The Billionaire's Surrogate Wife

Chapter 2

Elena POV

The hospital walls felt heavy, a heavy, dense kind of silence. The walls were filled with testimonials and thousands of baby photos.

All cute babies.

I wiped my sweaty palms and walked towards the receptionist.

"Good morning. Do you have an appointment with the doctor, and may I know who you are?" she asked.

I cleared my throat. I could go back, or I could stay and buy my mum some extra time.

I turned to her with a smile. "I… I'm here to register, or…" I pause. I couldn't even form the right words without feeling stupid.

I looked at her. "I want to be a surrogate. I want to help people."

She smiled, a warm kind of excited smile. Like she had just won the lottery.

"You came at the right time, ma. Let me take you to the office, so that they can educate you on the necessary steps to take and how to take them."

I nod, following her. My sandals squeak as they hit the tiles.

The door opened slowly; the nurse stepped aside for me to enter.

"Good morning, doctor. She is here to register for the surrogacy program."

The doctor was a middle-aged man with a hairline that started halfway through his skull. He sized me up, probably judging my attire.

I wouldn't blame him, though. I was wearing a white crop top, jean shorts, and sandals, with a little purse crossed against my body.

"What's your name and how old are you?"

"I am Elena Forbes, and I am twenty years old and in college."

He stared at me one more time before pointing at the chair. "Sit."

The nurse walked away, closing the door behind me.

He cleared his throat, tossing a paper for me to read.

"I hope you understand the importance of what you are going to go through. You are young, quite young. Why do you want to do surrogacy? You can…"

"My mum has cancer. It's almost stage four. I need the money," I spat out.

No need to hide my reason. I was doing it for the money, and that is all.

His eyes softened, pity crowding his face. "I… am so sorry about that."

I shrug. "Everyone is always sorry. But it's not going to change anything. I need the money. It's why I am here."

"Okay, go through the documents before signing."

I ran my eyes through the documents: my age, the time I am meant to give the child back to them, how I would get paid.

But it was real.

I was going to be paid seven thousand dollars.

But it was eighty percent payment upfront and the other twenty percent after.

But it was fine. I could talk to the couple myself.

"The hospital is the one who pays you, Elena. Not the parents. You would get to know about the parents one month after we are sure you are pregnant. And… which option would you go for?"

"Anyone."

"Okay, there is one where we insert the couple's DNA into you, while there is one where we insert only the man's sperm into you and you give birth and give the baby back to them. Which one do you prefer?"

I stared at the blank paper, like it was my future lying in my hands.

I would have been so comfortable having both couples' DNA in me, but then again.

What if it takes so long to find them?

Anyone would be the better option.

"Anyone. Like I said, doctor. I am desperately in need."

A smile crossed his lips as he looked at me.

"Okay, if you want, we could actually start as soon as possible. We actually have a couple who have been looking for someone for a month now. They are rich and desperate.

They would pay you well to do this job. The woman can't give her egg. She has premature ovarian insufficiency and severe uterine damage. So only the husband's sperm would be needed. You would be the donor. Is that okay?"

"Yes. I am fine with it. We can get started, doctor. Right now, if possible."

His smile widened. Seemed like they were going to pay them a huge amount of money for this.

He fetched a cup from his drawer and gave it to me.

"Urinate in it while we prepare you for the process."

I took the cup, staring at it. Feeling so weird, but then again.

It would be okay.

I looked at him and smiled. "Thank you."

As soon as I got out, I dialed Benita's number.

"Hey babe, how is it going?" she asked.

"It's fine. I have signed, and they have a couple already waiting. So I decided to start today."

She paused. "Today? Don't you think you should take time to think about it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Taking time would be useless; besides, it would make me doubt myself, and I don't want that. I want to be done with this and get the money."

She heaved a deep sigh. "Fine. I will call you as soon as I can. I am at work."

"Okay, bye. I love you," I whispered and cut the call.

It felt so weird urinating in a cup while being prepped for carrying someone's child.

I never imagined that I would one day get to do this.

Not at the age of twenty.

As soon as I was done, I walked back into the office with the cup.

A nurse showed me the room to stay, asking me to lie back as they prepped what would be necessary.

I lay there, legs apart, waiting for them.

Maybe it would feel painful. Or not. I could never know.

"Are you sure you are okay with this?" the doctor asked one more time.

I gave him a quick smile. "Yes."

He took a quick look at the file and then at me.

He furrowed his eyebrows and then looked at the name once more.

Like there was some confusion.

He raised the syringe slightly and read the number on it.

And then at the file.

He dropped the file and then slowly turned to me.

"You are going to feel a little pain, and then it will be gone, so just hold tight."

I closed my eyes, expecting to feel something. Anything, but as it was inserted into me, it felt almost like nothing had entered me.

This was not how I imagined it would be.

"Done. You would lie here for fifteen minutes, and then you can go."

I smiled at him. "Thank you, doctor."

The door burst open; a nurse walked in, another file in her hands.

Her eyes moved to me and then to the doctor. Dread crept into me.

Her eyes held some sort of fear in them.

She smiled at me and then at the doctor. "Doctor, can I see you? It's urgent."

The doctor looked at me and then at the nurse. "It can wait. We have something else waiting for us, and call the family tell them we have found someone for them."

She looked at the file and then at me. "We can't call them."

He furrowed his eyebrows, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Why? We have…"

"We gave you the wrong file.”