His Surrogate Bride

MAYAH BENNET

The hum of the clinic lobby faded behind me as I walked farther from it. My right hand instinctively rested on my lower abdomen.

It was done. The embryo transfer was complete. It felt strange. Very strange. In a few months, my belly will expand to accommodate the child. And once it’s born, I’ll give it to its parents.

After months of screening, scanning, paperwork and awkward meetings with the couple who’s future I’m now carrying, the reality of that situation dawned on me.

I never believed nor saw myself actually agreeing to the fact I would one day be a surrogate mom. If someone had told me that I would do this months ago, I would’ve laughed at their face. But here I am.

Things have gotten so tight that I’m doing the exact thing I never dreamed of.

‘It’s just nine months.’

I whispered to myself. Though it felt heavier once said out loud. Nine months of keeping myself happy, stress free, healthy, calm and grounded. Once it’s over, I’ll receive my money. It was enough to cover my expenses and start afresh.

The various sounds of cars and their honks reached my ears but I blocked them out. I was too tired to even concentrate on them. Today’s been a hectic day and I just wanted to go home.

I took in a slow, deliberate deep breath while walking down the sidewalk towards the bus stop. Different people passed me by and I couldn’t help but feel a little jealousy on how some of them can even manage a smile outside. While I can barely smile at all.

How hard can it be? Just stay calm, don’t involve in drama and everything would be alright. It’s easy.

My phone buzzed in the pocket of my coat. I pulled it out but the moment I saw the caller ID, my face went cold.

Uncle Henry.

I stared at the screen. My fingers tightened around the phone. It kept on vibrating. A knot tightened in my chest, heavy with the memories of old arguments, demands and struggles that I had no intention of fulfilling anymore.

Without answering, I swiped red and ended the call then shut my phone off. First my landlord threatened to send me an eviction notice if I don’t give in to his demands, then I have other things I haven’t even paid for, and now, my uncle is calling me for God knows what, though, I might have a pretty good idea. I’ve had enough of nuisance today.

Not today, I’m not doing this today.

My pulse quickened. I took in another deep breathe. Turns out that I just jinxed myself. I shouldn’t have said it’s easy.

Needing a moment to compose myself, I veered off the path I was going and found an empty bench. Perfect. I closed my eyes and felt Mother Natures breeze on my face. My racing heart finally stopped. I could breathe in peace. Finally. I can’t afford any high stress signals. Not right now.

A loud laugh echoed from the sidewalk. My brows furrowed as I wondered who won’t just laugh to themselves. My eyes fell on the person and I froze.

Walking hand in hand down the street was a dark haired man with a red haired woman, laughing effortlessly at something he probably whispered to her.

Ryan

I felt the air had been pulled right out of my lungs. My mind flashed back, against my will, to 1 year ago. Standing in the doorway of his apartment, his cooked meal packaged nicely in my hands, his favorite color on my clothes and getting ready to surprise him only to find him with Sarah. Sarah. My own best friend.

He was wrapped up in bed with her. Sarah has been my best friend since middle school. The same girl who held my hand and comforted me when my parents died from a car accident.

She even took me to different places of the city so that I could feel better. It’s still hard to believe that that same person would actually betray me, that same person would do shits with my boyfriend behind my back.

The memory burned like salt on a fresh wound. He had offered every excuse plausible but nothing could undo it. Sarah didn’t even look nor feel remorseful. She only told me that I can’t have everything in life and left.

Sometimes I wonder what I did to her to deserve that. And it makes me wonder what exactly went wrong during our friendship for her to stoop that low.

It is still so hard to believe. In one afternoon, I lost both the man I loved and my supposed best friend. Across the street, Ryan leaned in and kissed the woman’s cheek, completely unaware that I was thirty yards away. Probably for the best. I can’t have him seeing me and have another rollercoaster of emotions pour out.

I forced myself to look down at my laps. My hands were shaking. I squeezed my eyes shut, running through the breathing exercises the nurse had taught me at the clinic, plus, some yoga options I can do at home.

