Anya stared at the check. Her hands were trembling as she pondered if what she was doing was right. All this would go against her morals as a woman. Giving birth to a child while being paid and later giving it away, if she were not the one doing this deed and other people, she would scoff and despise them for this ridiculous task.

“Five hundred million for surrogacy. After you give birth, you will leave the child and never show your face again,” The man said as he dropped a check on the table. He introduced himself as the secretary of her benefactor.

But as the woman sitting and facing this deed and being offered such a sum that will save her husband’s company, she feels she doesn’t have a choice but to accept.

“We have looked deeply for the most suitable DNA and bloodline, and yours fits the requirements quite well hence, the hefty sum that will be paid. Also, we heard you’re in a crisis, this amount will surely help you a lot, so Mrs. Davis, I suggest you consider this offer carefully.”

What the man said was true. Facing the key to her husband’s chance of redemption, she would probably hate herself more if she just watched her husband’s demise, although there was something she could’ve done. So, she shut her eyes as she placed her hand on top of the check, like finally taking a step forward on the edge of the cliff.

“I agree,”

……………………………………………………….

Within the white walls of the four-cornered room, the smell of disinfectant filtered the air as Anya lay in the hospital bed, gripping the white sheets until her knuckles turned white. She bit her lips as she endured the searing pain from the foreign object that was penetrating her lower body.

The test tube was fully inserted into her womanhood, and the nurse finally announced that the sperm had been successfully injected in. Anya exhaled the long sigh she hadn’t known she had been holding for the most painful ten minutes of her life. Aside from physical pain, her mental and emotional state was in turmoil. She knew that this event would change her life completely. She had shouted so loudly inside her head and heart, but all that came out of her mouth was a silent cry.

She went home that day, finding their house as cold and desolate as a barren land. Her husband has been away from work for a week now because of a major problem with the company. The business was facing bankruptcy, and her husband had already given her a heads-up that it would take months to come up with a solution. Even with little knowledge, Anya knew that the company was in a dire state. It was impossible to revive it without a major backup fund. Looking at her husband’s depressed and solemn face, she couldn’t stand just sitting and doing nothing. Therefore, on that faithful day.

Anya sat in the living room, lost in her thoughts. The television was on, but the woman was in a daze, with her hand atop her still flat stomach. When suddenly, she heard her husband’s name coming from the news report. The news was broadcasting about the business tycoon, the Davis, who was on the brink of bankruptcy. With a screen separating them, Anya watched her husband’s face, stoic and a little haggard but still standing tall and fighting for his business's future. Slowly, a tear trickled down her face as she whispered,

“Husband, don’t worry, I will help you.”

Anya woke up from the sudden rise of pressure from the bottom of her stomach. She felt the hot liquid coming up her throat. She dashed to the bathroom as she heaved heavily, throwing up all she had yesterday.

Tears and sweat trickled down her face as she threw up, feeling like her entire stomach would come out of her mouth. When the heaving finally stopped, she wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet as she slowly stood up. She went to the sink and faced the mirror.

A complete mess.

She sighed at her pale and ghastly appearance as she tried to tidy herself as much as possible. When she was done with her morning routine, she took out the pregnancy test she had long bought since coming out of the hospital that day. It has been two weeks now. She had searched for symptoms, and when she woke up with morning sickness for three days straight till now, she finally decided it was time to take this test.

She followed the instruction shown in the box. After that, she painstakingly waited for the minutes indicated before the result would appear. When the time was up, she took the test in her hands and looked at the blinking words.

Positive.

She sighed. It's real. It's finally here. A little one was inside her belly. She covered her stomach with her two hands. It felt surreal.

When she finally awoke from her daze, she cleaned up and went to work on her breakfast. She needs to eat. There were two people she was feeding now and a little one that needed nutrients at that.

She cooked as she checked her messages. She scrolled down and opened the message that only mattered. From her husband.

We would take months on our business trip. Take care of yourself. I would be back.

That was what his short message said. Well, he was really busy, so it can’t be helped. She smiled sadly as she typed in her reply. She put it down and focused on eating.

Let’s just eat.

Time passed by quickly. She had cared for herself and the little bun meticulously. She would read and sing for the baby. She also chose her food carefully. She took her vitamins religiously, thinking everything was for the best for her baby. The benefactor was continuously sending and providing necessities for her and the baby. They were also constantly checking up on her, assisting her in her every need.

In those times, the cold and silent house was not that lonely anymore. She felt she had someone with her, that she wasn’t alone. Slowly, this crept in to her heart as she never expected she will be attached to the life inside of her.

Until she was back in the white walls of the four cornered room. Disinfectant still lingered in the air, and she was still gripping the sheets lightly as she screamed at the excruciating pain in her stomach. She gasped and exclaimed in every contraction of her womb.

There were voices that kept telling her to push, but her vision was getting blurry. Drops of sweat that mixed with tears flowed on her pale face. She gritted her teeth as she gave one last push, then she heard a crisp cry. She heard the loud exclamation of the doctor.

“It’s a boy!”

She lay weakly at the bed her eyes trying to focus at the little body that was crying so loudly. She wants to comfort him, hold him in her arms, and lull him to stop crying. She weakly raised her hands to reach out for the baby when a man in suit walked in and took him away. She hadn’t even glanced at her baby as she lost consciousness. Her hands dropping and hanging at her side.

Allen. My baby.

She cried out before her vision turned black.