The Heiress Is Back!

"How is it?" Henry stood up right away after hearing the click from the door of their bathroom. He could not hide the anxiousness and excitement that he was feeling right at the moment. His hands were sweaty and was trembling a little bit. His heart was also pounding fast as he walked towards his wife who just stepped out from the bathroom. "Amelia," he called her softly.

He was just staring at her, patiently waiting for her response. But his bright face became gloomy when he saw his wife's lips in a thin line.

There was nothing on her face but only disappointment.

He knew from seeing her reaction that the result that he was waiting for was just the same as the previous results.

"Is it negative?" he asked her.

Amelia dropped on the floor as she bit her lips tightly. Her grip in the pregnancy test kit that she used a while ago tightened. Her vision started to get blurry because of tears that were starting to form in her eyes.

She could not look up to him. She was sad and was feeling hate for herself.

Why hasn't she gotten pregnant?

It was already their third time trying. But all they got was the same negative results.

Henry, who felt his wife's frustration, immediately made her look at him as he cupped her face. His heart clenched in pain when he saw that she was just suppressing her tears to fall down.

Why was life so cruel to them?

"I love you, Amelia," he whispered to her wholeheartedly. Then he leaned forward and pecked on his forehead. When he pulled away, he stared at her right into her eyes. "I love you so much, Amelia. And that love won't fade even if we won't get pregnant in this lifetime. I promise you that," he tried to comfort her.

But those words from him made her lose it all. The disappointment that she was feeling for herself worsened. She felt pity and sadness for her husband. "Why can't I give you a child?" she sorrowfully cried in his arms.

Henry pulled her for a hug and immediately caressed her hair. "This is not your fault, Amelia. We don't know the reason for this. We don't know if you're really the problem here or I am. Maybe I'm infertile. Don't put all of this on yourself, honey."

Amelia shook her head as her cry went louder. She knew to herself that she was the problem. She did not know what the problem was. But she could feel it. And that made her feel worse.

Henry could not afford to see his wife crying so much because of something that she could not control. So when Amelia finally calmed down, he held her hands, squeezed them lightly, and voiced towards her, "Let's go to the hospital for a check-up. We will also talk to Dr. Hudgins to ask for his suggestion about our case."

***

"I'm really sorry to tell you, Mrs. Thompson. But the reason why it is so hard for you to conceive a child is because you have a PCOS," Dr. Hudgins dropped the bombed that shattered Amelia and Henry's world.

The couple looked at each other with sorrow in their eyes.

Why was this happening to them?

They did not do anything wrong. And they had not wronged any person in their lives. But why was the world throwing them this kind of problem?

They were multi-billionaire businessmen. But what was the purpose of this if they were not able to bear an heir or heiress of their empire?

Their hard work would all become meaningless if they could not have an heir or heiress. But what was worse was that, they would not be able to feel and experience being parents.

Their thoughts were interrupted by a sudden ringing of a phone.

“Kindly excuse me. I just need to take this call,” Dr. Hudgins said.

The coule nodded in response.

***

"Amelia..."

Amelia gulped hard as she immediately wiped her tears, then shifted her eyes outside the car's window.

They were already on their way home from the hospital. And it was raining hard. It seemed like even the heavens were mourning with them.

Amelia felt Henry hold her hand and lightly squeezed it.

A few more seconds later, Henry lifted her hand and pulled it towards him. He kissed the back of her palm while his eyes were on the road. “Don't worry about that much, honey. Maybe a child is just not for us,” he blurted out.

Amelia gasped for air as she cried harder. She could not accept that fact. So she faced him with her wet face. “But what about our business? Who will manage it when we’re old?” she asked.

Henry sighed in defeat. Even though he was the one who really wanted more to have a child from the beginning, he was left with no other choice but to accept that maybe this was their fate, to grow old without children.

Both of them were silent in the remaining minutes of their trip. And when they reached their mansion, both of them could not help but to roam their eyes around, then their shoulders dropped in an instant after a realization.

Their mansion was gigantic and wide, but there was no joy that they could feel in it. It was such an ironic thing to have it all and have themselves together, but they suddenly felt alone in this moment.

