Brett couldn't sleep as he rolled on the bed thinking of all the pain Lovelyn had been through. He couldn't bear seeing her in so much pain. They had made two attempts! Two attempts for surrogates but none was working. Luckily, he was able to talk her to sleep that night and calm her frisky mind, but how long could he do that? How long could he endure seeing this pain in her eyes? His mother was already on his neck. She had begun to send him pictures of ladies asking him to choose which one he liked.
"We gave you one job, Doctor Doris!” Brett scolded Doctor Doris as he barged into her office, forcefully opening her door. The creaking sound of the door alerted her immediately, and she instantly stood up. "Calm down," she tried to calm him. “No! You should be the one to calm down and listen to me! You do not seem to understand the pain my family goes through every time because of your false hopes! My marriage is about to be pulled apart! My wife cries every night before sleeping! What am I supposed to do? Just watch her? My father called you worthy! He called you competent! We paid you a huge amount of money for this! Why isn’t anything you are doing working?” “We have someone," She eventually said, having no strength to argue with him. His anger subsided. “There is someone?” He asked. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” “We had a third girl, but we weren’t ready to tell you yet. We were scared things would end up like the other two ladies if we did not watch her closely. We had to be more careful this time and avoid giving you false hopes.” Doctor Doris explained. “So how did it go?” He questioned. “Did it work?” She nodded. Brett sunk into the chair with a sense of fulfillment. It is all over now! He doesn’t have to worry about Lovelyn's mental health anymore. “Link me with this lady! My wife and I need to see her and thank her for volunteering,” Brett suggested immediately. “I will arrange everything. Do not think too much about it. She is a hundred percent in support of this surrogacy and is willing to carry your child for you. She might have some conditions for you though, but aside from that, it is all good.” Doctor Doris explained. Brett nodded and picked up his phone to call Lovelyn. “My wife will be so happy to hear this! Do well to link us with the lady by this weekend. We cannot wait to see our future child.” Doris nodded with an understanding state. As soon as he was gone, she picked up her phone to call Naya. Naya was on her shift at the gas station, counting the coins in her cash register. As soon as she received the call from the doctor, she excused herself and begged her assistant to fill in for her. “I will collect half of your pay!” the assistant warned. “No you won’t!” Naya frowned at her before focusing on the call. “Yes, Doctor Doris.” “Have you thought of my offer yet?” Doctor Doris asked. “I am still thinking about it,” Naya said with a soft tone. “Her husband just left my office right now,” Doctor Doris told her of Brett. “As soon as I told him about you, he got very excited. His wife has been depressed for a very long time. Naya, you could be the only source of joy for this family,” Naya was silent now. She took a cup and poured herself some water to drink. “Meet them this weekend, Naya. You will be giving your child a better future, I promise.” Naya drank the cup of water and thanked Doctor Doris for the information. “Where can I get mango ice cream?” She asked her colleague, who gave her a strange look. “Mango what?” The lady was surprised. “Forget it,” Naya brushed it off. “I think I am craving peanut butter and pickles instead.” Her assistant was completely speechless. When she managed to speak, she drew herself away from her. “I think you should see a doctor,” she suggested. “I just spoke to one,” Naya said. “Fire her and see another one.” *** That weekend, Naya sat in the restaurant ready to see this couple who wanted her baby; a baby they thought was theirs. Sha cleared her conscience of the thought and cleared her throat. It was a crazy world they lived in, so the best thing they could do is to go with the flow. A beautiful lady in a long lilac gown walked to her, dangling her handbag. She looked Asian and Naya could tell that she had a very beautiful aura. “Naya Aurora?” The lady asked to stretch her hand for a handshake. “Yes, yes…hmm…that’s me…” Naya wasn’t sure why she was so anxious. The lady was very nice. Who in this world would deceive a sweet lady like this? “Doctor Doris told me so much about you. You work 8 to 4 and barely have time for yourself. I am so sorry to know this,” Lovelyn apologized. “My name is Lovelyn Hazard and since you have my child, I will make sure you don’t have to work a day in your life. My husband and I will take care of you and give you everything you want until the child is born.” “Yes your child,” Naya said with an awkward look. She gazed around and realized she had caught no sight of her husband. “Where is your husband?” “He will be here soon. I am sure he is around here somewhere,” she said in a smile. Naya nodded and took the menu. The prices of the meals on the menu were expensive. She