The News

There will only be worse news in the upcoming week. When my mother tells me over the phone that my father will soon require surgery because they cannot afford it, she breaks down in tears. My last reservations about acting as a surrogate vanished right away. I sincerely assure her not to worry. I'll send her the money as quickly as possible the following week. Being able to support my family at last makes me feel amazing. That justifies the fuss surrounding surrogacy.

Adam remarks, "You've been home a lot," over our Saturday breakfast meal. "Did you leave your job or something?"

I avert my gaze. Yes, it was beginning to consume too much of my time. Don't worry, I still have money set up for payments.

He winks at me and replies, "I wasn't; it's just nice to spend time with my roommate."

My phone vibrates, so I get up and take my purse off the counter. "I'm leaving now."

"Until then, bye."

As soon as I get outside, I search the parking lot for his Tesla. When he instead steps out of a truck, dressed in a dark blue suit, black shoes, and a white button-down shirt, it surprises me. How could someone have left him at the altar?

As he opens the passenger door, he nods and says, "Good morning."

"I appreciate it." When the phone rings, he gets in the driver's seat and reaches for it on the dashboard; I see the pricey silver watch he wears. My mind is always buzzing with ideas about Evans's lifestyle and the secrets he chose to keep hidden as I gaze out the window. I've been planning to approach him all week to ask him why he hasn't told me who he is, but now that I'm with him, I don't believe I can. He's just too terrifying.

It's a quiet, uncomfortable trip to his house. for me, anyhow. He doesn't appear at all upset, though I'm not sure if he's always this way.

When we enter his condo, he asks, "Did you eat?"

I sit down at his kitchen table and respond, "I did." After getting himself a glass of wine, he sits down in front of me and puts a packet down in front of him. I take a slow sip, realizing that this is the last one. I can only inquire now; if I wait any longer, it will be too late to find out who he is. "When exactly were you going to tell me that you come from a famous family?"

"You took a long enough time."

"Is that it?" I inquire, starting to feel a little irate. I'll tell him how irritated I am even though he's the most scary man I've ever dealt with.

He gives me a glance. "People usually know who I am; I don't have to tell them."

"I didn't."

"I am aware," he replies. "I wanted to know how long it would take you to solve it."

I scoff. Evans, this isn't a jest. I don't want anybody to know what I'm doing for you, thus I'm not interested in being followed or taken pictures of.

How come? Are you feeling ashamed?

I glance down at my lap. I added in a hushed voice, "I don't want my parents to find out," then I turned to face him. "Plus, I don't want to worry about paparazzi on top of everything else."

He gives one indiscernible nod. "Trust me, I don't want that either. Ciara, I'm going to attempt to keep this under wraps. However, I am unable to make any promises. However, I want to be with you every step of the way, and the only way to ensure this stays secret is if I never see you.

His remarks amaze me. primarily because they are accurate. The fact that he is taking this seriously and that he wants to raise a child correctly also surprises me. At the very least, I respect that.

He cuts me off mid-thought, saying, "Listen—" I took advantage of the fact that I knew you were unaware of who I was. I had the thought that you wouldn't want to do this if I informed you. I apologize."

It makes sense why he is prepared to spend so much money.

After a brief pause, I say, "It's okay." Simply said, things are already complicated here. I don't want to handle mags and cameras in addition.

"Ciara, I'm not allowing any of them to touch you." However, I am unable to stop them from snapping photos and spreading rumors. I hope you get that.

"Well, I suppose I do."

"That's why it was crucial for me to find someone with clean, secretive qualities like you."I nod, at a loss for words. It all makes sense, even though I detest it; I had thought Evans wouldn't have any justifications or anything negative, so I could have backed out of the agreement guilt-free. But I'll simply have to accept it and deal with it when the time comes. "Okay, so the agreement...”

He moves the package across the surface of the table. "If you'd like, you can read it."

"Oh, I see. I'm grateful."

He snickers. "But you're a college girl."

"That is the precise reason. I've read enough. My eyes lock with his. In addition, I have faith in you.

"You trust me when you hardly know me?" he queries.

I avert my gaze. "I don't believe you are foolish enough to deceive me."

He holds back a laugh. "Miss Damien, you're much smarter than I thought."

I take the pen and carefully sign my name while grinning. My breath catches as I put down the pen and look into his blazing blue eyes. There is no going back from here.