Chapter 2 Take the offer

Sherry couldn't help thinking about her son, Andrew.

He was intelligent, taking much after his father, but resembling more of her than anyone else.How would he react if one day, she told him that his father was in a coma, in the hospital?

For months she had fed him with excuses that his father was on a work assignment in a country far away, and that he would most likely return after two years to see him. Andrew was disappointed at first, but she cooked up a few stories about how his father had volunteered to join the medical team to save victims in other countries during the pandemic.

Of course, these were blatant lies, but she didn’t want to crush her son’s heart by telling him the truth. It would hurt her even more to see her son sad.

Andrew was a problematic child. His distinctness among other classmates in school made him singled out from the others. He would disobey his teacher’s instructions and refuse to take part in class exercises, so he would hide in spaces between the cupboard and the wall. Fortunately, he had a very patient teacher who suggested to Sherry to bring him to a pediatric psychologist to perform a proper diagnosis.

That was how one year ago, Andrew started having sessions with a psychologist. Fortunately, her son did not have Autism Spectrum Disorder unlike what his teacher had suspected, and just needed more attention. While being a relief, the discovery of her son’s problems affected Sherry and Anders emotionally as they perceived themselves as negligent parents. Being a full-time mother, Andrew’s problems took a big toll on her mental state.

Originally, given their stable lifestyle, Sherry was planning to try for another child. Seeing how stressed she was from their son’s situation, Anders, who promised Sherry for a trip that he put off for almost two years, eventually gave in to her wishes and took time off for a holiday.

It was a weekend getaway. Mrs Narissa, Andrew’s nanny and someone they could trust, promised to take good care of Andrew during this time. Andrew had an extremely close bond with Mrs Narissa, so they could relax and let go of their worries for their son. Sherry thought this was a chance for her to conceive.

Thinking back to that time when she was on her ‘second honeymoon’ with Anders, it had seemed like yesterday. She was wholly excited about heading to Phuket, although it wasn't very far from Bangkok by plane. There were so many activities, from nightlife to having fun on the beach, and she couldn’t wait.

Closing her eyes, she called upon the memory she had stored deep in her mind.

“You only live once, love. Time to enjoy it to the fullest,” Anders said hopefully as he blindfolded Sherry’s eyes. “Stay here and wait for me. I have a surprise for you.”

It was just hours after they had landed in Phuket, and he had already wanted to surprise her?

She was thrilled, but a surprise wouldn’t be a surprise if she knew it all? So she closed her eyes behind the blindfold and waited.

And waited.

Suddenly, she heard a loud bang. Whatever excitement she had in her heart earlier dissolved into nothing as she peeled off her blindfold and digested the harrowing scene in front of her.

Anders was lying in a pool of his own blood, having been knocked down by a vehicle at a zebra crossing. The culprit was nowhere to be seen, but the crowd that assembled told her they had a sight of the vehicle registration number before it sped off. In his bloodied hands, he held a small gift, still wrapped up beautifully with a ribbon.

It all happened so quickly that she couldn’t absorb it all. Anders had evaded the curse in his family, beat all odds to be reunited with her in Thailand when she vanished abruptly from his life, and fought to give her and their son a comfortable lifestyle.

Yet, now, she was being punished. Why did it have to happen to her now?

Whatever hopes she held that night dissipated into nothingness in her mind as she broke down and wept, but nothing could be done. From that day onwards, Anders survived but remained in a comatose condition. No matter how much she cried or spoke to him, he would not respond.

Her life savings were running out at this point. If she refused to surrogate for Stark Williams, her husband would be evicted from the hospital because of long overdue fees.

She wiped her tears and made her final decision.

For Anders, whatever sacrifice she made would be worth it.

Therefore, she took a deep breath and called Walter, Stark's assistant, "Sir, I'll take the offer."