Lahat ng Kabanata ng Surrogate for My Cold-Hearted Ex: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

The elevator doors slid shut with a metallic thud, and the silence that followed was deafening.Maya stood frozen beside Adrian, her pulse hammering in her ears. She could still hear Lila’s mocking voice echoing down the hallway — Tell your mother I said hello.Adrian’s hands were clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. His jaw worked as he stared at the elevator panel, his reflection pale and tense in the mirror-lined walls.“She’s bluffing,” Maya said, though her voice trembled. “She has to be.”Adrian didn’t answer.The elevator reached the ground floor with a chime, and as the doors opened, chaos greeted them like a slap.Reporters crowded the lobby, cameras flashing, voices shouting questions over one another.“Adrian! Did Knight Industries break surrogacy laws?”“Maya Rivers, were you paid to carry your ex-husband’s child?”“Is this an illegal arrangement or a love story gone wrong?”Maya’s stomach dropped. Adrian moved instantly, putting an arm around her shoulders and

Eleanor’s shadow stretched across the polished floor like something out of a nightmare. The storm outside rumbled again, as though the sky itself knew this confrontation would break something that could never be fixed.Maya’s heart was racing so fast she thought it might burst. Adrian stood frozen, clutching the papers she’d handed him, his jaw tight, his knuckles white.“Say something,” he finally whispered, his voice hoarse.Eleanor stepped into the light, her face calm and eerily collected. “There’s nothing to say that you haven’t already read.”Adrian’s voice broke into a shout. “You changed the donor? You replaced my DNA—my child—and you think there’s nothing to say?!”Eleanor didn’t flinch. “I did what was necessary.”Maya’s voice cracked. “Necessary? You manipulated science, Adrian’s life, and my body—how could you possibly justify that?”Eleanor’s eyes flicked toward her, cold but composed. “Because this family needed protecting. Adrian’s bloodline—our legacy—could not afford

The following morning felt like standing at the edge of something too big to see — like looking down a cliff you didn’t know was beneath your feet until the ground crumbled.Adrian hadn’t slept.Neither had Maya.They sat across from each other at the kitchen island, coffee untouched, both of them staring at the small object lying between them — the key. Cold, silver, ordinary… and yet, in that moment, it felt heavier than anything either of them had ever held.“The guard said they found it on the passenger seat,” Maya murmured. “Along with her phone. No blood. No footprints. Nothing.”Adrian’s eyes stayed fixed on the key. “She wanted us to find it.”“Or she wanted you to.”He finally looked up, eyes dark and unreadable. “Same thing.”There was a moment of silence before Maya asked quietly, “What if it’s a trap?”He gave a humorless smile. “Then we walk right into it.”Maya reached across the counter, her fingers brushing his hand. “You don’t have to do this alone.”He stared at her

The explosion of the tank left a shimmering mist hanging in the air — a strange mixture of chemical vapor and cold water that smelled faintly of ozone.Shards of glass clinked as they hit the floor, glimmering under the red emergency lights.Adrian stood frozen. Maya’s voice echoed distantly, shouting his name, but it felt like sound was underwater — muffled and distorted.Because the man standing in front of him… was him.Or at least, something like him.The other Adrian — Elias — took an unsteady breath, then lifted his head. His eyes were the same icy gray, but there was something hollow about them. No confusion. No fear. Just quiet calculation, like he’d already studied everything around him and found it predictable.Adrian’s voice came out hoarse. “What are you?”Elias tilted his head slightly, almost curiously. “That’s funny,” he said softly. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”Maya stepped between them, pulling Adrian back by his arm. “You need to move. That thing—”“Not t

For a long moment, no one moved.The only sound was the faint buzz from the monitors, still flickering with static.Eleanor’s voice seemed to linger in the air — soft, precise, and utterly calm.“Welcome home.”Maya was the first to speak. Her voice came out small. “That wasn’t… that wasn’t a recording, was it?”Elias stepped closer to the terminal, fingers dancing over the keys. “No. It was live.”Adrian’s throat went dry. “Meaning she’s watching us.”A soft electronic beep echoed through the lab. The lights overhead shifted — from pale blue to a warm, unnatural white. Somewhere, hidden doors hissed open, releasing a faint mist.“She’s activating the systems,” Maya whispered. “This place isn’t dead. It’s been on standby.”Elias turned, his expression unreadable. “She knew we’d come here.”Adrian’s anger snapped through the fear. “Then let’s not disappoint her.”He started toward the corridor that had opened at the far end of the chamber, but Maya caught his arm. “Adrian, wait! We don