She hurried to the door, Sophia following her. The older woman whispered something I couldn’t hear, then locked the door once the client was gone, flipping over the sign hanging inthe window soopenwas now facing the inside.
Then she turned to us. “What are we going to do about those fuckers?”
I let out a laugh that was quickly strangled by sobs, and in seconds, I was in Trevor’s arms. He held me while I cried, neither of us talking, Sophia standing by the door wringing her hands. She looked how I felt. Lost. Helpless.
Knowing I didn’t have a lot of time, I pulled away from Trevor after less than a minute, working to get my emotions in check while I wiped my face with the back of my hand. “There’s nothing anyone can do. Not about this. The Department of Fertility has all the power.”
“Just cooperate, Ara,” Trevor said vehemently. “Just do what they say, and you’ll be finished with this in three years at the most.”
I gave him a sad smile. “Will I? Think about it, Trevor. You’re a lawyer, you looked at the contract, you know what the Department of Fertility is capable of. You know what they can do and how much power they have. Even if I cooperate, what’s to stop them from commandeering my body for as long as it’s useful? I mean, if this pandemic is as bad as they’re predicting, the Department of Fertility might decide women like me shouldn’t be limited to three years of service. They could easily change the law to make my time in the program indefinite.”
Trevor’s eyes widened. “They wouldn’t do that.”
“Wouldn’t they?” I whispered.
Sophia snorted. “They’ll do whatever the fuck they think they can get away with. They don’t care about us. They only care about power.”
I swallowed my emotions and said, “Exactly.”
Silence settled over the room, which was broken when Trevor cleared his throat. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t know.”
His brows furrowed, creating a line between them. “Will they let you contact me after you get there?”
“I don’t know.”
The line deepened. “How long will you be gone?”
“I. Don’t. Know.”
Deeper still. “What do you know, Ara?”
“That I’m going to a secure location, that I have to report to the Department of Fertility by noon, and that if I don’t cooperate, there will be consequences. That’s all, Trevor. My fertility counselor wouldn’t tell me anything else.”
I glanced at the decorative clock behind Sophia’s desk as he blew out a frustrated breath. Eleven thirty-eight. I didn’t have a lot of time. Minutes. That was all.
I focused on Trevor. “I’ll contact you if I can. You know that.”
“I love you, Ara,” he whispered in a choked voice.
“I know,” I said, the words coming out strained. I got to my feet. “I’ll be okay. Like you said. If I cooperate, they have to release me when my time in the program is up.”
“In three years,” he whispered.
“It could be less.” I gave what I hoped looked like an unconcerned shrug. “It will go by fast.”
He closed his eyes, shaking his head, but said nothing.
I glanced toward the clock for a second time. Eleven forty.
When I was once again focused on Trevor, I said, “I have to go.”
Sophia moved toward me, stepping past him with her arms open. “Give me a hug.”
We’d never hugged before, but it felt oddly natural when she wrapped me in her arms. She was sturdier than I thought she’d be, not frail feeling, but solid. Like a person who could carry all your problems on her shoulders if you needed her to. If only I could let her.
“Do what they say,” she whispered in my ear, “but don’t lose your spirit. Don’t ever let them take that from you. Understand?”
