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Good Luck, Ms. Livingston

Author: Jade Lane
last update Last Updated: 2025-07-03 20:39:14

Simone

“Kidnapping?” I repeated softly. “I waited two days. I didn’t touch, nurse, or name her. I didn’t even want to look at her. I waited for him to show up. I’m sympathetic, but what happened to him is not my fault. His time was up, and I stepped in.” I picked up the contract. “I took care of her and loved her. As I said, I’m sympathetic and will be happy to let him see his daughter and be in her life, but she’s not just some kid I gave birth to anymore.” I tore the contract in half and pushed the papers across the table. “Nori’s my child, and you’ll have to pry her from my cold, dead hands. I’ll never stop fighting for her.”

Mr. Baker lost his air of nervousness and took his glasses off with a heavy sigh. “This is an extenuating circumstance, Ms. Livingston. Mr. Powell is grateful that you took such good care of Nori. But she was never yours. The time has come, Ms. Livingston. You have to return her to her biological parent. I hope you say your goodbyes.” He stood and gathered his briefcase. “Please excuse me. I’ll see myself out.”

“Do you have any children, Mr. Baker?” I asked.

He glanced back at me. “Yes.”

I smiled. “What would you do if you were me?”

He closed his eyes and turned his back to me. “Good luck, Ms. Livingston.”

***

I glanced down at the torn copy of the cursed contract that kept me imprisoned in this cruel game where the odds were never in my favor.

Simone Livingston will have no parental—

I looked away. I couldn’t torture myself further. I abandoned the kitchen for my bed. Nori wasn’t gone yet, but there was a hole in me—always had been until Nori—but with her gone, that hole would turn into a crater.

My baby will be taken from me. I want to be optimistic, but optimism isn’t realistic right now.

Nori’s cries propelled me out of bed. My feet touched the thin beige carpet, but I couldn’t move. It was as if my feet were stuck like flypaper. All my energy escaped out of the house with Mr. Baker.

“Come on, Simone. She’s still here. You still have to fight,” I encouraged myself. I shuffled to Nori’s nursery and found her standing in the bed with her hands around the bars for support. She squealed and bounced up and down upon seeing me.

“Mama, Mama, Mama,” she repeated before blowing a raspberry.

I plastered a fake smile on my face. “Well, good morning to you, too, love bug. Are you hungry?” Her response was more raspberries. I felt her pull up and perked up when she was dry. “Let’s go to the potty first,” I said, sweeping her into my arms. We made it just in time. I did the happy potty dance while she smiled and clapped at my antics.

Moments later, she was cleaned up and propped up in her high chair.

“You probably don’t know my name. My name is Simone, but you’ll probably forget,” I sighed as I cut her breakfast fruit in front of her. I watched her little fingers pick up the little bits of strawberries. “Your name is Nori. And…and you like Mary J. Blige and Ms. Rachel on YouTube. I’m your mother. I always will be.” Nori doesn’t dispute those facts while she eats. I smiled and watched her. “No matter what, I’ll always love you.”

Jade Lane

If you were in Simone's position, would you run with your baby? Or stay and fight?

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  • The Cruel Millionaire's Surrogate   A Mother's Despair

    SimoneThe air kicked on, automatically cooling the small apartment to a crisp 68 degrees. I detested the cold, but Nori couldn’t sleep if it was too hot. I’d turn the thermostat up; however, I didn’t have the energy to move. I’d already called in sick, and my boss warned me that I couldn’t take any more days off without penalty. I whispered that I understood and hung up. I was about to toss my phone when I realized I had missed a call from Anthony at 4:18 in the morning. I listened to his voicemail more times than I cared to admit, trying to decipher if I should hate him more or a smidge less.I still hate him. Giving me an update on Nori feels like he’s taunting me, even if that isn’t his intention. Was it really that hard to grant me joint custody? Nori wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me. Hell, I would’ve taken a weekly supervised playdate if that meant I could see my daughter.I rolled over and realized my mistake when my red and puffy eyes landed on a pink and white 3-in-1 bab

