He Let Our Baby Die Over a Hospital Bill novel · Chapter 10 of 32

Chapter 10: The Offer

Gina stood up so fast her chair scraped.

"Nope," she said. "Get out. She's closed."

"It's a laundromat," Holden said pleasantly. "It's open till ten. I checked."

He walked between the washers.

There were maybe a dozen people in there that night.

A college kid sat on a duffel bag.

Two women were folding towels together.

An old man slept in a plastic chair with his mouth open.

A mother with a baby on her hip was feeding quarters into a dryer.

Marla followed him with her folder, careful not to touch anything.

He stopped at my folding table and read the sign upside down.

"Line by line," he said. "That's cute. Did the little boy draw it?"

"Don't talk about him."

"I'm being friendly, babe."

"Don't call me babe."

Marla opened the folder on my table and squared the papers with both hands.

"Dear, this is a very generous offer. I want you to hear it all the way through."

Holden put one finger on the top page.

"Here's where we are. You owe thirty-eight thousand four hundred and twelve dollars and fifty cents. We both know you can't pay it. I don't want to sue you, Nadine. Suing you is bad for both of us."

"Bad for your IPO."

"Bad for everyone. So I'll forgive it. The whole balance. Zero."

He tapped the page.

"In exchange, two signatures. A standard nondisclosure. And this."

He slid a second page across the table.

JOINT STATEMENT OF HEALING.

I read the first paragraph.

Holden and I have suffered an unimaginable loss together.

In our grief we have both said things in pain.

We are healing privately, as partners, and we ask for your compassion.

We believe in EvenUp's mission and in each other.

There was a line for my signature beside his. His was already signed.

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