The Billionaire's Surrogate Wife

Elena POV "The cancer is gradually spreading through her kidney, Elena. We need to be fast about it. We need to take full medical steps, and we can't without the money." I nod slowly even though I am absent-minded; his words echo in my head like a song that has refused to stop. Tears well up in my eyes. "My mum has limited time" that's what the doctor is trying to say without making it sound bad. "It could become stage four faster than you think. Her body is not responding; we need to remove the kidney." I nod slowly. Where do I get such a huge amount of money from? Eight thousand dollars for her treatment. To make things worse, I am just a college student who works at a bar. Even if I work for the next six years, I would not be able to raise that sum of money. "Thank you, doctor. I will try my best," I say, standing up. I walk away quickly, my hands shaking, my heart racing. It's so clear to me that my mum would die. She does not have much time, and I don't have enough time to raise such an amount of money. I run my hands through my hair, my heels hitting the tiled floor, making sounds as I walk away. My whole body trembling, I can feel my heart almost bursting. I wanted to scream at the universe and ask it why the hell it would hate me so much that it would decide to take both my mum and my dad away from me. I pause; I am almost close to the car. I can see my mum from the car. Her eyes light up immediately when she sees me. She smiles, waving her hands at me. I suck in a deep breath, trying to push every single thing I am feeling away. And be happy. Look happy. Appear happy. For her, and for me. I don't need to reduce her hope any more. I walk up to her with a smile on my face, even though my heart aches. She opens her arms widely, hugging me. I close my eyes for a beat as I sniff in her scent, trying to etch every single detail of her in my head before she is gone. Before cancer takes her away from me. This world is so cruel. And she is just thirty-five. I pull back and smile at her. "So, how was it?" I smile. "The doctor said you are getting better. One more session and it would be over," I pause and add, even as sadness forms a lump in my throat, "it would be alright." Tears fill her eyes as she looks at me, her bright blue eyes shining. For once, she is happy. She looks happy. It's been a while since she smiled, and now she is smiling. My chest aches with the doom that is around the corner, like shadows around us. I want to believe the lie I just told her. "Thank God! I am so happy!" She squeals and hugs me again, tighter this time. She pulls back and looks at me, smoothing my shoulders. "See, I told you. I would be there for your graduation, and we would have a party!" I laugh, not at what she said. But at how wicked the universe has to be to make sure they snatched my mum even before my graduation. Immediately, I drop her at home, and I rush to Benita's house. My whole body was shaking. I rang the bell twice before she opened the door. "Oh my gosh! You look so..." I crash into her arms before she even finishes her words, bursting into hot tears. "My mum is going to die," I pour out, and burst into hot, fresh tears. Benita wraps her arm around me, running her hand along my back. "It's okay, Elena. We still have hope." I shake my head, pulling back. "Nope. They need eight thousand dollars, Benita. Eight. How can I find that huge amount of money?" I asked. I walk toward her couch and fall on it, staring at the ceiling. It felt like mental torture to watch the woman you love slowly lose the spark in her eyes, slowly becoming so lean, almost lifeless. "And I lied," I spill out. "I told her that she was getting better." Benita twirls around. "What?!" I can already hear the anger and judgment in her voice. "You had no right, Elena. She deserves to know that she is not getting better. Do you know how heartbroken she would be when she finds out?" I shrug. I know, I just don't want to imagine it. A smile crosses my face as I remember how happy she looked earlier on. "She smiled, Benita," I sigh and look at her. "She smiled. She was happy. Cancer can't eat her up and still take her joy from her. And if I have to lie to keep that joy with her, I would lie." Benita takes a deep breath and sits beside me, caressing my hair. "You would be fine." "I need money, Benita. How the hell would I find eight thousand dollars? Do you know how huge that is?" She nods and pauses, like she is about to say something. "What? What do you want to say?" She runs her hands through her hair multiple times. "I know where we could get seven thousand dollars. You and I could save for the extra one thousand. It's… It's kind of risky, but it's legal." I sit up immediately, my heart racing with a profound sense of hope. She has a suggestion, and it's legal. "Tell me. I will do it. Whatever it is. I would pour my heart into it and do it. Don't worry about me. Just say it." She looks at her hands, cracking her fingers slowly. "It's… It's a bit extreme." "My mum is about to get to stage four cancer. And you are worried about it being extreme. I would do anything, Benita. Anything extreme to make sure she is alive. I would even give my life up for it." She looks at me, her blue eyes piercing into mine. "It's surrogacy." The world pauses; I look at her. "What?" "It's surrogacy, Elena. I know a friend who did it, and it worked well for her. So, you would register, fill out a form. And they would insert a couple's DNA into you, or a man's sperm. You would give birth to the child and give them the baby. It's a legal process though, so…" I stare at myself in the mirror standing before me. I have never imagined myself pregnant. Never thought I would be pregnant. To be honest, I don't fancy pregnancy at all. It comes with a whole lot of stress and all. But I would get the seven thousand freaking dollars. My mum would be saved. She would live with me. I… I could go back to living my life once again. It felt so surreal. Really. But I had to do it. It's my mum. And I would do anything for her. I turn to look at Benita. "Fine," I pause, my voice shaking, "Take me there. I would do it.”