Chapter Seven
Larissa's POV
I knocked softly on the door as I arrived at Lucia's apartment on the fifth floor.
"Who is that?" Lucia called out. "I'm coming, give me a sec."
I adjusted my handbag and waited patiently for her to open the door. After a few seconds, I heard her footsteps approaching.
"Hey, it's you, Larissa," Lucia said with a smile as she opened the door.
"Yeah, it's me," I said, stepping inside the apartment. The living room was cozy and well-organized, with nice floral designs and two framed artworks hanging on the walls. A long blue couch with a table in front of it completed the space. It used to have only one artwork, so she must have added the other one recently.
"That's a nice painting over there," I said, approaching the artwork and marveling at its realism. It was a ballpoint drawing of a lady in the sea, with water dripping off her body.
"Did you draw this?" I asked curiously.
"Yes, I did. What do you think?" Lucia replied.
"To be candid, this is mind-blowing. Why did you hang such a precious piece here?"
"Because no one is willing to pay for it. All of my clients said they don't need any at the moment. They valued it but didn't buy, so I decided to hang it here," she explained.
"How much does it cost?" I asked.
"I'm willing to sell it for five hundred euros," she said.
"I'm going to give you two thousand euros for the art," I said.
"Oh my God, thanks! I really appreciate this," she said, embracing me with happiness evident all over her face. As we broke the hug, she gave me a smile and asked, "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I came to ask for a favor from you," I said, my voice laced with a hint of desperation, making Lucia more curious.
"What is that?" she asked as we both settled down on her couch, facing each other.
"It's concerning my marriage. Lionel's mother has been pressuring me about this baby issue. She came to visit us yesterday, and the ruckus was really unbearable. So we visited a specialist today and he said—"
"So what was the outcome of your meeting with the doctor?" she cut in curiously.
I took a deep breath, my heart racing. I didn't know how to say it to her, to ask her to be my surrogate mother. I hoped this wouldn't be too much to ask. I looked at her with regret evident on my face.
"What is it, Larissa? Tell me. The doctor didn't find a solution? If he didn't, that doesn't make it the end of the world. We will find a way to take care of Lionel's mother's problem," she said.
"The doctor gave us a solution," I chipped in.
"Really?" she said, her voice laced with happiness. "You don't seem to look happy about it. Why?"
"The solution the doctor offered is surrogacy, and I need a surrogate mother," I said bluntly.
"Is that the reason you're worried? Don't worry, I can find a surrogate mother for you," she said confidently.
"No, Lucia. I don't want anyone I don't trust to be my surrogate mother. I need someone I can trust, who will treat the baby with care and won't cause problems for me in my marriage," I said.
Lucia adjusted and looked at me with perplexity. "You seem to have someone in mind. Who is that person close to you that you think will treat your baby with care?"
I bit my lip and looked at her without replying. The room was silent for about five seconds before Lucia said, "Oh! Really? Me? You want me to be your surrogate mother?"
I took a deep breath and placed my hand on hers. "Please, Lucia. You're the only person I can confide in, and that's why I am here. You know I have no one but you."
She shoved my hand away and looked at me bitterly, staring for some seconds with anger evident on her face.
"I can't do it," she said sharply. "I know this would hurt you, but I just can't do it. What would people say about this?"
"Believe me, no one would say anything. No one would know. It would only be between me, you, and Lionel."
Lucia took a deep breath and said, "What about your husband? What is he saying about this?"
As she spoke, I could see a light at the end of the tunnel in this conversation. My shattered hope seemed to come back to life, so I subtly dropped the golden offer.
"He's also aware of it, although he didn't support the idea of using you as a surrogate. He knew you were more than family to me and asking that from you is outrageous, so we decided to offer you twenty thousand euros every month until the child is born. After the child is born, you will receive one million euros as a token of appreciation."
Lucia looked at me with joy evident on her face, but I continued, "I know it's never going to meet up with the role you're playing, but please do this for me."
"Fine, I will do it for you. And you were right about not making an outsider your surrogate mother," Lucia said.
"Exactly, I knew you would see what I am seeing," I said, embracing her in a hug. "Thank you, Lucia."
"What do you want to eat?" she inquired.
"I'm good. It's getting dark already, and I want to be the one to prepare dinner for Lionel tonight. I will do the transaction for the art now," I said as I brought my phone from my handbag and made the transfer.
Lucia's phone beeped, and she pulled it out of her pocket. "OMG, you sent five thousand euros."
"Yes, two thousand for the painting and the other three thousand for getting a new couch," I said with a smile.