Eva woke up late. Her shift started at eight o’clock, and it was nearly seven. She threw on a fresh uniform, stuffed some leftover pizza in her mouth, and attempted to organize her apartment. Before this week, she’d worked reasonable hours. Now, Gustavo’s wanted her working thirty-five to forty hours a week. She didn’t have time for cleaning anymore.

She was exhausted. But she was earning more money now, which meant the bills would be easier to pay. If she could keep it up, she might even be able to remain independent from her parents.

She missed Filipe more than she could understand or explain, but she had a job. The weather was nice. She was learning new skills. Maybe it would all be okay. Chris was a bump in the road, but they could pull through. Right?

“Yesterday was bad,” she said to herself. “But today is going to be better.”

By some miracle, Eva arrived fifteen minutes before her shift was scheduled to start.

Today is going to be smooth sailing.

When she opened the door to the staff room, though, Chris was waiting for her.

“Hey,” she said. “I know last night was bad, but—”

“You’re fired.”

Eva stopped in her tracks.

“What?”

“You’re fired.”

“That’s not funny, Chris.”

She felt her world shift. Her stomach fell.

“I’m not kidding.”

Her eyes grew wide.

“If this is some kind of joke you’ve come up with to get back at me…”

“It’s not.”

“You can’t do this,” Eva said. She felt her body go numb. “Chris, you can’t fire me because I won’t date you. That’s sexual harassment.”

“Stop throwing around jargon, would you?”

“I mean it, Chris! You can’t do this!”

She was yelling, now.

“I was supposed to fire you weeks ago,” Chris said, raising his own voice. “I fought management on it. But that was wrong. I shouldn’t have pushed for you, just because I liked you. You aren’t good at the job. You aren’t a good fit here.”

“I’ll sue.”

“Management has records that prove I was instructed to dismiss you several times prior to last night,” Chris said. “You don’t have a case.”

“But you would have let me stay. You have that power.”

“No,” Chris said. “I don’t. They would have fired you themselves. I just prolonged it.”

“You can’t do this!”

Her entire body was shaking.

“You need to get your things and leave,” Chris said. “Or, I’ll have you removed.”

She was on the verge of a panic attack.

Do you want to do this here, or in private?

Eva took a very deep breath.

“You’re going to regret this,” she said. “I might not have money now. But the second I do, I’m going to prove that you hired me and fired me just because you had a crush. And, whether or not I win, you’re going to lose your job. And you know what? That’ll still be better than what you did to me. Because at least you had a warning.”

“Keep talking,” Chris said. “It’s not getting you anywhere.”

“A prince tried to buy my baby last weekend, and I think I actually hate you more.”

“What?”

Eva shook her head, turned on her heel, and left. There was nothing for her to collect. She didn’t want the uniform she’d left in her locker the night before, and her work shoes were uncomfortable anyway.

Two of her co-workers—both of whom Eva had tried to befriend—were already opening registers when she walked out. She was certain they knew about her termination. Neither of them made eye contact as she passed.

Great. Now I have no one.

* * *

Getting back to her apartment was more difficult than usual. She wasn’t used to riding the subway at eight o’clock in the morning. She was usually already at work. Now, there were people everywhere.

It took thirty minutes for her train to come and, when it did, she barely fit into a car.

Her mood had completely flipped by the time she opened her apartment door. She was drained, depressed, anxious, angry, and hurt. There were so many feelings that she didn’t know where to begin.

First, there was anger at Chris. How could he do this to her? He knew about her situation. He’d promised to help her. He’d been so comforting. And yet, here she was, unemployed, and trapped in a lease she couldn’t pay off. She was screwed. He’d betrayed her.

Then, there was depression stemming from Filipe’s disappearance (or, to be more accurate, removal) from her life—in addition to being stood up by a perfectly normal guy. Was she that unlovable? Her parents certainly didn’t seem to love her. Chris turned on her the moment she didn’t give him what he wanted.

Filipe was no different. Even if she hadn’t told him to get lost, he wouldn’t have been in contact after she firmly declined his offer. He only cared about his precious baby.

With no friends, no boyfriend, no job, and no education, Eva had never been more miserable. This was rock bottom. She’d finally hit it.

Her depression and anger were nothing compared to her anxiety. What was she going to do for work? Her last check from Gustavo’s would pay for rent next month—but then what? How would she buy groceries? How would she pay her cell phone bill? Finding a decent job took time, and Eva didn’t have it.

I never should have left.

Eva shoved the thought almost violently from her mind. She wasn’t going to regret standing up to her parents. It was the first smart thing she’d ever done. If she went home, that would be it. She would never be independent again. And her parents would never let her forget what she’d done. They’d forgive her. Oh, yes. They were merciful. But she would always be reminded.

She pictured her first morning as a partner at a law firm. She would come down the stairs, dressed like a true professional, and her mother would be waiting. She would snap a few pictures. Her father would nod his approval. Then, it would happen.

Her mother would say, “Look at you, now. Can you imagine what would’ve happened to you if you hadn’t come back home?”

Eva would smile and nod. Then, she would walk out the door. And every single night after, she would want to die.

I can’t let that happen.

She felt like she needed to cry, but there were no tears left. She’d used them all up the night before.

Never before had Eva felt so helpless. She didn’t have anything to offer an employer. No experience, no referral, no degree.

You have a uterus.

The thought made Eva pause.

She did have a uterus.

“No,” she said to no one in particular. “No, I’m not going to do that.”

You could see Filipe again. You could feel special. You could start your own life. And all it’ll cost you—all you’ll have to give—is a baby.

No, I can’t do that.

How could she sell her own flesh and blood? Sure, it would be in good hands. Great hands, actually. The hands of a prince. But every child needed a mother. Luiza was cold and mean. How could she be a mother? What if her child ended up unhappy and plagued with unrealistic parental expectations?