immediately dropped it back on the table. “Are you not ordering?” Lovelyn asked. “You can order anything you want. I will pay for it." “No thanks,” Naya refused. “That’s so nice of you.” “Please, do not refuse me,” Lovelyn was getting mad. “Order whatever you want, or I can pick for you.” “That will be great,” Naya allowed her to have the upper hand. “Alright then!” Lovelyn cheered and called a waiter over. She ordered some chicken soup and some chocolate pudding. “I hope you do not mind chocolate. I love chocolate.” Naya shook her head and watched the waiter leave to get the order. “You do not know how much this child means to me…” Lovelyn sounded dramatic. Naya felt uncomfortable and stood up as she picked up her purse. “I need to use the restroom,” she excused herself before leaving. She hurried into the restroom and shut the door behind her. “Calm down, Naya. They will not know the difference. It’s their child! They already made up their mind about that.” She calmed herself down, and washed her hands before walking out of the restroom. As she stepped out of the door, she bumped into a man who seemed to be engrossed in a call. He caught sight of her and apologized immediately. As soon as she caught sight of him, her heart sank, realizing she had seen him somewhere before. But where? He looked strikingly familiar. “Brett,” he stretched out his hand for a handshake. She stared at both himself and his hanging hand, before walking out on him without shaking him back. She felt deep anger towards him and she couldn’t tell why. When she arrived back to Lovelyn, she sat before her and began her meal. “Did you go to college?” Lovelyn began her questions. “My mother couldn’t afford my college f*e, so I dropped out,” Naya explained. “That’s sad,” Lovelyn sympathized. “This must be hard for you.” Naya wasn’t sure why she would think that. Things weren't hard for her since she had a job. She already had plans. At least, she is able to feed herself and her mother. “Hey!” A deep voice said beside them. They both looked to the right and saw the exact man she had seen earlier, approaching Lovelyn for a hug. They exchanged a kiss and sat before her. As soon as he caught sight of her, he smiled. “I guess we will meet again,” he told her with a smile. Naya couldn’t believe what was happening. This man again?! She dropped her spoon in disappointment.FLASHBACKBrett struggled with a recurring memory which he couldn't forget no matter how hard he tried. He saw a negative vision of that night at the club. There was the silhouette of a slender person who approached him, and they had a short laugh. He could hear her voice echoing in the abyss and her enthusiastic tone, but he couldn't remember who she was. He remembered the sound of her moans, her sudden fright and his soft hands sliding down her bare skin. He remembered the coolness of the air conditioner and the intensity of their sex, but that was it! He couldn't remember any other thing; not her name or her face. He wished he had known the young lady he deflowered. How old was she? Had she willingly given herself to him or did he force herself on her? He could remember her sobs and some words that mumbled from her lips. But he couldn't remember any of them.He wished he could remember whom he cheated on his wife with. ***Brett Hazard was confused about why Naya Aurora refused
FLASHBACK Naya got down from the cab in her mini black dress and nicely packed her. It was another amazing weekend to spend her evening on a few drinks and some new friends she might probably make. Club G was known for its loud songs and expensive guests, so as soon as she walked in, she knew she had arrived. She smiled at strangers and took her favorite shot of champagne. A few minutes into the party, she noticed some girls acting strangely and dancing seductively on the dance floor. Naya found that absurd and giggled at the embarrassment. She sipped her drink. “Your gown looks so nice,” a lady in a designer dress told her, as she sat before her. “I swear, when I saw you from a distance I knew that you were a damsel. I knew there was definitely something special about you.”Naya smiled with a grateful look. “Thank you,” she said with a polite tone. “I didn’t know I dressed that well.” “Baby girl, you did,” the lady got comfortable so quickly. “My name is Amelia.” She stretched he
Brett laid on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Since his thoughts were calm and his body was relaxed, the memories he sought slipped in slowly. That night, he attended the club to drink with his friend. While they joked and experimented on the sparkling wine with everyone over hyped, one of them pointed out to a lady in black dress who was sitting at the bar counter. “I can bet 1000 dollars that you won’t get that lady to lie with you,” the dare came. At that point, his senses weren’t working anymore, and he’d forgotten he was married. In fact, they had forgotten he was married too because they saw his wedding ring as an accessory and took it out of his finger. “Go! Go! Go!” They chanted as they slipped the ring into his trouser pocket. Brett nodded and went to meet this gorgeous figure. Her back was turned towards him, and she was speaking to a regular customer whom he knew. “Amelia, let me steal your guest for a moment,” he suggested. Amelia agreed and walked away, blow
