I frowned. “A plea? Why?”

“To avoid a lengthy trial,” Naomi explained.

“And to ensure a guaranteed conviction without putting you through the strain of testifying while caring for a newborn.”

“They’re thinking of offering him four years.”

“Four years,” I repeated, the number feeling incredibly small compared to the damage he had tried to cause.

“It’s a solid sentence for a first-time white-collar offender,” Naomi said.

“And there’s a condition we can attach to it.”

“We can demand that he sign a full, irrevocable waiver of his parental rights to Evelyn as part of the deal.”

“If he wants the lesser sentence, he has to give up his daughter forever.”

I looked down at the polished wood of the table.

The thought of Grant never being able to touch Evelyn, never being able to use her to hurt me again, was worth any compromise.

“He’ll sign it,” I said quietly.

“He’s a coward.”

“When faced with real prison time, he will choose his own freedom over a child he only saw as a paycheck.”

“The prosecutor also mentioned something else,” Naomi said.