PART 6: THE LETTER HANNAH NEVER RECEIVED
\nHannah did not take the envelope.
\nShe stared at it as though something inside might reach out and hurt her.
\n\u201cWhat did he say I agreed to?\u201d
\nRachel glanced past us toward the quiet hallway.
\n\u201cMay I come in?\u201d
\nI stepped aside.
\n\u201cKeep your voice down. The children are sleeping.\u201d
\nChildren.
\nThe word slipped out naturally.
\nMy son upstairs. Lily in the spare room.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For a moment, it steadied me.
\nWhatever this woman had brought, there were still two children in my house who would need breakfast, clean clothes, and adults who could hold themselves together.
\nRachel followed us into the kitchen.
\nHannah sat at the table but left the chair beside her empty.
\nThe chair Lucas always chose.
\nI pulled it out and sat there myself.
\nRachel placed the envelope between us.
\n\u201cThese are copies of correspondence I sent you when I worked at the clinic,\u201d she told Hannah. \u201cAnd a statement about conversations I personally had with Lucas. I haven\u2019t brought anyone else\u2019s medical records.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy now?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cBecause Hannah called the clinic this week asking why an old counseling referral was marked declined. A former colleague told me she was trying to reach me and passed along her number with her permission.\u201d
\nI looked at Hannah.
\nShe nodded.
\n\u201cI called when I started checking everything. They said Rachel didn\u2019t work there anymore.\u201d
\n\u201cI left you a voicemail this afternoon,\u201d Rachel said. \u201cYou texted this address and said I could drop off copies.\u201d
\nHannah looked down at her phone.
\n\u201cI thought you were bringing another form.\u201d
\nHer voice was barely audible.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know there was anything left to find.\u201d
\nRachel slid the envelope toward her.
\nHannah opened it.
\nThe first page was a letter addressed to her, dated several months before I became pregnant.
\nShe began reading.
\nThen she stopped.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nRachel waited.
\nHannah turned the page toward me.
\nIt was a follow-up letter offering another counseling appointment before they proceeded with surrogacy.
\nNear the middle, one sentence had been underlined.
\nYou expressed uncertainty about proceeding and asked for additional time to consider whether parenthood remained your own wish.
\nI read it twice.
\nThen I looked at Hannah.
\n\u201cYou told them you weren\u2019t sure?\u201d
\nShe pressed her fingertips to her mouth.
\n\u201cI told them I couldn\u2019t tell what I wanted anymore.\u201d
\nThe refrigerator hummed behind us.
\nRachel folded her hands on the table.
\n\u201cYou asked me to send the appointment information directly to you.\u201d
\n\u201cI never received it.\u201d
\n\u201cI know that now.\u201d
\nHannah looked up.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cLucas told me the counselor thought I was just exhausted. That there wasn\u2019t any point in going back until we had a pregnancy.\u201d
\nRachel shook her head.
\n\u201cThat wasn\u2019t our recommendation.\u201d
\nHannah turned another page.
\nThere was a printed email from Lucas.
\nHannah has decided not to continue counseling. Please direct scheduling communication through me for the time being. She finds these conversations upsetting and wants to move forward.
\nHannah stared at the words.
\nThen she whispered, \u201cI asked for a month.\u201d
\nMy chest tightened.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cAfter the last failed treatment. I asked him for one month when nobody would ask me about babies.\u201d
\nShe gave a short, breathless laugh.
\n\u201cHe said of course.\u201d
\nI remembered that month.
\nLucas had come to my house alone.
\nHe had stood in my kitchen while my son built something out of blocks on the floor.
\nHe had told me Hannah was losing hope.
\nHe had asked whether I would consider carrying their baby.
\nI had said I needed time to think.
\nA week later, they had come together.
\nHannah had smiled.
\nShe had cried when I agreed.
\nI had never asked what had happened between those two visits.
\n\u201cDid you want me to say yes?\u201d I asked.
\nHannah\u2019s head snapped up.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nThe answer came immediately.
\nThen she looked at the letter.
\n\u201cBut I also wanted someone to tell me I could say wait.\u201d
\nNobody spoke.
\nRachel broke the silence carefully.
\n\u201cUncertainty before treatment doesn\u2019t mean you didn\u2019t want your child.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nHannah\u2019s eyes filled.
