ELIZABETHI am pregnant…Or had I heard the doctor wrong? He is congratulating Jason and I also hear him call me Jason’s girlfriend but I do not have the strength to correct him. This is exactly what I had signed up for when I signed the contract to be a surrogate but now that it is happening, I feel so lost and scared. Jason is looking at me with concern and I know he is probably wondering what I am thinking about and so I tell him congratulations even though I am feeling anything other than excited.“how are you feeling?” he is asking me.“surprised I guess and the realization has finally dawned on me.” I say touching my belly.“can I?” he asks staring at my stomach.I smile and ask him for his hand which I place on my stomach, I watch his face light up with joy and I can swear I have never seen him so happy.We get home and I break the good news to my best friend Mara who jumps up in happiness but does not come over to hug me, no doubt she does not want to crush the baby.We go to
JASONI had dreamt of her… teasing me and owning me completely. My dreams are my own so how are they revolving around my surrogate of recent? The mirror showed that I had hardly slept as dark circles popped underneath my eyes.I groaned, rubbing them delicately… such torment, both at night and day.I remembered that I had promised her a visit to her mother who is undergoing intensive treatments in one of the best hospitals in the state. The shrill of my phone interrupts my thoughts.“yes? Jason Rodrigues speaking.” I said into the receiver.“good morning sir, the meeting with the baddgermans is scheduled for today and the meeting with your father’s top client plus luncheon date with Sandra and the new clients we have been trying to secure all week are finally asking for a meeting. You have golf with…”“Angela?” I interrupted.“yes boss?”“hold all my meetings for today, I have something important to do”“yes sir” she said, hanging up.I sigh in frustration and switch off my phone, no
ELIZABETHhis ex? If there were broken up then why was she so angry about my presence? She had said something about a date, I thinkas I walk up to my room.I am still happy about meeting my mother but the scene caused by his ex is threatening to override the joy I am feeling.I am in dire need of a bath and so I jump into the shower, careful not to use cold water. I have no idea if that can affect the baby but I don’t want to take any chances with it.My mind still strays back to the scene and his ex calling me a bitch and I can also remember him threatening her, it makes me feel warm inside but I attribute this to the temperature of the water. He had given no other explanation other than she was his ex but did he not know that I wanted more light thrown on the ex topic?I wear a turtleneck sweater and baggy pants and step out of my room to the kitchen, I am starving and have plans to make myself food seeing as Agatha was no where in sight and I do not want to bother the poor woman.
JASONToday is the dinner party and I know Elizabeth is putting up a strong front for me but she is indeed terrified that she is going to be meeting my parents who have made it a point to tell me to invite the surrogate for the party. I did not tell her about their request of course, there was no need for to get riled up about their interest in her. The only thing I know that I can do to assist is by allowing her come with her own social support in the form of her best friend, Mara.I watched her fret about what to wear after returning from shopping with her friend.“I did not get anything presentable.” She wailed, clutching at her hair which I found funny and would have laughed if I did not think that she would not find my amusement funny.“Elizabeth, you are being paranoid right now. You do not need to make any statement while with me to anyone.”“you don’t understand, first impression matters and I will be meeting your father and mother, even your sister will be present. Now what w
ELIZABETHThe party sucked but I smiled through it, the introduction with the ex had gone way better than I had anticipated and that was thanks to Jason steering her away from her direction.“what do you think?” I asked Mara as we both sat at the VIP table overlooking the other guests.“I want to go home, soak my feet in some stress relaxing warm water with cheeseballs in one hand and then watch some TV program until sleep finally comes knocking.” She whispered to me earning the disapproving stare of a woman on our right, no doubt on of the aunties.She stuck her tongue out at the woman and I laughed, trying desperately to hold it in.“I’m sorry that I dragged you all the way here, I really should have just let you go with that oddly vivid description of what you would love to be doing at the moment.” I said smiling sadly at her.I could feel the beginning of tears and blinked my eyes furiously,Stupid pregnancy hormones.“the reason why I am here is because of women like that looking
JASONI would agree with Elizabeth, days later that the party indeed sucked and the only reason I was able to still be at it was because of my father and her.The introduction to my father had gone better than I expected, maybe it had something to do with his cancer and the fact that it was also his birthday but he gave no trouble at all which was something for me to be worried about, I made a mental note to talk to him after the circus of a party and know his thoughts.The remaining of my family members were nowhere to be seen and so Mara, Elizabeth and I decided to stand over at the island and get a drink at once. Of course, Elizabeth went for water because she was now pregnant and had to avoid anything at all that would affect the baby inversely.“look who the cat dragged in” my sister called.I hadn’t seen her in a long while and so we hugged before I introduced her to Elizabeth who had a big smile on her face.“oh look, it’s the surrogate” she had said.My hands stilled in anger