FLASH BACK “Let go of mum!” Naya pulled her abusive father from her mother, but her father slapped her hard on the cheek, sending her flying on the couch. Tears streamed down her cheeks, as she watched him torture her mother with a belt. “Please stop it! I beg of you!” Her eight-year-old self pleaded helplessly as she watched. This wasn’t the first time, and it might probably not be the last. What was the point of having a child, if you couldn’t care for her? What was the point of birthing a child in the world of torture? A world where her mother is being maltreated. Naya couldn’t bear the thought of this anymore. “Let him show his love the way he can show his love, dear,” her mother said to her all the time. “Let him be the husband he can be.”“I do not want this kind of love!” Naya cried. “No one should love like this. I should never have been born into this kind of home.” “It’s fine, my love,” her mother stroked her hair. “My father used to show my mother this kind of love to
FLASHBACK“Where is your mother?” Naya’s elementary school teacher asked, as she submitted her assignment before the whole class. It was Parents-Teacher’s Day that week and her mother was specifically invited to check her grades. Since her mother claimed to have slipped and fell the previous night, she made an excuse not to come. Naya knew her mum didn’t slip and fall. The sight of the cut on her arm and the red marks on her neck, made it quite obvious that something was wrong. And it was her father that was wrong, not the wet floor. “She slipped and fell,” Naya said anyway, before walking back to her seat. How much she had started learning how to lie to cover up her mother’s pain from the age of six. Her mother taught her it was great, and it was for their own good. There was nothing good about it. In fact, nothing came out of it at all. But thinking about this. Naya wondered how she was different from a home-wrecker. She was Lovelyn 's husband affair, and aside from that, she was
The memory slowly set in and Brett became more and more aware of the face he saw. It was Naya. This sent him shivers and he felt more reason to stay away from her. Each time Brett saw Naya’s face, he was reminded of his mistake and the dark secret he had to hide from his wife. He wanted to keep away so bad but Lovelyn kept making things more difficult for him. During the next ultrasound, Lovelyn advised him to go with Naya alone. He hated the idea and didn’t want to leave without his wife. He hated the awkwardness when the doctor talked about the child around him and Naya. Things only got more awkward now that he knew it was Naya he slept with. He couldn’t tell her the truth. He feared letting her know.“Your child is growing very fast,” Doctor Doris told them as she turned off the monitor and printed out the result. “You are doing a great job taking good care of Naya.” Naya faked a smile, even though she knew that was not the case. “I guess there is 3 months left,” he said as he ho
FLASHBACK Naya Aurora arrived home to the sound of something breaking in her home. She couldn’t tell what it was, but her anxiety heightened, knowing something wasn’t right. She hurried in promptly, and was shocked to see her whole house upside down. “Mum?” She called, wondering what was wrong. There was no response. Instead, there was more glass breaking. Her aunt wasn’t around at that time since she went for her monthly pilgrimage visit. Naya followed the sound of the breaking and arrived at her mum's bedroom where her dad had a gun in his hands. He was threatening his mother’s life with his gun, asking her to give him all the money she owned and repay him for all he did for her. Her mother was clueless of what to do. Naya could tell that her mother was helpless and needed all the help she could get. Naya smartly snuck out of the room since he hadn’t seen her and called the police immediately. When she was certain they were on their way, she walked back into the room where he w
Naya walked into the kitchen and struggled to get a bowl down from the top cabinet. As she tried and tried with all the strength she had, she took a stool to help support her. “Stop,” Brett stopped her as he held her hand to prevent her from climbing the stool. “Let me help you, okay?” She nodded and watched him pull the bowl down for her. Her eyes couldn’t leave his physic as he assisted her with that little gesture. Her eyes admired his muscles and his sexy beard. His Adam apple bounced, and his chest looked comfortably broad. She snapped out of her thoughts and concentrated on the bowl. Why was she suddenly thinking like that? This was someone’s husband. Perhaps that was why Lovelyn was mad at her. She was beginning to grow to like her husband. This wasn’t allowed at all. “Have it,” he handed her the bowl. She thanked him and placed the bowl down on the counter, before pulling the packet of berries from the fridge. Her pregnancy was definitely getting into her head. For some rea