“Okay.” Another pause. “And what if—I mean, this is probably a weird question, but what if I can’t do it? What if I get halfway through and I realize I can’t give up the baby?”
I tensed.
This was the question that mattered.
This was the question that separated the ones who could handle it from the ones who couldn’t.
“Then you terminate the contract,” Raymond said evenly. “You keep what’s been paid. You walk away. But you need to understand—my client is looking for someone who won’t walk away. Someone who understands what this is and what it isn’t.”
“I understand,” Truth said quietly. “This isn’t about me. It’s about him. He wants a child. I’m just… the vessel. The biology. That’s it.”
“Exactly.”
“But—” She hesitated. “Can I ask why? I mean, why does it have to be like this? Why can’t he just… I don’t know. Get married? Have a baby the normal way?”
I held my breath.
Raymond didn’t answer immediately.
“That’s a question you’ll have to ask him yourself,” he finally said. “If he chooses to answer it.”
“Right. Okay. I’m sorry—I’m talking too much, aren’t I? I do that when I’m nervous. I just start talking, and I can’t stop and—” She laughed, embarrassed. “See? I’m doing it right now.”
I smiled again.
There it is.
Her tell.
The thing that made her human, made her real, made her different from every other woman who’d sat in that chair and performed composure like it was a job interview.
Truth Renois talked when she was nervous.
And I found it… disarming.
“It’s fine,” Raymond said, and I could hear the faint amusement in his voice. “You’re doing well, Ms. Renois. Just a few more questions.”
“Okay. Sorry. I’ll try to—” She stopped herself. “I’m listening.”
Raymond continued. “Do you have any questions about the medical process? The IVF procedure, the hormone treatments, the embryo transfer?”
“I’ve been researching,” Truth said. “I know it’s not easy. The hormones can mess with your emotions. The injections hurt. There’s no guarantee it’ll work the first time. But I’m willing to do it. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
“Why?”
The question hung in the air.
I leaned closer to the doorway.
“Because I need the money,” Truth said simply. “I’m not going to lie about that. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars would change my life. It would get me out of my mama’s house. It would pay off my debt. It would give me a chance to start over. But also…” She paused. “I’m good at keeping promises. When I say I’m going to do something, I do it. And if I sign that contract, I’m promising to carry his baby and give him the family he wants. That’s not something I take lightly.”
Silence.
Then Raymond, “That’s a good answer.”
“It’s the truth,” she said. “No pun intended.”
Raymond chuckled. Actuallychuckled.