ELIZABETHSomething was wrong… I had no idea what it was but as I lay in my bed in Jason’s family house, I knew something was wrong.I suddenly felt it, the reason I had woken up in such a panic, a sharp jab in my stomach was enough to get me sprawling on the ground so I could crawl away from whatever was causing me pain.I saw it… the blood, trailing me from the bed and onto the ground as I cried.A blood curdling scream tore from my throat as my knees buck and I fell, crying and crying.It was a big house so chances were that I had not been heard. I slapped a hand to my mouth crying as I frantically looked around for my phone.I was losing the baby, something had to be done, all these and more ran through my mind as I finally located my phone and dialed Jason’s number, sobbing.“Elizabeth, are you okay?” he asked, I had woken him up from sleep.“I...I…don’t… please come, I am losing the baby.” I cried, the phone falling from my hand.It was only a matter of seconds before he burst i
JASONThe chances in young females who have never given birth are low and also for virgins, the only way we can be sure is if you are to have actual sex with the lady…The doctor droned on but it was fine to say that I was not listening to him, my thoughts were filled with concern for Elizabeth and how she was taking this worse than I was.The call from her had snapped me to attention and seeing her in a fetal position on the floor, trying to protect the baby was my undoing. I did not want to think about what could have been but what was right now and my plans were to make sure I did everything to make her forget this unfortunate incident.“are you listening to me, Mr. Rodrigues?” the doctor asked after some time.“you were saying?” I responded, still not listening.“you have to have actual sex with your girlfriend if you want her to get pregnant.” He said.“I hear you doctor and we will consider that, just please make sure nothing happens to her.”Mara was waiting inside the room wit
CAMILLAAfter the previous day encounter and the kiss… I wasn’t sure I wanted to be on the same team with Nathan.In all honesty, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted.My lips still tingled from the memory of Nathan’s kiss, and yet, the feeling did NOT settle in the way I expected. It wasn’t the passionate rush of desire or the warmth of something more. No, it was an unsettled ache, a reminder that whatever this was between us was anything but simple.I stared at the ceiling, my mind spinning in a hundred different directions. My thoughts kept circling back to that kiss.Why had he gone and kissed me?The last thing I needed was to get caught up in Nathan’s mess, in whatever internal struggle he was going through. I could not afford to lose myself in him. Not again. He had kissed me, and now I had to decide whether to let it go or pull back before things went any further.I dragged myself out of bed, staring at the clock—7:00 AM. My meeting with Nathan was at 9:00, but I had a hundred t
NATHANI was stalling.Her apartment had grown quiet except for the rhythmic ticking of a clock on the wall, but I stayed seated at her table, watching her stack dishes in the sink. My car was fixed. My excuse to linger here was gone. Yet I couldn’t bring myself to leave.She moved with a confidence that was uniquely Camilla. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone…least of all me…but damn, she did. I traced the curve of her spine with my eyes as she walked back into the living room, her bare feet soft against the floorboards.I should have been thinking about Eleanor. About Trish. About Alicent. About the cold-blooded satisfaction I would feel when the truth about Eleanor’s death finally saw the light of day. But all I could think about was how Camilla and how I should be apologizing to her.“You’re awfully quiet,” she said, sitting across from me, tilting her head to study me.“I have been accused of worse.”She rolled her eyes. “You are always like this. Mysterious and brooding. You wou
CAMILLA “Good morning.” I started at him, unsure of exactly what I was looking at. Then it hit me: the smell. Warm and savory, the scent of something cooking drifted through the air…eggs, maybe toast. It was so out of place… he was out of place here. I moved, the motion sending a fresh wave of pain through my skull and a queasiness to my stomach. I groaned again, slower this time, trying to steady myself. “Morning,” I mumbled hoarsely, my voice barely more than a croak. He was standing by the stove, his back to me, a pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. His shirt was untucked, the fabric clinging to his broad shoulders in a way that made him seem even larger than usual. In my tiny kitchen, he looked impossibly big, like he didn’t belong there, yet somehow…he fit. “What are you doing?” I asked, my voice weak but laced with confusion. Nathan glanced over his shoulder, his profile catching the morning light. His hair was a little messy, like he hadn’t bothered t
