Secret Surrogate For My Boss

Kicked Out

Emma

My room suddenly felt icy, even though the morning sun poured through the windows. I froze on bare feet by the bathroom door, staring at the test strip in disbelief. Could this be real, or was I hallucinating again?

My mother, also frozen, looked from the strip to me. Then she stepped closer, holding the paper up to the light, just to be sure. And there it was; two stark, pink lines, clear and unmistakable.

My throat burned, and a wave of sudden nausea hit me like a punch. I barely made it to the toilet bowl before I vomited, heaving harder than I ever had. My mother stood quietly by the door, arms folded, watching me the entire time.

After splashing cold water on my face, I walked out slowly, bracing myself for the storm I knew was coming. Me… pregnant? I still couldn’t fully grasp it.

“So… you’re pregnant, Emma?” My mother’s voice was calm but sharp, her eyes boring into mine like daggers.

“I… I didn’t know,” I muttered with a dry throat.

“You didn’t know?” she repeated, her tone rising. “But you came home lying to me, saying you were on a break?”

“I… I didn’t…”

“Was this why you were dismissed from your job?” she cut me off and circled me as if inspecting a broken piece of art.

I could only stare, too stunned for words.

“So this is why you’ve been sleeping all day since you got home?” she asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and hurt.

I had no answer. I hadn’t expected this. I had always used protection with Lucas; he had always insisted on it. How could this have happened?

I had no explanation to give, to myself or to my mother. The room kept spinning, and I felt too weak to stand. I walked to the bed and sat at the edge, trembling. My mother stared hard at me, devastated and helpless, then suddenly turned and stormed out of the room.

I knew I was in trouble… but what came next was far worse than anything I imagined.

An hour later, I was summoned to the living room. Breakfast was still laid out on the dining table, untouched and cold. No one had eaten. The silence in the house felt heavy and dangerous.

My father stood in front of the window with his hands behind him, stiff as stone.

“Your mother said you tested positive for a pregnancy test,” he said.

His tone alone made my knees weak. Whenever my father was like that, it meant Annie or I was in serious trouble.

I bowed my head, unable to look him in the face.

“So this is what you’ve become?” he continued. “A… a waste bin for men to dump their semen?”

My chest tightened. I wished the ground would open and swallow me.

“Is this how we raised you?” he went on. “We gave you everything. We trusted you. And this is how you repay us? With shame?”

My mother stood beside him, arms folded, her voice trembling with hurt and anger. “Emma, how could you?” she cried. “Do you know what people will say? Do you know the humiliation? We raised you better than this. You were supposed to be the responsible one. The focused one. Your sister…your younger sister…is more sensible than you!”

I shut my eyes. That comparison cut me deeply.

My father stepped closer. “So you went to New York for work only to become someone’s cheap pleasure?”

I flinched.

“We sent you out there to build a future and not ruin it. Do you even think about the consequences of your actions?”

My mother shook her head in disbelief. “Emma, I can’t even recognize you right now. How long has this been going on? Who is the father? Are you seeing a married man? Is it someone from work?”

Their voices circled me like fire, and before I could gather the courage to speak…

My father asked the question that brought everything crashing down:

“Who is responsible for this pregnancy?”

I froze. My throat went dry. I wanted to vanish, to melt into the floor. Every instinct told me to lie, to say nothing and protect myself.

Just then, footsteps sounded in the hallway and Annie pushed the door open, in her school uniform, her backpack dangling from one shoulder. She stopped when she saw the tension in the room, her eyes darting from our father’s rigid stance to my trembling hands.

“What… what’s going on?” she asked, confused.

“Not now, Annie,” my mother snapped, her voice tight and burning. But Annie didn’t move. She stood there, watching everyone in confusion.

“Emma… answer me!” my father’s voice boomed, as he stepped closer. “Who did this to you? Who got you pregnant?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. My mother’s eyes were blazing with fury, and my father’s glare was enough to burn through steel.

“I… I…” I stammered, my voice barely a whisper.

Without another word, my father’s hand shot out and slapping me across the cheek. The sting was sharp, and tears immediately pricked my eyes, not just from the pain, but from the humiliation that sank like lead into my chest.

“You will tell me the truth!” he barked. “Now!”

I swallowed hard as my vision blurred. Every lie I could think of sounded weak, pathetic and useless. I couldn’t hide it anymore. My body trembled, and my voice broke when I finally admitted, “It… it's Mr Sterlin, Lucas…my boss”

For a moment, the room was still. My mother’s mouth opened, closed and then opened again, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. My father’s face darkened further, his hands clenching into fists.

Annie’s eyes widened in surprise, her hand going to her mouth for a brief second. She just stared at me, clearly shocked..

“You… him?” my mother whispered, anger and disbelief battling in her tone. “The man you worked for? The CEO?”

I nodded, unable to meet their eyes.

My father’s voice dropped dangerously low, “Emma … you will go back to him. He will marry you and take responsibility for this. You are not staying here after what you’ve done.”

My mother grabbed my shoulders, shaking me slightly. “Don’t look at me like that! You brought this on yourself!”

A minute later, Father and Mother disappeared into their room, hurt and ashamed, their silence louder than any shouting could have been.

I turned and staggered toward my old room, my legs barely steady. Annie followed behind me, quiet at first but the moment she shut the door, her true colors burst out.

She let out a sharp laugh. “So you were serving and f*****g your boss at the same time?” she sneered, folding her arms with way too much satisfaction.

I didn’t respond. I didn’t have the strength. I felt dirty, small, and ruined…she could mock me all she wanted. Nothing she said could make me feel worse than I already did.

“Dad’s right, you know,” she went on, circling me like she was inspecting a mess. “Why did you even come home to hide? Go back to him. Or did he deny the pregnancy?” She laughed again, more cruelly this time. “He’s rich…super rich, sis. At least that’s one good thing. Even if he won’t marry you, you can be his baby mama.”

Still, I said nothing. My lips stayed sealed and my eyes burned.

How could I begin to explain what she couldn’t understand?

Lucas didn’t see me. Not as someone who belonged in his world. I was never worth his class. He would never marry me, pregnant or not. And that truth hurt worse than anything Annie or my parents could ever say.

I was still in my room that evening, lost and shaking, when my parents returned from their rooms.

“Emma,” my mother said, her voice sharp and cold, “Are you still there? Pack your things. You’re leaving. Now.”

I backed away, my voice trembling. “Please… I have nowhere to go. Don’t do this.”

My father stepped forward, his tone low and dangerous. “You brought this on yourself. Go back to him. Take responsibility for what you’ve done.”

I turned to Annie, hope flickering. “Please, help me… beg them for me!”

Annie leaned against the wall, arms crossed and eyes narrowing. “Go back to your box in Manhattan, sis,” she said with a cruel smile. “He can take care of you. Don’t expect anyone here to save you.”

“No, Annie, please!” I pleaded, desperation choking me.

“Forget it,” she shrugged. “You chose this life.”

My mother grabbed the box that contained my few belongings while my father yanked my hand. They shoved me outside the house, the box hitting the ground at my feet. I stumbled, heart hammering, as the door slammed shut behind them,