All Chapters of I Became The Surrogate For A Divorced Alpha and Luna: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I wake up to the hum of machines and the sting of an IV taped into the back of my hand. The room is dim, and the curtains are pulled shut against whatever time of day it is outside.For a second I just lie there, disoriented, trying to figure out where I am and why my body feels so empty.Then it hits me all at once — the blood spreading across my pajamas, the panic, Lucien's arms lifting me off the floor. My hand goes to my stomach before I even think about it. Then I relax. I’m still round. I know that isn't a complete decider but somehow I can still feel it.The baby is still there.A nurse comes by not long after and when she's done with the necessary checks, she slips out. Moments later, Lucien appears in the doorway.He exhales loudly by the door and crosses his arms, jaw tight. He's still wearing the same black jacket from before so that tells me mere hours have passed since he rushed me here. There's a faint rust-colored stain near his cuff, and my stomach turns when I realiz

I go out to find him talking to the cop on duty. He's formally dressed today, but he looks like he ruffled a little, almost like he came here in a rush. I don't like that I notice. Lucien notices my presence and crosses the space between us fast until he's only a few feet away from me."Are you okay?" he asks, his voice a little frayed, stripped of the cold edges I'm used to hearing from him. Up close, his cedarwood scent reaches me, heavier than usual. It smells like adrenaline burning off him, confirming my earlier suspicion that he did rush here."Yes," I say, even though my voice wavers on the word, and suddenly hot tears press behind my eyes again. I press my lips together, refusing to let them fall in front of him.He studies me for a long moment, something unreadable moving behind his eyes. Then he straightens and turns on Ramirez, who has been standing stiffly the whole time."What the hell were you doing?" Lucien barks at him, h

The first days are quiet. It's not the peaceful kind of quiet, it's more like two people circling each other in a house too big to force a collision.And Lucien is hardly ever at home.When he is, he disappears into his study for hours on end. We hardly ever see each other at all.By the end of the first week, I can count the total number of words we've exchanged on one hand."Hope you feel fine," he asks once as he passes me in the hallway, not quite meeting my eyes."Yes," I answer.A nod and that's it. That's the whole of it.And honestly, I think I prefer it that way. My days find their own rhythm regardless of him.The nurses still come for my checkups and I'm still fed on time. But beyond that, the house offers more than I expect. There's a massive garden in the back, wild and green and fragrant, and a library that stretches an entire wing in the house, with shelves reaching the ceiling. The books there are a diversity of genres, some new and untouched, some yellow from age and

Lucien doesn't say anything when I tell him about dinner with Vivienne. He just looks at me for a beat too long, like he's teetering on the edge of saying something, and then decides against it.He leaves the room, and I'm left standing there wondering if his silence was a yes or a warning.Mrs Greene is in the next room folding towels when I go to meet her."Why is Lucien always so… brooding?"She doesn't look up. "Hm? What do you mean?" she asks."I don't know how to explain it. He never tells you not to do things. He just watches to see if you will anyway. And the result determines how he reacts.""Well, Lucien has never been one to talk too much. He likes to observe.""Is that supposed to make me feel better?""It's supposed to be honest," she says with a shrug and continues her folding.I sigh and drop onto the bed.The day of the lunch, I dig through my closet for something that isn't a maternity shirt or the leggings I've basically been living in for the past few days.I find a

Vivienne calls that evening, and her voice is apologetic.“I’m so sorry,” she says. “I didn’t think we’d get photographed. I should’ve thought it through.”“It’s fine,” I tell her, touched she even bothered calling. “Did your family give you trouble over it?” I ask, because I remember what she said about her father.“A little. My father had things to say. I’ll be fine though, don’t worry,” she says with a short laugh. “I’ll come see you this weekend. Somewhere no one’s going to photograph us, I promise.”My insides warm at her words. “I’d love that,” I say, and I mean it.—Vivienne keeps her word.She shows up unexpectedly on Saturday around noon. I’m sprawled on my bed when I hear her bright voice coming up the stairs. It makes me smile and I go to see her, radiating a childlike energy I haven’t had in forever.I guess deep down, my loneliness had been weighing on me for a long time.“Guess who!” she yells the moment she sees me.“Santa Claus?”“Ugh, don't be funny. I brought food!