The midday sun streamed through the windows of the clinic, casting clean lines of light across the tiled floor. Elena sat quietly in the waiting room, her wrist wrapped in a neat bandage. She kept her purse close, a magazine about surrogates tucked halfway inside.
The door opened.
Marissa walked in, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on Elena. She tilted her head, curiosity flickering.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, stepping closer.
Elena didn't answer.
Marissa's gaze dropped to the bandage. A slow, mocking smile spread across her face.
"From the push?" she said. "Looks like it left a mark."
Elena shifted in her seat, trying to hide the magazine better. But as she moved, it slipped from her purse and fell to the floor.
Marissa's eyes caught the cover instantly.
She stepped forward and set one foot on the magazine, wedging it beneath her heel before Elena could reach it.
"Oh my God…" she said, eyes wide. "No way."
Marissa bent down and picked up the magazine. She flipped through a few pages, her eyes scanning quickly.
"Surrogate… Elena. Is this it?" she said, letting out a mocking laugh.
Elena stood up abruptly and snatched the magazine from Marissa's hands.
"Leave me alone, Marissa, and mind your own business," she said, her voice firm.
Elena turned to walk out, clutching the magazine tightly, but Marissa grabbed her arm and yanked her back.
"So this is actually what you chose to do to pay your father's bills… surrogate," she scoffed, her grip firm and cruel.
Before Elena could respond, the door to the doctor's office opened.
Luca stepped out.
His eyes landed instantly on Marissa's hand gripping Elena's arm.
"Who are you," he asked, his voice sharp and commanding, "and why are you holding her like that?"
Marissa froze.
Her mouth parted slightly, but no words came out. Her thoughts raced.
**Who exactly was this hot, rich-looking man defending Elena?**
Luca walked toward them, his expression unreadable but intense. Without hesitation, he reached out and removed Marissa's hand from Elena's arm.
"Don't ever touch her like that in your life," he said coldly. "Find someone else to mess with."
Then he turned to Elena, placed a protective hand around her waist, and walked her away without another glance.
Marissa stood frozen in the hallway, watching Luca walk away with Elena tucked protectively at his side.
Her thoughts spun.
"He must be the one she's surrogate for. Wow, Elena… this is something interesting. But watch out for what's about to hit you."
She turned and left the clinic, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
The car was quiet as it pulled away from the clinic. Elena sat beside Luca, her fingers resting lightly on the magazine now tucked safely in her lap.
Luca broke the silence.
"Who was she?" he asked, his voice calm but edged.
Elena glanced at him quickly. "She's my schoolmate… we're in the same department."
"That was why she spoke so disrespectfully in the clinic?" he asked. "And you let her?"
Elena didn't respond.
She simply bent her head down, staring at her lap, the weight of the moment pressing heavily on her shoulders.
Luca spoke again, his tone firmer now.
"You don't let people walk on you like a foot mat… start defending yourself."
Elena nodded slowly, her head still bowed in shame.
He glanced at her wrist, then back at her face.
"Did she do that to your wrist? The bruise?"
Elena looked down at the bandage, then at Luca, and finally turned her gaze out the window.
"It was an accident," she said quietly.
Luca's jaw tightened.
"Next time she touches you, let me know," he said. "There's always a punishment for fools."
Elena was surprised by the sharpness in his voice, the authority in his words. It caught her off guard.
But then the thought crept in again.
"Oh… I'm with his heir. That's why he cares so much."
She looked down at her lap, the magazine still resting there, and said nothing more.
They returned to the mansion in silence. The staff greeted them, but Elena barely noticed. Her thoughts were heavy, her emotions tangled.
Later that afternoon, she wandered through the hallway, hoping a slow walk might clear her mind. The corridor was quiet, lined with soft rugs and golden sconces.
As she passed one of the study doors, she noticed it was half-closed.
She slowed.
Inside, Luca's voice drifted out—low, firm, unmistakable.
"Yes, I found a surrogate already," he said. "Forget about the ladies abroad. I don't need them anymore."
Elena froze.
She tiptoed back a few steps, just enough to hear more.
"I don't need a wife," Luca continued. "I told you. The child is all that matters."
Elena didn't need to hear anything else.
Her chest tightened.
She turned quickly and hurried down the hallway, her footsteps light but fast.
By the time she reached her suite, her heart was pounding.
She closed the door behind her, leaned against it, and let the silence swallow her.
Elena stood in the middle of her suite, the silence pressing in around her like a weight.
She slowly placed both hands on her stomach, her palms resting gently over the life growing inside her.
"The child is all that matters…" she whispered.
Her voice trembled.
"I… I don't matter. He's being protective for the child… not me."
The words echoed in her mind, each one cutting deeper than the last.
She tried to stay composed, but the ache was too much.
Her chest tightened.
Her throat burned.
And then the tears came—hot, silent, unstoppable.
She sank slowly onto the edge of her bed, her hands still on her stomach, as something inside her shattered.
Not just her hopes.
But the fragile illusion that she was more than just a vessel.
Elena wiped her cheeks slowly, though the tears kept coming.
She stood up, her movements heavy, and walked across the room toward the mirror.
The tall glass reflected her fully—eyes red and swollen, bandaged wrist hanging by her side.
She stared at herself.
At the woman who didn't matter.
Her gaze locked with her own reflection, pain etched deep in her eyes.
She didn't speak.
She didn't blink.
She just looked.
As if searching for something—worth, strength, maybe even a reason.
But all she saw was a girl carrying someone else's future.
And nothing of her own.