\n\u201cBut he knew how guilty I felt for being tired.\u201d
\nI remembered the first night in the hospital.
\nI\u2019ve been so afraid.
\nI had thought she meant afraid for Lily.
\nNow I understood there had been other fears long before our niece was born.
\nRachel pointed to the last page.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s something I need to take responsibility for.\u201d
\nIt was a brief statement with her name at the bottom.
\n\u201cLucas told me you wanted him to handle communication. I accepted that explanation instead of checking with you directly.\u201d
\nHannah looked at her.
\n\u201cYou believed him.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nRachel swallowed.
\n\u201cAnd when you later attended the required appointment together and said you wanted to proceed, I assumed the earlier uncertainty had been resolved. I should have asked to speak with you privately about the missed follow-up.\u201d
\nHannah ran one finger along the edge of the paper.
\n\u201cI would have told you.\u201d
\nRachel\u2019s eyes shone.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t give you that chance.\u201d
\nA sound came from the spare room.
\nLily.
\nHannah stood before the second cry.
\n\u201cI need to get her.\u201d
\nShe left the kitchen.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Rachel watched her go.
\nI kept my voice low.
\n\u201cWhat else is in this envelope?\u201d
\n\u201cNothing hidden. The letter, the email, the scheduling record, and my statement.\u201d
\n\u201cNo more surprises?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI let out a breath.
\nFor days, every document had seemed to contain another trapdoor.
\nI needed one thing to end where someone said it ended.
\nRachel gave me her contact information for Mara and left a few minutes later.
\nWhen Hannah returned, Lily was awake in her arms.
\nShe settled into the chair and looked at the papers.
\nThen at her daughter.
\n\u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re here,\u201d she whispered.
\nLily moved one tiny hand against her mother\u2019s blouse.
\n\u201cI need you to know that.\u201d
\n\u201cShe will,\u201d I said.
\nHannah shook her head.
\n\u201cI want to say it now. Before he turns this into something else.\u201d
\nShe kissed Lily\u2019s forehead.
\n\u201cI wanted time. I wanted rest. Sometimes I wanted my old life back for a weekend.\u201d
\nTears slipped down her cheeks.
\n\u201cAnd I wanted you. All those things were true.\u201d
\nI reached across the table and covered her free hand.
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t have to erase yourself to prove you love her.\u201d
\nHannah closed her eyes.
\nFor a while, we sat like that.
\nThree people awake beneath a kitchen light.
\nNo one asking Hannah to decide faster.
\nThe next morning, with her permission, I sent copies to Mara, who advised that Hannah share them with her own attorney.
\nThen we put the original pages away.
\nMy son needed help finding a missing shoe.
\nLily needed attention.
\nHannah needed breakfast.
\nThe ordinary work of the morning kept interrupting our fear.
\nI was grateful for it.
\nAt ten, Lucas called.
\nHannah watched the screen until it stopped.
\nA message followed.
\nWe need to discuss what you\u2019ve been telling the clinic.
\nShe handed me the phone.
\nI read it and gave it back.
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t have to answer right now.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nBut she kept looking at it.
\nAnother message appeared.
\nRachel has always exaggerated things. Don\u2019t let her confuse you.
\nHannah\u2019s expression changed.
\nNot shock this time.
\nRecognition.
\n\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know what she brought,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cHe knows enough to be worried.\u201d
\nShe opened a new message and typed.
\nI have the correspondence. Please send any questions about it through our attorneys. I am caring for Lily.
\nShe read it once, then pressed send.
\nHer hands trembled afterward.
\nBut she set the phone facedown.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That afternoon, Mom came with groceries.
\nShe found Hannah sitting on the living room floor, sorting the hospital paperwork into folders while Lily slept nearby.
\n\u201cI brought soup,\u201d Mom said.
\n\u201cAnd enough food for six other houses,\u201d I added.
\nMom gave me a tired smile.
\nThen she looked at Hannah.
\n\u201cLucas called me.\u201d
\nHannah\u2019s hand stopped over a folder.
\n\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d
\n\u201cThat you were having doubts before the pregnancy.\u201d
\nI put down the grocery bag.
\nMom continued before either of us could speak.
