Lola arrived in front of an exquisite mansion the next day at noon.
'I have only been gone a week and they've already made this decision,' She stepped out of the car and made her way to the entrance.
As she got closer to the entrance, her heel brushed up against the magnificent marbled floor. When she walked in, she was greeted by the unsatisfied look on her mother in-laws face, a smile from her father-in-law, a glance from her husband, and an unfamiliar face who just stared shyly at her. Her mother-in-law frowned and spoke quietly to Lola's husband, "What exactly is she doing here? I thought you said she would return a week later."
"I don't Know, mother." He grunted.
Lola sighed deeply and spoke, "I decided to return home early. Is there anything wrong with that mother-in-law? And what's this about getting a surrogate, Santiago? When did you make this choice?"
"Hugo," her mother-in-law called her father-in-law, giving him a deadly stare.
" You informed her about it!"
"Yes, Paula, I told her because she has the right to know," he responded sharply, not looking at his wife.
Lola stared intently at Santiago, waiting for his response.
"I'm sorry I didn't inform you about this first but I had no choice," he replied slowly, with a remorseful expression on his face as he ran his slender fingers through his blonde hair.
'But we talked yesterday... Did he really forget to tell me anything?' Lola wondered, her face expressionless. Was she angry? No, not really but still he had no right to make such an important decision on his own.
She then looked at the lady sitting beside him, who was extremely beautiful and, unlike her, actually smiled. She wore a simple white cotton gown, and her long auburn hair, like brocade, fell softly on her shoulder. She exuded a stunning radiance, innocence, and exuberance. Her peach-colored eyes, with moist light brown orbs, were gleaming and lustrous.
When Santiago noticed Lola's gaze fixed on the lady, he said,
"This is Livia, and she will serve as the surrogate."
"Can we speak privately, Santiago?" Lola inquired, returning her gaze to him.
Santiago paused for a moment before nodding.
"Let's go to my study," he said as he stood up.
***
"Santiago, I can still give you a child, there is no need for a surrogate," Lola said sharply as they entered his study.
Santiago shook his head as he closed the door behind them. He took a report from his table and approached her with it, saying, "Lola, you've had up to three miscarriages, am I right?"
"This doctor's report states that if you do become pregnant, it will be dangerous for both you and your child. It could result in death." Santiago went on.
Lola grabbed the report and skimmed through it. 'It does state the risk...I can't do anything about it.'
"OK, I get it; I will accept her as my child's surrogate mother on one condition: this surrogacy must be gestational." Lola said as she handed Santiago the report.
"Yes, it's a gestational surrogacy we planned on doing anyway, we'll go to the hospital tomorrow," Santiago replied, taking the reports from her hand.
"Can I see the surrogate mother's details?" Lola asked.
Santiago looked at her for a split second, an uneasy expression on his face. 'Why does she need her information?' He pondered.
"Why? Didn't she fill out the necessary paperwork?" Lola inquired.
He looked her in the eyes and stated,
"Of course she did, but it isn't here right now; it is at the hospital. And don't worry, she's fine; I checked "
Lola looked at him and noticed that he was worried and had an impatient expression on his face.
'What's with his expression?' she wondered.
" To summarize it all, Her name is Livia Edgard, she's 22 years old, and she's completely healthy." Santiago said.
'Please don't ask any more questions,' the corners of his lips curving up into a forceful smile as he clasped his hands together .
"What about the contract? Or did you sign the contract..." Lola inquired, folding her hands and leaned causally on his desk.
"Ah yes, it's with my lawyer, I will show it to you later," Santiago cut her off. His gaze darted and landed squarely on Lola.
"I'm not going to the hospital tomorrow until I see that contract," Lola stated emphatically.
"OK, I will call my lawyer and have him bring the contract here tomorrow," Santiago said calmly.
"No, I want to see it today," Lola said firmly, pushing a strand of her black hair backwards.
Santiago took her hand in his and smiled sweetly, " Lola my precious, you just returned, there's no need for you to be stressed out like this. Don't worry, I will have my lawyer arrive very early tomorrow, and then we will go to the hospital."