‘Stop it Mayah,’ I firmly told myself, ‘he isn’t worth it. None of them are. Focus on yourself.’

I didn’t need Ryan, I didn’t need my uncle, and hell I don’t need that b*tch. Wherever she is, she can go burn for all I care. I’m a surrogate now. I have a contract.

I’m carrying the child of a couple who wants a family and the money is my ticket to get out of that cycle. Standing up, I adjusted my bag, turned my back on the street, and continued my way back home without looking back once.

After walking for what felt like hours, I had finally reached my house. It wasn’t so good but it was decent enough. I grabbed the keys from my pocket, opened the door and went in.

‘What a day.’ I shook my head. That’s when I saw a letter on the table. Curious, I took it and began reading its content.

My brows slowly pulled together. My knuckles tightened around it. Something tells me that I know a particular landlord wrote this letter. And the more I read the contents, the more I read it, the more I felt myself about snapping.

Instead, I dropped the letter back on the table and pressed my lips together. I grabbed the letter, tore it to pieces then threw them into the trash.

‘What a c*nt.’ A scoff escaped my mouth. Another threat disguised as help. That man is getting on my nerves and he’s trying so hard to push me to the edge. But I won’t let him. I’ve faced bigger cunts than him. I won’t let him get what he wants nor make me feel small. Especially now. Not today.

THREE DAYS LATER

I sat at my small kitchen table, sipping tea and reading over the guidelines the agency provided. Everything was going smoothly. Well, except the fact that my uncle kept calling me until I blocked him. I rested, ate well and for once in my life, I felt a quiet sense of control over my life.

I placed a hand on my abdomen again. I haven’t done that in a while. I know there’s no bump yet, but, I can’t help but feel around my abdomen. I wonder what the baby would look like. Will it be a boy? Will it be a girl?

So many thoughts ran through my head. I sighed. It’s none of my concern. My job is just to be the carrier. Nothing else.

My phone rang on the placemat. Who the heck is it now? Is it my uncle? No. I blocked him. Did he use another number to call?

Once I saw it was the clinics official number on the screen, I picked up immediately. Maybe just the routine follow up call they said they’ll be doing.

“Hello, this is Mayah. I’m currently-“

“Miss Bennet.” The voice at the other end sounded unusually sharp, stripped off the gentle, reassuring tone the staff usually used. It was Dr. Michael himself. “Are you at home?”

“Yes.” I set my cup down gently. “Is everything okay? Why do you sounding agitated?”

There was a long pause. The silence was so heavy that I could hear the distant rustle of the papers at the background.

“Miss Bennet, I need you to listen to me carefully.” Dr. Michael said, his voice dropping into a tense hushed tone. “I need you to get into a cab and come to the hospital quickly. Do not stop anywhere.”

Panic immediately spiked in my chest. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem? Does it involve the couple? Does it involve the transfer? Am I-“

“The transfer succeeded.” Dr. Michael quickly interrupted but his tone wasn’t relieved. “However, during a routine audit of the laboratory records this morning, we discovered a shocking administrative error.”

My grip tightened on my phone until my knuckles hurt. My shaky voice then came out in a whisper.“What kind of error?”

“Miss Bennet…” Dr. Michael took in a harsh breath. “The embryo implanted during your procedure three days ago… it did not belong to the couple you signed a contract with.”

ALEXANDER HAYES

I stared at the floor to ceiling windows of my top floor office. My hand gripped the phone so tightly that the phone case cracked.

“What did you just say? Say that again.” I said, my voice was dangerously low.

“Mr. Hayes, please, let me explain. We apologize-“

“You have ten seconds to tell me how a board certified fertility clinic managed to make an error of this scale.” I cut him short, my jaw so clenched that I thought it’ll pop. “Or my legal team will ensure that your clinic is shut down permanently.”

On the other end of the line, Dr. Michael was probably hyperventilating. He cleared his throat. “There was a mix up in the labs storage labeling during the process during yesterdays cycle. Your sample Mr. Hayes… was planted into the wrong patient during a scheduled procedure three days ago.

I felt the ground shift beneath me. No. It can’t be. All my planning has gone to