Accidentally Chosen as His Surrogate

Dawn of Reality

CAMELLIA

The morning sunlight spilled into my apartment, warm and golden, but it didn’t chase away the nerves knotting in my stomach.

Today wasn’t just another day at the bar. Today is the day my entire life changes.

I stood in front of my mirror, adjusting the straps of my favorite dress. A soft, navy blue that hugged my shoulders and flared gently at the waist. I had worn it for birthdays, for dates I’d never remember, for nights I’d rather forget. Today it felt like armor.

I ran my fingers through my hair, tugged a strand loose, and exhaled sharply. I could almost feel the weight of the day pressing on my chest, heavy and insistent. My phone buzzed.

“Maya,” I whispered before answering.

“Cam,” her voice was sharp, concerned, and a little pleading. “Are you sure about this? You can still back out, you know.”

I tightened my grip on the phone.

“I’m sure. I have to do this.” I exhaled sharply.

“Cam, it’s… look, it’s not just a procedure. You’ve never done anything like this before. You can still walk away.”

I laughed softly, bitterly. “Maya, I know you’re scared for me. But I’ve thought about it. I’ve prayed about it. I’m doing this for me. For my future. For… freedom.”

There was silence on the other end. I could almost hear her inhale and exhale, the pause heavy with worry.

“Alright,” she said finally. “Just… promise me you’ll be careful. Promise me you’ll call if anything feels off.”

“I promise.”

I hung up and stared at myself in the mirror again. Today, I was more than just Camellia Walker, the barista, the student drowning in debt. Today, I was Camellia Walker, the woman about to carry a life that might very well change her world. Or so I thought.

The taxi ride was silent, my hands folded tightly in my lap, knuckles white. The city blurred outside the window. The streets, the honking cars, the people rushing to work, it all seemed like a movie I wasn’t part of.

My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst.

The fertility clinic was pristine. White walls. Polished floors. The faint scent of antiseptic mixed with something floral that was supposed to calm the nerves but did nothing for me.

“Good morning, Ms. Walker,” Lina greeted me warmly as I sat down. “We’re ready for you.”

I nodded, swallowed, and followed her down the corridor. The staff moved efficiently, quietly, the kind of seamless professionalism that made me both relieved and anxious. I stripped down to the hospital gown behind the curtained area, feeling exposed despite the fabric covering me.

The nurse, young and polite, introduced herself. She smiled, but there was a tiredness behind it, a heaviness that made me uneasy.

“All your preliminary tests look great,” she said. “Blood pressure, hormone levels, everything is perfect. Are you ready?”

I nodded. My stomach fluttered. My hands clutched the edge of the chair.

“And before we start, any questions?” the nurse asked.

I shook my head, though a tiny voice inside me wondered if I should double-check that the embryo I was about to receive was indeed for the couple I had agreed to help. But I pushed it down. Everything had been arranged by professionals. I trusted them.

The procedure was quick, clinical, and… strange.

I lay back on the examination table, legs in stirrups. The nurse explained each step as she went, her voice calm and steady, almost soothing.

“We’ll use a thin catheter to insert the embryo,” she said. “It goes gently through the cervix and into the uterus. You might feel some discomfort, but it shouldn’t be painful.”

I focused on the ceiling, counting tiles as the catheter moved. A dull pressure, a strange fullness, but nothing unbearable. I gripped the sides of the table, exhaling in shallow bursts.

“Done,” the nurse said softly after a close of an hour that felt a bit longer. “It went perfectly. Now, you’ll rest for a moment before we go over post-procedure instructions. A nurse will come help you to your room to rest.”

I blinked, trying to process. I was… done? Just like that? A life… well, an embryo, but still, a potential life was now inside me.

I lay down for over forty minutes before a nurse came in and spoke to me.

"You can take a test in two weeks to confirm. We would call you to also come in for blood testing." I nodded.

I'll be pregnant in two weeks. I did a dance in my head.

They gave me supplements, a strict diet plan, instructions to avoid stress, strenuous activity, and even certain foods. Pills for hormones, injections for support, everything to nurture the life inside.

I nodded through it all, taking notes, trying to focus on every word, but my mind wandered.

I left the clinic with a prescription folder in one hand, a small paper bag of supplements in the other, and the weight of what I had agreed to do pressing on my shoulders. Usually, I would have taken the bus, but today, I walked.

The city felt different on foot. Each step echoed in my ears like a heartbeat. The air smelled like winter streets and exhaust, but to me, it carried possibility.

I passed familiar storefronts, street lights flickering, and for the first time in months, I let myself think about the future without panic. I whispered prayers under my breath, small words I didn’t even fully believe in yet.

“Please… let it work,” I murmured. “Please let this be okay. Let me do this right.”

Yeah, I know, it feels weird.

Praying for a baby I have no connection with to be inside of me.

I thought about the bills, the loans, the late fees stacked like bricks on my back. I thought about Maya’s worried face. I thought about the life I was leaving behind, one of struggle, of endless repetition, of debt I would never escape if I stayed.

“This is for the best,” I told myself, stepping over a puddle near the curb. “I can handle this.”

And then, just as I rounded the corner, a man’s voice broke the quiet rhythm of my walk.

“Camellia?”

I froze. My heart lurched. The street seemed to shrink around me.

I turned slowly.

He was there, leaning casually against a lamppost, dark eyes sharp and assessing. Tall, broad-shouldered with messy hair. My stomach tumbled.

It was him. Jared Robert.

My ex-boyfriend.

"Hello, Cam Cam." He called out again.

I continued walking ignoring him. He walked closely behind me.

"Come on Camellia, you can't continue ignoring me. You literally blocked me everywhere."

I increased my pace. I don't think I want to talk or breathe the same air as the guy who ruined my life.

Well, technically he broke my heart but it's the same as ruining my life.

"You are behaving uptight, Camelia, loosen up a bit." He grabbed my hands and spun me around.

OMG.

Why are guys grabbing my hands?

Gosh.....

"What? What huh? What do you want from me? Haven't you ruined my life enough?"

"I'm sorry Camelia, I just want to apologise and make things right. Can't you just give us another chance?" he said.

"No, Jason, hell no. You cheated on me with my boss. Come to think of it. How did you find me here?" I hissed.

"Why are you coming out of a fertility clinic? Are you married?" He asked.

"That's none of your business. Stay away from me, or else I'll go to the police. It's been two years, I'm over you already, goodbye." I stormed off.

"We can still make this work, Cam Cam," he yelled. "I am going to have you back as my woman.

I forced myself to keep walking, each step heavier than the last, my mind screaming questions I had no answers for.

I can't think of the man who cheated on me a few days after my parents died. I have more things I need to focus on.

This baby.

Oops.. there's no baby yet.

I clutched my bag tighter, my breath catching, and whispered to myself, “Please… just let this be okay. Let me survive this.”

And somewhere, not too far behind me, a man who broke me, just managed to find his way into my life.

The weight of it pressed down on me. Heavy. Cold. I could feel my heart racing.

And the street, suddenly quiet, felt too small to hold the storm that had just begun.