Just A Vessel: The Surrogate's Escape

ex

in a suffocating

t a scene; it was a publ

e for a shred of the man who had onc

No recognition. Just the Don

ed off

climbed over the c

ysical blow, a thousand ic

rom my lungs by the shock

urky, deep, an

do

he heavy fabric clinging to

ddy bottom, my finger

ping, my teeth chattering so vio

I choked out, sp

drifted down from the terrac

ve a

ag

l, dark edges creeping in.

fingers brushed

the diam

ank, shivering uncontrollably,

I held the

steps. He didn't offer a han

celet from my froze

ing his back on me. "Don't come bac

s wrapping a fur coat around her sh

moment, listening to th

arkness

I was in a steri

ers. No

ssage on my ph

on your jealousy. We will dis

at the

't a loud snap. It was the quiet, te

ape from my arm,

stic bag. They were ruined, soa

scrubs in the supply c

out of th

driver, Paolo. He was loyal to the payroll

I said when I sl

rearview mirror, his

a'am. If you left the hospital,

Family's priv

hy

. With... t

ly. "Fine. Ta

re anymore.

club. The bass from the music thrummed th

lked

on the balcony, ov

aw

n. I

n I recognized. A low-l

ing Iliana

slipping it i

ripped her

neck, drawing blood wi

sed up

n the shado

sn't p

aging a cr

onto the sof

acked me! Ale

nd, genuine confu

ha

ed to force me! He said Alex pai

t of the act, dro

made me do it! The wif

out of t

aid, my voice raspy

spun a

ana, sobbing wit

ico, groveling

there in stolen scrubs, lo

e his

e, Alex," he said, h

tacked

aled th

ordered. "She needs to learn a

abbed my arms, I

t Iliana.

e into the dark, I realized I wasn't

hting for

didn't just w

nted m