CAMILLAIt was useless feeling sorry for myself, I thought.The lighting in the club was low as I stepped in with my friend, Bella.“Not bad” I murmured.“Told you” She responded triumphantly. “This is what you need to get over him. Nathan Clark is an asshole and should dump him in the dust where he belongs”I wanted to correct her that he wasn’t an asshole, he was merely disturbed but I did not.I was not here to sympathize with him or even think about him. I was here to have fun and that is what I am going to do.I was putting on a red dress and it complimented my eyes way more than I thought it would.“Come on, we should get a drink” Bella pulled me to the bar.The bartender winked at both of us and then asked what we would likeIt was at the tip of my tongue to say nothing but I was at a club, wasn’t I?“Sex on the beach” I announced.Bella turned to me, surprise in her eyes. I was pretty sure she thought she would have to force me to drink.“I would have the same” She told the ma
NATHANThere was nothing to say as I dropped Camilla off at her home.I waited until I was sure she had gotten in before I headed in the direction of my mother in law’s house.I pushed in Christian’s number, my teeth gritting as it rang.I was furious.I did not want to admit I was more furious at myself than anything.“How did your date go?” Christian’s asked as soon as the phone line clicked.“Send me the name of the witness” I grunted.“What is wrong?”“Send the name, dammit”“You need to calm down, Nathan. Where are you going?”“To settle this once and for all” I told him. “Now send the damned number to me”I hung up before he had the chance to say anything or convince me to back away because I would not.I drove way above the speed limit, stopping only when I had gotten to the mansion’s gate.It brought back memories of family dinners where I had to defend Eleanor over and over again. Where snide remarks about the reason I was with her reached my ears and she said nothing about
CAMILLA“I did not think I was ever going to see you again, Camilla” Sarah smiled as soon as I entered the restaurant.She wagged a finger in Nathan’s direction, shaking her head at him.“With the kind of food you sell? I will be coming in here for a very long time” I smiled back.Nathan and I took our seats and waited.She had a queue as usual and I could not help the smile as I glanced around.“You would have watched your father kill me” Nathan commented.“I admit that would have made me feel better for a bit” I told him.He appeared shocked but I could tell from the way his eyes twinkled with delight that he thought it hilarious.I had not expected he would go over to my parent’s house especially seeing as I wasn’t there in the first place.My father however had called me when he arrived with a gun to his head and asked if I wanted to see him. I had hesitated just for the fun of it“I deserved that”“Yes you did” I agreed.“Thank you for coming here with me”I nodded once.Sarah dr
NATHANI was pacing like a fucking clown.I was expecting Camilla at the office today to discuss the project that we were involved in together and I could not help the restlessness coursing through my body.I wasn’t one to be this nervous about anything.“Deep breaths” I told myself, trying to go along with my instructions but to no avail.So much so that when my receptionist announced her presence, I had worked myself into a frenzy.My breath caught in my throat as she walked in, her eyes taking the room before settling on me with stark clarity.What had I been thinking? I thought.Starved of attention?Who was the blithering idiot now?“You look well” She commented, taking the seat in front of me.“You look beautiful” I murmured.She paused, her eyes meeting mine.Sparks flew, that was for sure.“How do you feel?” She asked instead.“Much better. Thank you for attending to me yesterday. For even accepting the phone call from me”“Of course, I am not a demon even though I do hate you
CAMILLAI stared at my ringing phone with Nathan displayed boldly as the callers ID.What the fuck did he want?I however put it to my ear, my heart jumping at the sound of his voice“Camilla, I know you can hear me” He rasped“What do you want?” I asked.“To talk” He answered.His voice appeared tortured… like there was something wrong with him and for a minute I was concerned before my head overrode my stupidity.“Concerning the project-” I began“Not concerning the-” He sighed, his voice trailing off.“I need you” He muttered softly that if I had not been paying attention, I would have missed that simple statement.“Mr Clark” I stopped when I heard his labored breathing.“Is something wrong with you?”“No, its nothing… I just need to speak with you”“Nathan, what is the matter? You sound distressed”He chuckled and then I heard him cough in the background“You are not concerned about me now, are you?”“This is not a joke, what is wrong with you?” I asked again, feeling panicky.He
CAMILLAMy father drove us straight to the house and I did not argue nor say anything when we arrived and my mother enveloped me in a hug.“Oh baby” She crooned.“I am okay” I reassured her“Come on in”I inhaled the familiar scent of home, my muscles relaxing.“I am going to bed” I announced.Their words fell over themselves as they agreed immediately to my request.My eyes closed as soon as I fell on the bed. I did not want to think of anything, I did not want to begin to analyze the anger in my heart directed at one person in particular.When I finally opened my eyes, it was noon.I made my way downstairs and was met with the searching eyes of both my parents.“Are you okay, baby?” My mother asked.I took a seat beside them.“I am not some fragile child you have to be worried about always, mother” I said.“You are my child and I have every reason to be worried about you” she countered.“I am going to be fine” I told her.My father said nothing but I turned to him anyways.“I have d