Maya

Chapter 1: Maya

Maya’s POV

“Five hundred million,” Lizzy whispered, sliding the cheque across the table. “All for carrying a stranger’s child.” Her eyes did more talking than her lips.

My fingers hovered over the contract like it was a loaded gun. “You make it sound easy,” I said, my voice low. “But you fail to realize this isn’t just a job, Lizzy. It’s my life, my name, my body. And for a man I’ve never even met.” I hated the idea of it, it burned so deep.

Lizzy leaned closer, her arm wrapping around my back like she could hold me still until I said yes. “You don’t have the luxury of saying no, Maya. This isn’t about him. This is about you… and the people who need you to survive.”

I looked up at her, pain burning behind my eyes. “It’s not as easy as you think. Signing this means changing everything about who I am.”

“I understand, more than you think,” she said, her voice stripped of its usual humor. “But you and I both know that agreeing to be a surrogate for the unknown is the one thing that could change your life forever.” She tightened her grip like she wanted to force a reply from her throat.

The way she said “surrogate for the unknown” made my skin prickle. I hated that phrase.

But she was right. This was about getting things right, or watching everything collapse.

“I’ll do it.”

The words slipped out faster than I expected, as if the decision had been waiting in my chest all along.

Lizzy’s eyes widened, glittering with surprise. “Wow… really?”

I nodded, forcing calm into my voice. “I’ll do it. Besides, this is what you’ve been pushing me toward since day one.” I rolled my eyes, pushing up from the brown couch.

She grinned sprinkling up from her sit. “I’ll arrange a meeting with Mrs. Janette so you can see her tomorrow. I’ll be back.”

I watched her hurry away, a small smile tugging at my lips, one I quickly killed.

I’m not supposed to be happy. Not really. Not since the night my father died. Mom made sure I never forgot that. “You killed him”, she’d say. “You don’t deserve to be happy after what you did.”

Her voice was always sharp in my head: If he hadn’t gone to save your sorry ass from the cell that night, he’d still be alive.

But come to think of it, maybe she was right, because if I hadn’t gotten into trouble, Father wouldn’t have come to bail me out. If he hadn’t come, he wouldn’t have been hit by the car that killed him. So it was my fault, all of it is my fault.

Lizzy’s hands clapped in front of my face, snapping me out of the memory. She was frowning. “What’s wrong with you? I’ve been calling…”

My phone rang loudly on my lap, cutting her off.

“I told you to turn that down,” she muttered, rolling her eyes and giving my shoulder a light smack. “I nearly jumped into my grave.” She wandered off before I could answer.

I looked at the caller ID, and my chest hammered high. Mom. She never called to say she missed me.

I answered, bracing myself.

“Are you crazy? What took you so long to answer?” she barked, and I gulped hard.

“I wa…” I tried to speak.

“Oh, shut it!” I bit my tongue.

“Have you signed the contract, you bastard?” Her voice was venom, each word meant to cut. My throat hardened, my eyes lowered.

“You better sign the surrogacy contract and send us the money. Remember, it’s your responsibility to take over your father’s duties after successfully killing him.”

A tear slipped free, and then another. Trust me, I never wanted to cry, but I couldn’t stop myself either.

“You worthless piece of shit!” she spat. “You have to sign as soon as possible, or won’t you?”

“I’ll sign it tomorrow,” I said, my voice shaking. “I need to take care of you and pay Sarah’s hospital bill.”

“Yes, you should… you shit…” Her voice cut off and another, softer one came through.

“Please don’t take Mom’s words to heart,” Amanda said. My sister’s calm tone was like a thread holding me together. “I promise I’ll take care of her and Sarah. I’ll end the call now.”

The line went dead.

I stared at nothing, the weight of guilt pressing on my chest. My family was drowning because of me.

Lizzy was standing there, her eyes sad. She’d heard everything.

“My family is suffering because of me,” I whispered, the words heavy.

“You don’t have to be so hard on yourself,” she said gently, stepping closer to wrap me in a warm embrace. “You’ll be fine. I promise.”

I let her hold me, breathing in slow, letting some of the tension bleed away. “Thanks… I needed that.”

But even as I stepped back, I knew. This was the moment, and I wouldn’t hesitate or fear anymore.

“Let’s get this done,” I said, meeting her eyes. “I’ll wrap it up tomorrow.”

Her lips curved into a small smile. “I love that fire in your eyes.”

“After speaking to Mrs. Janette, she sent the address you should go to tomorrow morning. Ten a.m. sharp.”

I nodded, my mind already racing. Could I survive the contract? Could I last until the end?

And more importantly… why would anyone pay that much to have a child?

Five hundred million. Enough to save my family. And maybe enough to bury me, too.