Page 34 of Say My Name

“That doesn’t make the choice wrong.”

I close my eyes. “You’re being inconveniently reasonable.”

“Give me a minute. I can probably become judgmental.”

I laugh, and some of the pressure in my shoulders eases.

Olivia is quiet for a second. “You can protect your position. You can define custody, money, and medical decisions. You can make sure he can’t punish you professionally if this falls apart.”

“That’s the idea.”

“A contract can safeguard your legal rights, Elena. It can’t protect your feelings.”

I look down at the legal pad. I circled Reliability hard enough that the line almost cuts through the paper.

“I know.”

“Do you?”

Her question hangs in the air, simple and sharp. A contract can’t protect my feelings. She’s right. It’s the entire risk, the one I circled without naming. “Yes.”

I don’t know how this will feel once the ink is dry, once we’re sitting in a clinic waiting room. An anonymous donor is safe. Dominic is a man who could actually hurt me. But he’s also a man who could give our child a father I already trust. The fear of being hurt can’t be the only reason I choose to do this alone. It just can’t.

Olivia doesn’t tell me what to choose. She knows better. We talk for a few more minutes, and when the call ends, I sit with her warning instead of trying to explain it away.

Then I find Dominic’s name in my contacts.

He picks up on the second ring, as if he was waiting. “Elena?”

“We need terms.”

CHAPTER 6

Dominic

After weeks of separate attorney calls and revised drafts, Elena flips to the first blue tab before Rebecca begins.

Five markers rise from the eleven-page agreement in front of her, each labeled in the precise block lettering I’ve seen on her meeting notes for four years. Employment. Parenting. Medical. Privacy. Financial.

She’s also added three colors of highlighting and enough handwritten questions to prove her attorney earned every dollar of the bill I’m paying. I expected nothing less. I still look at my name beside hers on the first page longer than I need to.

The conference room belongs to neither attorney, and there isn’t a Rowe Holdings logo anywhere in sight. Amelia Grant suggested the neutral location. Elena chose her because she specializes in family law and reproductive agreements, and Amelia has treated every conversation as if protecting Elena from me is part of her job. It is, even when I don’t like being identified as the risk.

Rebecca Shaw, my attorney, opens her copy. She has handled Rowe Holdings governance and acquisitions for the past decade, but she answers to me in those matters. Today, she represents only me, a distinction Amelia has made very clear.

“Both parties have had independent counsel throughout the negotiations,” Rebecca says. “Today’s review is to confirm the final language, address any remaining questions, and make sure you each understand the agreement before signing.”

Elena sits across from me in a navy blouse, her dark hair pulled back at the base of her neck. She has held the same pen since we arrived, turning it over and over in her fingers. It’s the only sign of the control she’s fighting to maintain. “I’m ready.”

She looks calmer than she did when she came into my office with a legal pad and a list of conditions. When Rebecca starts reviewing the employment protections, I understand why.

“Mr. Rowe’s recusal applies to all decisions involving Ms. Vale’s compensation, promotion, performance evaluation, discipline, or termination,” Rebecca says. “Those matters will move to the lead independent director, who will have limited authority over Ms. Vale’s protected employment decisions in consultation with the chief human resources officer.”

Amelia turns slightly toward Elena. “Your title, reporting authority, and operational responsibilities remain intact. The designated director can’t interfere with your normal executive authority unless an employment matter involving you falls within the areas listed here.”

Elena checks the paragraph. “And Dominic can’t direct that person’s decision privately.”

“Correct,” Rebecca says. “Any attempt to influence the process would violate the agreement and the no-retaliation provision.”