  • The Cruel Millionaire's Surrogate   The Letter

    AnthonyIt was 4:00 in the morning, and Nori had finally exhausted herself from all the crying and fell asleep. I read to her, rocked her, gave her a bottle and her pacifier, played a cartoon on TV, and bathed her in lavender-scented soothing baby wash—nothing helped. For a moment, while she cried for her Mama, I considered letting her go. I nearly packed up my daughter and drove her to Simone’s place, but I felt that if I did, I’d be admitting defeat, and that I was never meant to be a parent if I couldn’t handle a night of crying.I want to be happy with my daughter, but what if I’m hurting her?I was on the edge of sleep when my eyes focused on the little white purse Nori had earlier carried. It hung from a knob of her white dresser drawers. I had to settle my curiosity. I opened the purse and found two folded letters: one for me and one for Nori.Anthony,I was prepared to curse you in this letter as no one has ever been cursed before. I wanted to call you every nasty name in the

  • The Cruel Millionaire's Surrogate   Father and Daughter

    Anthony“Nori, honey. Please settle down,” I whispered, damn near on the verge of crying myself. The child had been crying nonstop since we left the courtroom, and that was hours ago. She’d long ago ripped the white bows out of her head, leaving her ponytails wild and skewed. Her face was red, splotchy, and streaked with tears. I tried feeding her, and she swiped the bowl of spaghetti off the high chair table with a forceful backhand, sending sauce and noodles splattered against her pretty dress and the pristine white walls. She flopped over like a fish in the highchair and cried out the only word I assumed she knew…Mama.The more I told her to calm down, the worse it got.“You should give Simone a call. Maybe if Nori heard her voice, then she’ll settle down,” Jonathan suggested.“No, I got this.”“I think you were too aggressive. You could’ve done a gentle transition. You know, spend a few months getting to know Nori before taking her from Simone.” I ignored him and pulled a sauced no

  • The Cruel Millionaire's Surrogate   She's Gone

    SimoneMy baby is gone. I’ve lost her, but she isn’t dead. She still exists. I just…can never see or hold her again. It’s true. Every moment with your child is precious. Life is unpredictable—here today, gone tomorrow.Where do I go? Home? Back to the place with her nursery and a reminder of her first dentist appointment on the refrigerator? Somewhere else? A place where a memory of her doesn’t exist?I checked the time on my phone, but my lock screen was of her. I swallowed around the lump in my throat and questioned if I should remove it. The constant reminder of the love lost would be torture.“Ma’am, you have to leave. We’re locking the courthouse for the evening,” I heard from a gruff voice above me.“I’m sorry,” I whispered, standing to my feet.“I’ll escort you to your car.”“That won’t be necessary,” I refused. I left the courthouse and found my sedan in the parking lot looking as lonely as me. My breath caught in my throat when I eyed Nori’s car seat in the back.She will not

  • The Cruel Millionaire's Surrogate   The Verdict

    Simone“I’m sorry,” Anthony murmured as he sat beside me on a bench while we waited for the verdict.Sorry? I scoffed in my head while Nori sat on my lap, playing with a doll.“About which part? Trying to take my daughter? Refusing to split custody? Or was it bringing up food stamps or the fact I was a day or two late on my rent a few times—”“Six,” he reminded me, setting his cane across his lap.“You didn’t need to clarify,” I snapped.Heartless bastard.He cleared his throat, and his gaze locked on Nori. “I’m sorry…for all of it. Believe me, Ms. Livingston, it was not supposed to be this way. I didn’t want to do this.”I smiled ruefully. “Oh, let me guess…this hurts you more than it hurts me?”He pursed his lips before allowing his expression to even out. “Perhaps not more, but I’m hurting too.”“Not even getting hit by a truck hurts more than this.”His lips turned up softly. “You haven’t been hit by a truck yet.”“Yet?” I scoffed with a shrug. “You might as well, at this point.”

  • The Cruel Millionaire's Surrogate   A Father's Plea

    AnthonyI anxiously tapped my cane against the tile floor and stared at Judge Wallen. Her poker face was top-tier—she didn’t give the slightest hint of emotion as Simone expressed how she should retain parental rights of Nori.“Judge Wallen, I implore you to do the right thing. It’s regrettable what Mr. Powell went through, but I’ve been Nori’s everything since she was born. While he may be her biological father, he’s still a stranger.”“Do you have anything else to add before Mr. Powell speaks?”“I…I’ve loved Nori since I felt her first kick; however, I told myself not to get close to her because of my obligations and duty to Mr. Powell, but all bets were off when we left the hospital. It’s me and Nori against the world, and she’s mine. I’m not heartless, Judge Wallen. I propose joint custody if Mr. Powell is in agreement. It would only be fair.”“Thank you, Ms. Livingston. Please take your seat. Mr. Powell, will your lawyer speak on your behalf, or would you like to make a statement?

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