Chapter 5:

In the room, suddenly enveloped by a terrifying silence.

Mr. Richart's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at her. "You... how could... how could you..."

"Father..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a sharp sound of a slap echoed in the room. Mr. Richart suddenly slapped her hard across the face, and Sonya felt the heat on her cheek, hearing Mr. Richart angrily interrogating her, "Why did you have to do this? Surrogacy... how could you do such a thing?"

She was still so young, only in her twenties, yet she dared to go and work as a surrogate for someone else. Did she realize that this would ruin her entire life? Did she see him as such an irresponsible father that she had to endure so much suffering?

"I won't touch a single penny of that money, even if it's just a dime! I, Thomas Richart, am not so useless that I have to force my daughter to do such a thing!"

Finishing his words, Mr. Richart stood up angrily and left his seat.

Sonya's heart pounded hard as she bowed her head, clutching her shirt tightly.

...

Six months later.

After registering for university classes again with her secretary, Sonya suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen on the way.

After months of worry, she unexpectedly gave birth prematurely, and there was no time to take her to the Anderson family's private hospital. The secretary had to rush her to a nearby maternity hospital, calmly completing all the procedures.

Sonya lay on the bed, her face pale, her eyes constantly looking up at the light on the ceiling, sweating profusely from the pain. Pregnant for eight months, she was finally about to be liberated. The secretary accompanied her into the delivery room, reassuring her, "Miss Richart, don't be afraid. You'll be fine. You'll definitely have a healthy baby. I'll be waiting outside for your news!"

"Thank you, secretary..."

Sonya closed her eyes, then she was pushed into the delivery room, and the door closed.

The director of this hospital was acquainted with Mr. Richart, so when Sonya went into labor, he immediately called Mr. Richart to inform him. Upon hearing the news, Mr. Richart rushed to the hospital, anxiously pacing outside the room.

Four hours later, the sound of a baby crying came from the delivery room.

"It's a very healthy baby boy."

The nurse held the baby and placed him in a basket, then took him to another room. Mr. Richart didn't have time to look at the baby, he was just standing outside the room, anxiously waiting.

The secretary arrived at the newborn nursery room first. Looking through the large window, she saw the baby, then turned around and said, "Where's the other one?"

The nurse regretfully turned her head and said, "I'm sorry, because of the premature birth, the second fetus was much weaker. It stopped breathing as soon as it was born..."

The secretary was startled, her face filled with fear as she asked, "Is there no way to save it?"

The nurse bluntly replied, "It's beyond saving!"

The female secretary felt a bit disappointed and said, "Alright, take care of that baby, and don't let any bad news leak out!"

Finishing her words, the secretary took out her mobile phone to contact some people from the Anderson family hospital.

As she was about to leave, the secretary filled out a receipt and handed it to Mr. Richart, saying apologetically, "Mr. Richart, your daughter has suffered for the past few months. This is her compensation. Please accept it."

Mr. Richart awkwardly took the receipt, then the secretary left the hospital.

In the delivery room, Sonya had already fallen into a coma.

The nurse walked back and forth in the room, about to take the remaining baby away for processing, but as she was about to pick up the baby, she glanced over and her face suddenly changed. She was shocked, then confused. She hugged the baby and ran to the doctor, shouting loudly as she went, "Doctor, doctor..."

...

...

...

Six years later.

Time passed by, as fast as a shooting star. In the blink of an eye, six years had passed.

In a grocery store, a crowd of people was bustling in and out. Sonya pushed a cart, looking around. She had just bought some necessities and was about to turn around, but the child who had been standing next to her had disappeared. She wandered around the toy section, then went downstairs, looking around in a circle. Her eyes stopped on a tiny figure. She shrugged, exhaled, then smiled and pushed the cart next to the child, squatting down behind him.

The child stood in front of the counter, his eyes fixed on the beautiful remote-controlled cars. He looked tiny, but he was already five or six years old, wearing a short uniform that was too loose for him, making him look very thin.

Soft black hair, fair and rosy skin, a delicate and innocent face, exquisite features. His cheeks were blushing, so adorable! The child had a pair of big, watery eyes that sparkled brightly, incredibly beautiful.

The eyes, elongated and beautifully shaped, resembled a pair of phoenix eyes, with eyelashes that were both curved and long, fluttering gently. The dark eyes were as black as onyx, without a trace of imperfection.

The boy had an enchanting smile, like a little prince, but the gaze of this little prince was now very serious and mature, as if he were an adult.

"$150, too expensive..." a childish voice echoed, tinged with a sadness that didn't quite match his age. The boy frowned like an old man, mumbling something to herself, then sighed deeply, shoulders slumping, as if she were the unhappiest person in the world.

Sonya chuckled at the child's demeanor, feeling a twinge of sadness. She pursed her lips, reached out to pat the child's shoulder, and startled, he turned around, cheeks reddening as he exclaimed, "Mom..."

"You're a bad child, Iris. You said you'd always stay close to Mom, but here you are, running off like this, making Mom worry!"

Iris looked slightly guilty, her small hands clutching Sonya's neck, eyes downcast, her voice hesitant, "Mom, don't be mad. Iris won't do it again!"

"Iris is a good boy..." Sonya sat down, embracing her. "What are you looking at?"

Iris pointed to the remote-controlled cars, but then hesitated, pulling her finger back, her face casual as she looked at her mother and said, "Mom, Iris is just looking. I don't want to buy!"

Despite her words, Iris's eyes kept staring at the beautiful racing cars, completely betraying his intentions.

Sonya looked sternly at her little boy, knowing he wanted one, but pretended not to because he knew Sonya was frugal.

This little one was indeed warm-hearted by nature.

Sonya smiled, patted her head, got up, and walked to the cashier, pointing to the remote-controlled cars. Iris seemed to understand, her face lighting up, excitedly rushing to the counter, eagerly eyeing the toy inside the pretty package, then reluctantly handing it to the cashier.

The cashier scanned the toy, put it in a bag, and Iris quickly ran over to take it, his face beaming with joy.

Sonya followed Iris, seeing his cheerful expression, feeling happy too. If she couldn't fulfill a child's simple wish, then she didn't deserve to be his mother.

Over the years, she had caused him a lot of suffering, indeed, a lot.

Six years ago, she had become pregnant with twins for a man. Because of premature birth, the two babies were born weak, and Iris was in danger, almost not breathing when born. According to her father, when the older brother was born, he was taken to another room. Then, the secretary called someone to take her to another hospital. The younger brother, on the other hand, was mistaken for not breathing, but luckily a nurse found out and discovered that Iris was still breathing, although weakly.

After a period of treatment, her child was saved. However, his body was too fragile, and she kept getting sick. With no father around, Sonya loved Iris even more, wanting her child to feel his mother's love. She wanted Iris to know that even without a father, he still received plenty of love from her. So she named her son "Iris Richart," thankful for the divine protection and hoping he would grow up healthy.