Just A Vessel: The Surrogate's Escape

st fund for my twins, only to have

requires the *biologic

* their mother.

most powerful Mafia Don on the coast

sn't his wife. I wa

iana, returned from exil

ies, pushed me down the stairs

d over my bleeding body to take hi

etrayal happened o

ere both tied up, alle

who to save, Gavy

Ilian

," he said, driving away with t

was leaving be

med ten million dollars f

man, transferring the money. "

on his knees in my garden,

ugh my new fiancé first-th

pte

ex

any desk, and in that single, fluid motion, the foundation

National Bank, the aggressive air conditioning sudd

s for my twins, Kennith and Kaelynn-

osed to be

Gavyn Dunlap, the *Capo dei Capi

s. Or, at the very least, it moved

y voice steady despite the trem

is glasses, studiously r

er's signature for the initial setup, per the Family

stated, the words tasti

uctantly turned his co

e with the State and the Syndicate registry

d the document

Father: G

Mother: Ili

oom l

na D

gh

r estate, yet whose presence lingered like the

of a rival associate who had supposedly

he repl

gin chosen from a loyal family to

the IVF clinic

ocedures Gavyn had insisted upon, claiming he wante

ad l

't the

the

the in

eling numb, as if they

r. Henderson,

zzle of the city, ignoring my security detail'

ed to

ears, the man I had learned to love despite his coldnes

iving the address

el that pierced the skyline, a mon

the ports, and the shadows

s in the lobby; they knew bett

thouse office felt like an e

was empty, save for the low murmur

or was

into the thick carpet, silencing my

a low baritone rumble, a sound that usually made my s

he registry?"

A French

ia

k of ice against glass. "Alex is docile. She does what she is

d over my mouth

" Iliana purred. "It's confusing for them. Now that

hen you couldn't be here. She kept the seat warm. We will transition

her pu

he seat

't his

ong-term

and walked back

. I didn't burs

ursts got you killed.

prawling mansion that felt mor

doors, water dripping from my hai

om

were at the top of

en, possessing Gavyn's dar

d their tears, kissed their scraped knees, sat

I said, my v

idn't

ked at each other, a silent, dark communicati

e a wet rat,"

six yea

stepping onto the first stair

g her arms with an attitude far too old for her small fra

lungs as if I'

" I said, reaching o

reco

t want you!"

nged f

t a play

d by a malice a chi

ng on the slick

tilted v

nd my head cracked against the stone pil

oded behi

asping, warm blood tr

ght

rd la

hildren-the children I had birthed, or so I

door opene

walk

y a woman. Tall,

ia

d down at me, sprawled

panic in his

s if I were a piece of furnitu

said coldly. "Sto

the stairs, stepping over my legs to g

cooped

r heels clicking ominously

me with a smirk tha

e dripping with venom. "Maybe sh

h Real Mom now?" Kennith ask

al

art, twisting, severing the last

d at me one

p," he ordered. "

d his ba

and the children, a perfect famil

rble, the blood pool

the empty room, surre

nt you