipe asked. “Have you ever wanted anything so badly that you would do anything to get it? I’m doing this, whether you agree to be my surrogate or not.”

“Stop calling it surrogacy,” she said. “It’s stealing. And it’s wrong. And I’m not so close to being homeless that I’m willing to stoop that low.”

Eva sighed.

“Two days ago, I thought you were someone I could respect,” she said. “I thought, for once, I had an experience that meant something to both of us. I thought we could walk away happy and everything could be simple. And then you pull this.”

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“You’re out of your mind,” Eva said. “This isn’t the answer to your problems, or mine. And I’m not going to help you make your life more difficult and messed-up than it already is. You need to go fix things with your wife, or you need to leave her.”

“Don’t tell me what to do with my life,” Filipe spat, glaring at her. “I don’t need some barista stepping into the picture and telling me how to solve my problems. You don’t even know me.”

Eva shook her head.

“You need help,” she said.

“I think you’ll change your mind,” Filipe said. “A million dollars is a lot of money.”

“Not a chance,” Eva said, standing up. “You’re never going to see me again. I can promise you that.”

“Can I say one more thing?”

“You’ve said more than enough.”

“Eva, listen to me.”

She turned to him, her entire body shaking.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“I’m sorry if I overwhelmed you,” Filipe said. “But I knew, if I didn’t ask you, if I didn’t at least try, I would regret it. You’re special. So, even if you don’t change your mind, I want you to know that our night meant something to me, too.”

“You’re full of it,” Eva said angrily. “Don’t contact me again. Don’t call me. Don’t email me. Stay away from me.”

“I will,” Filipe said. “But, if you change your mind, you have my email address.”

“I’m not going to change my mind, you psycho!”

Eva grabbed her bag and stormed out of the building. She’d never felt so frustrated and angry in her life—and that included every lost debate, every stupid breakup, and even leaving her parents.

Did he just offer to rent out my uterus?

It was worse than that. He wanted to buy her baby. It was like something out of a bad movie. She couldn’t even begin to think about the implications. She would have to be impregnated one way or another. Who would take care of her during her pregnancy? Would it be anything more to him than a business arrangement?

Enough. You aren’t going to do it, so it doesn’t matter.

But one million dollars was a lot of money, and the thought made her stomach twirl. She’d never have to go crawling back to her parents. She could go back to school for whatever she wanted—no debt necessary. She could take online classes. She could move to another state. She could move to another country. There would be no limits. She could start a new life.

But you’re not doing it.

No. She wasn’t doing it. Eva wasn’t that desperate. Not yet.

To her shock, the chauffeur who’d driven her was waiting outside.

“Ready to go home?”

“No,” she said calmly, though her voice still shook. “I don’t want anything else from Filipe di Benici. Thank you.”

Eva passed the chauffeur and began walking down the sidewalk. She had no idea where she was going, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to get as far away as she could.

She pledged never to set foot in another bar again, especially a bar like Oasis. No more living the high life. She just wanted to live her life. The high life was too complicated and twisted for her to even begin to understand.

Eva found a subway station, swiped her card, and headed home—where strangers didn’t ask for babies.

On the way, she prayed she would never see or hear from Prince Filipe di Benici again.