ANMELDENMAYAShe started laughing, pointing directly at my face. “You need to see your face right now. Like a ghost just walked in. I was just teasing you, Maya.”I forced a small smile, but something about her laugh didn’t sit right with me.Was she tipsy already?Why was she laughing like that this early in the day?Before I could say anything else, my phone rang; it was Ray.I picked it up immediately.“Hi.”“Good morning, sugar,” his voice came through, warm and familiar. “Are you out? I’m at your house, and you’re not here.”My heart skipped.I forgot to tell him.“Oh… I’m sorry about that,” I said quickly. “I slept at Jane’s place. Dr Jane. I will be staying there for a while, just to feel safe.”The lie came out smoothly.I hated that I was getting used to lying.“Okay, my love,” he replied. “Just send me the address. I will come pick you up for dinner tonight. I have a surprise for you.”My chest tightened immediately.A surprise?The last time he said that, he proposed.I wasn’t rea
MAYAI woke up to a soft knock on my door the next morning.“Come in.”I was still stretching when Jay walked in, carrying a tray, and placed it gently on my bed.“Good morning, sunshine. Breakfast in bed for the most beautiful woman to grace New York. Did you sleep well?”I nodded shyly.I wasn’t expecting this. I thought everything between us ended the moment the truth came out.“Thank you, Jay. You know you don’t have to do this.”He handed me a cup of tea, calmly spreading peanut butter on the bread before taking a bite and passing the slice to me.“Officially, I am still your boyfriend. It hasn’t been up to a year, remember?”I paused.“Are we still on that?”He gave me that look. The one that says, "Are you being serious right now?" and just watched me quietly as I ate.Jay has a way of making me smile without even trying.The way his eyes dimmed slightly, the way he just sat there watching me like I was something worth looking at, made me grin more than I wanted to.“Today is g
MAYA“Maya, you are here.”Sia sluggishly got up from the couch. Her bump wasn’t showing, but the way she moved, carefully holding her waist, already gave her away. If Jay hadn’t told me, I might have missed it, but now, every single movement of hers felt intentional.“Maya.”I looked up the stairs just in time to see Jane running down towards me. She wrapped her arms around me in a warm hug.“You look good in that dress. Hospital gowns really hide too much of your beauty.”I smiled at her words, my sweet girl.“You know what,” Sia cut in, already dragging her feet towards us, “I think the three of us should make cupcakes. I have been craving that. Come with me.”“No,” Jay said immediately, stepping forward. “She needs to rest, Sia.”“It’s fine, Jay,” I said quickly. “I can manage. Besides, it’s part of the exercise. Don’t worry, we will be fine.”He stared at me for a moment like he wanted to argue, then gave in.“Alright. I will be in my room.”I avoided looking at Sia. Avoided her
MAYAI moved my gaze from Ray to Lilly.“I was angry when I thought you left me for my cousin,” Ray continued, his voice heavy but controlled. “You shut me out, Maya. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to hurt you, and that was the worst thing I have ever thought about.”I shifted slightly on the bed, my fingers pressing into the sheets. I didn’t like where this conversation was heading.“The accident and the whole amnesia were just a lie. I did all of that to get back at you. See, I don’t love Lilly. You are the only one I love. She knows. I know you overheard us at the hotel; everything was just a lie to get to you. Right, Lilly.”My eyes slowly moved to Lilly.She didn’t look like herself.Her expression dropped for a second before she quickly masked it.“Yes,” she said. “He is right. Remember, you made me promise you something about Ray? I played along. I don’t love Ray; how would you even think that I was in love with him? Let me go get coffee and allow you two love birds.”She d
MAYA“Sia? You said you wanted the surrogate to be anonymous. What happened?” I tried to sound normal.But something shifted inside me. I couldn’t explain it.“I know,” Jay said, his voice calm, “but everything changed when I got to know her condition. She has Premature Ovarian Insufficiency. In simple terms, she doesn’t have viable eggs.”He paused.“She is broken, Maya. She has always dreamed of having a maternity shoot; all of that, this is the least I can do for her.”The ice cream suddenly lost its sweetness. It sat heavy on my tongue. Hard to swallow.Everything felt different.The idea that a child, my child, is growing inside another woman made my chest tighten in a way I didn’t expect.I wasn’t dying. But I also wasn’t allowed to claim that child.The earlier I clear my head of all of this, the better for me.“Did you give me your eggs because you thought you were dying?”Jay’s question caught me off guard, completely.I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it.Open
MAYA“Why? Maya, this is attempted murder. He needs to be brought in for questioning. If he is not found guilty, he will be acquitted. You don’t have to worry about that.”I shook my head immediately.“No, Jay.” My voice came out softer than I expected, but firm enough. “I know you care about me, but I can’t bring myself to send Uncle Sam to prison.”The words tasted bitter in my mouth.“When my parents were alive, they loved him. My father would always sing his praises. He trusted him with everything, his life, his family, his legacy.”My throat tightened slightly.“For their sake, I will let it be.”I didn’t need to look at Jay to know he didn’t agree. I could feel it in the way his leg kept moving, tapping against the floor impatiently. That quiet anger he tries to hide when he doesn’t like something.But he didn’t argue.That alone meant a lot.“Do you know his reason?” he asked after a while.I exhaled slowly.I had been thinking about that all day.The will, and the clause. Ever
JAY’s POVThe door slowly opened, revealing Maya. From the look on her face, she must have heard everything.Her eyes were already wet, full of disbelief and pain. She tried to stand up, but before I could move, Ray already rushed over to her. She pushed him away instantly.“What I heard isn’t true
MAYA“This is the wish of a dying woman, dang.”I probably sounded crazy. Well… I am crazy.Lilly was trying so hard not to cry again. Her lips kept trembling, and her eyes were already red.The truth is, I’m not just worried about Ray.I’m worried about her too.Just like me, she’s an orphan. No f
CHAPTER 7MAYAThe ride to Stamford was quiet. Just me, Lilly, and the chauffeur.Two hours after accepting her offer, we were already on the road. She had everything figured out: the doctor’s appointment, the hospital, even the tests. It was almost like she knew I would eventually agree.“How do yo
CHAPTER 6MAYARay was the last person I expected to see this morning.He was already raising his fist again, ready to land another punch on Jay. This time, I rushed forward and stood between them, forcing him to stop. His fist froze in the air.The anger in his eyes almost made me step back.Jay,







