บททั้งหมดของ Bred for Betrayal : บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 6

Nora's POVI wake up to sunlight cutting through the blinds and immediately wish I hadn't.My body feels like it's been hit by a truck. Everything aches. My stomach is cramping, my breasts are rock-hard and leaking through the hospital gown, and between my legs, there's a dull, constant throb that the pain medication can't quite touch.But the physical pain is nothing compared to the emptiness.I shift in the bed, trying to find a position that doesn't hurt. The IV in my arm tugs. I've been alone all night. Nobody came to check on me after the lawyer left. No nurses asking how I'm doing. No doctor checking my recovery.I guess when you're just the surrogate, you don't get the same care as the actual mother.The door opens and a nurse walks in. Not the kind one from yesterday. This one is younger, all business, checking the chart at the foot of my bed without really looking at me."How's your pain level?" she asks."Fine.""Bleeding?""Normal, I think."She makes a note. "Doctor will b

Nora's POVI spend the night at the shelter. Four hours of sleep on a cot that smells like bleach and desperation. My body is wrecked. Bleeding through the pads they give postpartum women. Breasts leaking. Everything hurts.But I drag myself up at seven because I need to meet Detective Chen at ten and get Dad's box before they throw it away.The shower at the shelter is lukewarm and the water pressure is terrible but I stand under it anyway, watching blood and milk circle the drain. This is what I've become. Two days postpartum and homeless.I put on the cleanest clothes I have left. Jeans that barely stay up because my body is different now. A t-shirt that hides the leaking. A jacket that's too warm for the weather but has pockets deep enough for all my important documents.The coffee shop Detective Chen suggested is one of those chains that tries to look local but isn't. I get there fifteen minutes early and order black coffee I can't afford. Sit in the corner with my back to the wa

Nora's POVI'm halfway to the police station when I realize I left my jacket at the shelter. The one with my documents in the pockets. Everything important. My ID. My copy of the surrogacy contract. The photo of the baby.I turn around and head back. The shelter is only six blocks but my body is screaming at me to stop moving. Three days postpartum and I've been on my feet for hours. Blood is soaking through the pad again. I need to rest but there's no time.When I get back to the shelter, there are two men standing outside. The same ones from ten months ago. Cheap suits. Dead eyes. Debt collectors.My stomach drops.They see me before I can turn around. The tall one smiles. "Miss Ashford. We've been looking for you.""I don't live here," I say. "I'm just staying temporarily.""We know. We've been to your old apartment. Building management said you were kicked out. Gave us this address." He pulls out a tablet. "You owe forty-nine thousand, two hundred and seventeen dollars. Plus late