Quin E.U

2 Published Stories

Quin E.U's Books and Stories

Chosen to Carry

Chosen to Carry

Romance
5.0
*Prologue – *Ashes and Memory** The scent of smoke clung to Maya Kingston's skin like guilt. She stood barefoot in the street, eyes wide, watching her childhood home burn. Flames licked through the roof like greedy hands, black smoke curling into the night sky. Red lights from the fire truck cast eerie flashes across her face. Neighbors whispered behind fences, but none dared come close. They all knew the house. They all knew who had died there. And who still refused to leave. The fire hadn't taken her this time. But it had tried. Wrapped in a thin blanket, Maya barely registered the cold or the paramedic's questions. All she could hear was the past-echoes of her mother's laughter in the kitchen, her father's voice calling her for dinner, her little brother's feet pounding up the stairs. Everything she fought to preserve... gone in a single night. Her fingers trembled as she clutched the only thing she managed to save - a scorched photo of her family, edges burned but faces intact. The police said it might've been faulty wiring. But Maya knew better. This wasn't an accident. And deep down, she suspected the truth. Someone had tried to erase her. Maybe because of the surrogacy. Maybe because she was carrying *his* child. Maybe because someone else wanted the heir she was now protecting inside her. She pressed her palm gently to her stomach. "You're all I have now," she whispered. The fire crackled behind her. The past was gone. But Maya Kingston had survived too much to burn easily. And this time... she wouldn't go down without a fight. *Plot:* Maya Kingston is drowning in grief and debt after losing her parents and younger brother in a tragic accident. Their house - the only thing left - is on the verge of foreclosure after a loan taken under her father's name. Desperate, Maya accepts a high-paying surrogacy contract from Spencer Callahan, a wealthy heir whose father is on his deathbed and demands a child be born to him before Spencer can inherit the family empire. Maya becomes his surrogate. Their agreement is strictly business - no feelings, no drama. But when Spencer's manipulative ex, Ivy, returns claiming to be pregnant with his child, Maya's safety - and the baby's - becomes threatened. Ivy's jealousy escalates into violence, forcing Spencer to protect Maya by moving her into his home. As Maya and Spencer begin to bond, secrets unravel, and trust becomes fragile. Just when Maya thinks she's found stability, she discovers the truth: *She's not carrying Spencer's heir. Someone else is.* --- *Climax:* Maya and Spencer grow close as the pregnancy progresses, and just as Spencer is about to publicly claim Maya and the baby, *the truth surfaces*: the embryo implanted in Maya was a mistake. *A mix-up occurred at the fertility clinic*. The real biological child of Spencer - his heir - was born years ago from a previous, secret relationship he never followed up on. This revelation breaks Maya emotionally and reignites Ivy's schemes. --- *Anti-Climax:* Ivy kidnaps the real heir - a child Spencer unknowingly fathered with Ruby, Maya's best friend. Spencer, torn between guilt and responsibility, distances himself from Maya. Maya, feeling used and betrayed, decides to leave after giving birth, thinking she was nothing more than a vessel to a man who never really saw her. --- *Ending:* Maya delivers the baby and, despite the child not being Spencer's biological heir, he chooses to raise both children - his real son and the surrogate child - as his own. He realizes Maya gave him more than bloodline - she gave him strength, healing, and love. Spencer tracks her down, confesses everything, and asks her to come back - not as a surrogate, but as his partner. Maya returns, not for the money or the child... but for herself. --- *Major Plot Twist:* Maya is *not* the biological mother of Spencer's heir - *Ruby is*, through a one-night relationship that Spencer abandoned out of fear of his father's disapproval. Ruby's son is Spencer's true heir, not the child Maya carried. --- *Plot Overview:* A grieving woman takes a risky surrogacy deal to save her home, unknowingly stepping into a powerful family's web of legacy, lies, and betrayal. Her client, a cold billionaire with a broken past, is desperate to secure his inheritance through a child. But when old lovers return and secrets unravel, Maya learns that love - and motherhood - is far more complex than blood. In the end, she must decide what family truly means... and whether she can still find her place in it. ---