Filipe won’t let that happen.

Could Eva have a say in how the baby was raised? Could she create a list of terms and conditions? She doubted they would hold up in court. In fact, she knew they wouldn’t. But at least her baby would know, one day, that she had standards. She had a set of rules. And if they weren’t followed, well…

Well, what? Then it isn’t your fault? You’re cleared of all blame?

No. She would always be responsible. Her child would look back and think, ‘If only my biological mother had been around to raise me.’

There was no escape from that.

But what about her? Didn’t she deserve a halfway-normal life? Didn’t she deserve to live comfortably? To study the subjects she wanted? To see the world? To obtain her dream job?

It was all right there—so close that she could touch it—but she couldn’t bring herself to say yes. How could she become that person? What Filipe had proposed was ludicrous.

Then again, she could always get pregnant and change her mind. Ask for the first half of the million upfront, and then…

And then what? Be a single mother?

Maybe Filipe would stick around. With his dramatic need to be a parent, maybe he wouldn’t be able to stand the idea of someone else raising his baby alone. She was certain he’d at least help out financially. He wouldn’t just leave her cold, no matter what he said.

You can’t do that to him.

No, she couldn’t. It would be wrong. She would be manipulating him and using her baby for money. Besides, her child would still be scarred for life. She knew how difficult it was to raise a baby alone. Legally, she would be responsible for nearly everything. And, if she messed up, child protective services would be waiting.

Besides, if Filipe did leave her cold, she’d be screwed. If she was going to raise a baby, she wanted a house outside the city. She would need a car. And, since she’d never get approved for either purchase upfront, she’d have to buy them outright. And then, boom. No more money.

It was enough to get her started. But it would never be enough to get her through it. A million dollars was a lot of money for one person—but not for a family.

If she was going to do this, she had to do it all the way. She had to conceive the baby, put her body through pregnancy and delivery, sign the papers, and relinquish her rights as a mother. She had to come to terms with the idea of someone else raising her child. She had to accept that her baby would be a prince or princess.

She had to understand that her child would never be part of the world she lived in.

Eva wasn’t sure she could do it. Not even for a million dollars.

Maybe I don’t need to be sure, she thought.

She’d been pacing back and forth for the last half an hour. Her feet were tired. She collapsed onto the couch and grabbed her laptop.

Eva opened her email account. She was slightly disappointed that Filipe hadn’t attempted to contact her.

Can you blame him? You told him you never wanted to see or hear from him again.

She opened a new draft.

“I need you to call me,” she wrote, including her phone number as an afterthought.

She entered Filipe’s email address, listed the subject as “urgent”, and hit the send button.

What would happen next? Only time would tell. If he didn’t respond by tomorrow, she’d have to go job hunting. There was a chance he’d already found someone else. He was right, after all. There were plenty of women in the city who’d be willing to accept such an offer.

Luckily, Eva didn’t have to wait to find out. Her cell phone rang just moments later. The number was unknown, but she knew who it would be.

“Eva?”

Her heart leapt in her throat. It was good to hear his voice.

“Hey,” she said. “I need to see you.”

“Did you change your mind?”

His voice was every bit as smooth and handsome as he was. She couldn’t help but smile, even though everything was falling apart.

“Did you already find someone else?” Eva asked.

“No,” he said.

“Hoping I’d call?”

“Maybe,” he said. “Are you saying yes?”

“I’m saying maybe,” Eva said. “I want to ask you some questions. And I want you to be straight with me.”

“Fire away.”

“No,” she said. “Not over the phone. In person.”

She easily could have had the conversation over the phone, but any excuse to see Filipe was worth it. She found herself missing everything about him—his eyes, his hair, his skin. How had she gotten so attached? A few days ago, she’d hated him.

Her father always used to say there was a fine line between hate and love. Eva realized, as an adult, that he was talking about himself and her mother. But she carried the words with her. Maybe she hated Filipe so much because was starting to fall for him.

Don’t do that. You can’t get attached. He’s married.

“Sure,” he said, breaking into her thoughts. “Anywhere you want.”

“Central Park,” she said. “Tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’ll be there,” he said. “Is noon okay?”

“Noon is fine.”

“I’ll see you them.”

Eva moved to hang up the phone, then had a revelation.

“Wait a minute,” she said.

“What’s up?”

“How do I know this is legit? How do I know you’re actually going to pay me?”

“Well, you know I’m an actual prince.”

“That’s not enough. If it came down to my word against yours, people would think I’m crazy.”

It was quiet for a few seconds. For a moment, she thought he might have hung up.

“You there?” Eva asked.

“Yeah,” Filipe said. “How about this: I’ll pay you half after conception and half after delivery. That way, you know I’m legit.”

“And you promise you’ll pay up?”

“I’ll tell you what,” he said with a chuckle. “Send me your bank account information in an email and I’ll prove it—right here on the phone.”

“If you say so,” Eva said.

She turned to her computer, opened a new draft, and entered her bank information.

“Okay,” she said. “Sent.”

“Give me a second,” Filipe said.

She heard him shuffling around papers. Then, he was typing on a computer. Less than sixty seconds later, he was back on the line.

“All right,” he said. “Check your account.”

Eva opened a new window and signed into her online banking.

She gasped when she saw her new total.

“Did you just give me ten thousand dollars?” Eva asked, her eyes even wider than when she’d been fired. “Filipe, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Something must have changed your mind,” he said. “You need the money. Even if you end up saying no tomorrow, I want you to have it. I’ve put you through a lot.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything,” Filipe said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He hung up. Eva stared at her computer screen.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said to her empty apartment.

She really couldn’t.

* * *