Chapter 10 - A Devil

RHEA

My breath hitched at the revelation. Did that mean I wasn’t his first surrogate mother? Was there somebody before me?

“His first surrogate mother? Do you mean I wasn’t his first?” I asked, putting the tray on the bed.

Selene stared at me for a few seconds and smiled. “You don’t need to listen to my nonsense, Rhea.” She waved her hands. “I shouldn’t have brought up this topic. It’s in the past.” Her voice shook. “I’m sure you will not end up like her.” A bitter smile formed on her lips.

“Please, continue your food.”

She started walking toward the door. I could tell there was something she was trying to tell me, but fear wouldn’t let her open up. Could it be that she had been threatened?

I stood up. “Selene!” I called, stretching my hand forward.

I let out a smile, hoping to suppress her fear and make her trust me more. “I’m sure there’s something I need to know about being Travis’s surrogate mother. I’m sure there’s something you are trying to tell me. I’m ready to listen, Selene.”

She stopped and tilted her head. “I… you…” Her hands and lips trembled. “You don’t need to worry yourself about it, Rhea. Don’t pay attention to my nonsense. I’m just being silly.”

“No. Don’t say that, Selene. It’s not nonsense. I know you want the best for me. I promise to believe you no matter what you say,” I asserted pleadingly. Of course, I needed to believe her. I knew how it felt when the people you cared about didn’t believe anything you said.

She gaped for a few seconds before erasing the gap between us and holding my hands.

“You have to promise me something first, Rhea.”

There was urgency in her voice, and she stared behind her every second. It was as though she were scared of something.

Heaving a sigh, I smiled and nodded my head. “Anything to make you feel safe, Selene. Tell me.”

“Promise me you won’t tell anybody whatever I share with you.” Her voice quivered.

Pursing my lips, I raised a hand. “I promise you, Selene. I’ll never let anybody know whatever you share with me today or in the days after,” I mumbled.

She let out a breath of relief and made me sit back on the bed.

“You are not Travis’s first surrogate mother. There was somebody before you,” she began.

One of my brows rose. “What? What do you mean? Where is she now?”

“She died, Rhea.” Her eyes reddened and became moist as she made that statement. “I failed her. I couldn’t save her from Travis’s grasp.”

“What!” My eyes widened. “How did she… what did she… wait! What killed her? Was it during labor?”

She held my hands and shook her head.

“No, Rhea. She died in Travis’s hands. He killed her because she made a mistake.”

Goosebumps covered my body, and cold ran down my spine. Is Travis a murderer? Was that the reason he warned me not to pay attention to whatever I see in this city? Was he afraid I would uncover secrets about him?

“He murdered her because of a mistake. She slipped in the bathroom and endangered the life of the fetus. Fortunately, the doctors were able to stabilize both the mother’s and the child’s health and warned her to be careful henceforth so as not to risk the baby’s life. She was discharged, and everybody returned home.” She took a deep breath.

“I decided to stick around with her that night since she was also like my friend. Unfortunately, that was the last night we spent together. Travis took her out the next morning and returned with her body.”

Tears rolled out of her eyes, and she held onto me tightly.

“When I asked Travis what happened to her, guess what he told me?” she trembled. “He said, ‘I killed her because she’s careless with my pup.’ I… I was shocked. I’ve never seen anyone as callous as he is.”

My body became numb, and my mind wandered far and wide at that moment. He killed her because she slipped and put his baby in danger?

Then my mind raced back to what happened in the dining room. It was the same thing, but what made mine different was that the fall wasn’t hard enough to hurt anyone. The hands of cold gripped me tightly as the reality dawned on me.

Would he have killed me if the fall had been serious?

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered. “He’s a devil, Selene. How are you still his friend?”

“I’m under his threat right now, Rhea. I can’t stop being his friend or leave here. I can’t ask for help or try to run away. I just have to be his friend and pretend everything is okay between us,” she mumbled.

“That must be hellish,” I said, looking at her with eyes filled with empathy and fear.

She smiled sadly. “Yes, it is.” She nodded. “And that’s why I decided to tell you this before it’s too late. Travis isn’t what you think he is. Run before he kills you the way he killed her,” she warned.

Even without her warning, I would run. There was no way I would stay with a man like Travis. If he could kill a woman who was carrying his baby without considering the baby in her womb, then he could do anything to anybody. From the way he acted in the dining room because of a simple fall, I could already tell he wasn’t a good person. I wasn’t special, and he wouldn’t consider me one bit.

“Do you have a plan, Selene? I only just got here, and I don’t know how to escape. Can you help me do that, Selene?” I asked, holding her hands. “Please. I don’t want to die like the first surrogate mother.”

She squeezed my hands and nodded. “Of course, Rhea. We just need to stick to my plan, and you’ll be out of here. I’m happy you believe me. Thank you.”

“No, Selene. I should thank you for telling me the truth before it’s too late. You are saving me from getting killed by that psycho,” I said.

“You don’t need to do anything. You just need to stay awake and open the door of your room by 1 a.m. I’ll take care of the rest.”

She pulled me into a hug.

“I’ll protect you, Rhea. I won’t let you die.”