"Everything is fine; I will accept her as my surrogate. Will she also be living here?" Lola stated.
Santiago smiled and nodded, "yes she will," and Lola agreed, "that's fine."
She pulled herself up from his desk and headed towards the door.
' This is bothersome , I can't read her at all, ' Santiago thought, His smile turned cold as he watched her leave.
Lola went straight to her room after leaving his study.
"First the reunion, and now this," Lola mumbled as she slumped on her king-size bed.
'I have a feeling he is hiding something. For starters, he never worries about me, and he never refers to me as 'my precious.' '
"I mean, what the hell is that?" she muttered, her brows knitting in disgust.
"it's disgusting and has less meaning hearing it coming from his lips."
'What I'm curious about is why he didn't tell me about this earlier. Did he think I would not return earlier than I planned, was he planning something while I was gone, or did he hide it from me on purpose?' she wondered.
She got out of bed and walked over to a photo frame on the wall that held her and Santiago's wedding photo. In the photo, She maintained her usual calm demeanour, while Santiago smile went from ear to ear.
' His smile never looked sincere' she thought.
She gave Santiago a hard stare and said, "I will find out what you are hiding, and once I do... I will ruin you."
She quickly averted her gaze and entered her bathroom to freshen up.
***
Few hours later...
She walked out of her bathroom with her robe after she had taken a long warm bath and was about to sit on her bed, when a maid knocked on her bed room door and said,
"Madam, it's time for dinner."
"OK, I will be there," Lola said and quickly dressed in a long lacy sleeved satin black robe nightgown.
She opened the door to reveal the maid, who was dressed in a short black dress with white lace trimming on her shoulders and waist as she walked to the door and opened it. Her brown hair was pulled back into a bun.
"Good evening, madam," the maid said, bowing with respect.
Lola looked at her and replied coldly,
"Good evening," before walking out.
The maid shut the door behind her, then followed her down the stairs and into an enormous hall. Her gaze was drawn to the long varnished stainless steel white marble dining table and chairs set, in the middle of the table under the chandelier was a five arm antique shiny silver candelabra with thin long candles in each arm, where everyone was seated, including Livia, who was sitting on her own seat near Santiago's.
Lola's brow furrowed slightly, 'no matter, let's just sit somewhere else.'
She moved over to her father-in-side law's seat and sat next to him.
With a warm smile on her face, Lola's mother-in-law coaxed,
"I am glad you decided to assist us, Miss Livia; please eat as much as you want."
Livia nodded and smiled softly, responding, "yes ma'am."
Lola's Mother-in-law stopped being nice to her after her third miscarriage and began to resent her, almost never allowing her to have peace of mind. She was always reminding her that she was bad luck to the family and that she had three miscarriages.
Lola just shrugged and started eating, not caring if her mother-in-law liked Livia more than her or not.
"Yes, Livia, you would have to eat, you are going to be our surrogate after all," Santiago added.
Livia responded with a wide smile "Yes, Sant..! Sorry, I meant sir " covering her lips with her hands .
"No, it's fine, you can call me Santiago or whatever name you want to call me," Santiago said as he helped her push a strand of her hair back.
Lola looked at them with slightly cocked brows, 'something odd about these two '.
"Ah then, I will call you Santi," Livia laughed.
Lola couldn't figure out what she was looking at; Santiago was staring at Livia affectionately and flirting with her.
Lola thought she was seeing things, but it was all real.
'He has never looked at me like that,'
She felt as if something had pierced her heart, 'it's not like I have feelings for him or anything like that, and I can understand he doesn't have feelings for me either, but at the very least respect the fact that I am your wife and I am present at this table. If you knew you wanted to do these things, don't do them in front of me, and don't disrespect me.'
"You can call me mother," Paula said as she held Livia's hand.
"Thank you, mother," Livia said, nodding.
Livia then turned to Lola's father-in-law and inquired, "Ah! Mr Rodriguez, may I also address you as father?"