But all of those thoughts and emotions temporarily went away when they saw one of their maids, Leah, rushing towards them, with tears streaming down her face.

"M-Mr. Thompson... M-Mrs. Thompson..." Leah stuttered because of too much crying.

Both of the couple browse furrowed while staring at their maid.

"What happened, Leah? Why are you crying?" Amelia was the first one to ask.

Leah found it hard to answer her boss because of mixed emotions. She could also feel a lump in her throat. "M-My daughter... L-Lily is in the hospital. I am need of a huge amount of money for her hospital bills--"

Leah stopped her words because of a phone ringing.

It was Amelia's.

She immediately took it out from her bag and wondered when she saw the caller's ID.

Henry peeked out to his wife's phone. "Dr. Hudgins?"

Amelia faced Leah then apologetically smiled at her. She gestured that she would just answer the phone.

Leah nodded her head in response.

"Dr. Hudgins?" Amelia spoke after she answered the call.

[Mrs. Thompson...]

Henry was just watching his wife taking the call. He was also curious with their topic since it was not on loudspeaker. He did not know why he was feeling strange about the call.

"May I ask why did you call, Dr. Hudgins?" Amelia asked.

[Oh, right. About that, I just called to tell you what I forgot to tell you a while ago.]

"What about it?"

[About the child... If you really want to have a child, there is a way for you to have it without risking your health.]

Amelia's eyes widened in shock. She took a few moments for the information to sink in. "W-What? T-Tell me about it, Dr. Hudgins," she eagerly asked.

[You can have a child of your own through surrogacy.]

Amelia frowned at his response. "Surrogacy? How can I have a child of my own that way?"

Was he mocking her?

[Yes. Since we are in the age where innovation is unstoppable, surrogacy also innovated. Before, we only did traditional surrogacy where the surrogate mother will be using her own egg and will just get inseminated with the donor's sperm. But today, we have the surrogacy which is called gestational surrogacy wherein both intended parents will be the ones donating the eggs and sperm to the surrogate woman, which will make her only the carrier and the one who will deliver the baby. Therefore you can still produce a child of your own."

Amelia felt like she was dreaming upon hearing their doctor's explanation. She looked at Henry with trembling hands and teary eyes.

"What happened?" Henry asked in worry.

Amelia gulped hard and smiled at her husband. But she did not answer him. Instead, she faced Leah, then wiped her tears. "Leah..."

"Ma'am?" Leah answered in response.

"Will you do everything I will ask you in exchange of your daughter's payment for yer hospital bills and maintenance?"

Leah unhesitatingly nodded her head. "Y-Yes, ma'am! Everything!" she eagerly exclaimed.

Amelia smiled at her, then took a glance at Henry.

"What are you going to do, Amelia?" Henry asked with his brows furrowed.

Amelia held his hand then intertwined their fingers before returning her gaze at the maid. "Will you be our surrogate?" she asked.

Henry and Leah were shocked at her question.

"What are you talking about, Amelia?!" Henry exclaimed.

"Sshh. Trust me on this, Henry," Amelia calmed him down. Then faced Leah again. "I'll give you everything you need for your daughter's medication. In exchange, you will be our surrogate. You will carry my and Henry's child in your womb."

Leah gulped hard. 'How could that happen?' she mentally asked.

Like Amelia at first, Henry and Leah were only knowledgeable about the traditional surrogacy. That was why they found it insane that Amelia told her that.

Amelia heaved a deep sigh and explained everything that their doctor told her to them. And after she finished, it seemed like both of them understood what gestational surrogacy was.

Even Henry was already convincing Leah to agree with the deal. His hopes rose instantly.

And also, they had nothing to lose since Leah was such a great and kind maid.

“What do you think, Leah?” Henry asked.

Leah fell into a deep thinking. And after a few seconds, she lifted up her gaze to them with determination in her eyes. “Yes. I’ll do it.”

For her only daughter, she would be willing to do everything they would ask, even that meant carrying a baby that would not be biologically hers.