\n\u201cI told him being unsure about a life-changing decision doesn\u2019t excuse what he did afterward.\u201d
\nHannah lowered her head.
\nMom sat beside her on the floor with a small groan.
\n\u201cI wish you\u2019d felt you could tell us.\u201d
\n\u201cI thought you\u2019d be disappointed.\u201d
\n\u201cOh, sweetheart.\u201d
\nMom touched her shoulder.
\n\u201cI\u2019m disappointed that you were alone with it.\u201d
\nHannah began to cry.
\nMom stayed beside her.
\nShe didn\u2019t promise everything would be fine.
\nShe helped sort the papers.
\nA week passed.
\nThen another.
\nThere were appointments, interrupted nights, and mornings when Hannah looked too exhausted to speak.
\nThere were also small things I wished I could preserve forever.
\nMy son solemnly explaining a cartoon to Lily.
\nHannah eating an entire hot meal because Mom had insisted on taking a turn.
\nLily falling asleep with her fingers wrapped around the edge of my sleeve.
\nLucas sent messages through the agreed channels.
\nSome were appropriate.
\nSome still managed to make his own distress the center of the page.
\nHannah answered what needed answering.
\nShe left the rest.
\nThen, one Thursday afternoon, she returned from meeting her attorney with a cardboard file box.
\nI was folding laundry at the table.
\n\u201cHow did it go?\u201d
\nShe put the box down.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re moving forward.\u201d
\n\u201cWith the separation?\u201d
\nShe nodded.
\nI set the towel aside.
\n\u201cAre you all right?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nShe sat.
\n\u201cBut I\u2019m sure.\u201d
\nFor once, I didn\u2019t offer a reassuring sentence.
\nI made tea.
\nWhile the kettle heated, Hannah opened the box to find a document her attorney had asked her to check.
\nInside were old statements, insurance letters, and a folder from the surrogacy agency.
\nShe pulled it out.
\nA loose page slid across the table.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I glanced at it without thinking.
\nThen I stopped.
\nThe heading read: CARRIER EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT.
\nBeneath it were dates.
\nAmounts.
\nMy name.
\n\u201cHannah.\u201d
\nShe looked up.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nI picked up the page.
\nThere were payments listed for maternity clothing, travel, childcare during appointments, and missed work.
\nAt the bottom was a total.
\nEighteen thousand six hundred dollars.
\nI read the line beside it.
\nReceipt acknowledged by carrier.
\nMy mouth went dry.
\n\u201cWhere did this come from?\u201d
\n\u201cThe records Lucas sent over. Why?\u201d
\nI laid it flat between us.
\n\u201cI never received these payments.\u201d
\nHannah frowned.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\n\u201cI mean I never received them.\u201d
\nShe stood, searched through the folder, and pulled out another sheet.
\nA bank statement.
\n\u201cI transferred money every month,\u201d she said.
\nMy ears began to ring.
\n\u201cHe told me the agency was releasing it to you.\u201d
\nI remembered paying the babysitter.
\nCutting back my hours.
\nTelling my son we would have to wait until after the baby came to replace his broken bicycle.
\nI had agreed to help my brother without being paid for carrying Lily.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But they had promised I wouldn\u2019t be left covering the expenses.
\nWhenever I asked, Lucas said the paperwork was delayed.
\nI had believed him.
\nHannah turned the bank statement toward me.
\nOne transfer had a note beside it.
\nFinal payment to carrier\u2014confirmed.
\nShe looked at my face.
\nThen she looked back at the amount.
\nFor a long time, neither of us spoke.
\nFinally, she reached for her phone.
\n\u201cWho are you calling?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cMy attorney.\u201d
\nHer voice was steady now.
\n\u201cI think we need to ask where the money went.\u201d<\/p>\n
PART 7: THE PRICE OF MY SILENCE
\nHannah\u2019s attorney answered on the third ring.
\n\u201cI found something in the financial records,\u201d she said. \u201cPayments Lucas claimed went to his sister.\u201d
\nShe looked at me across the kitchen table.
\n\u201cShe never received them.\u201d
\nThe attorney asked her to photograph the pages and send them through the secure link his office had provided.
\nThen he asked a question that made both of us go still.
\n\u201cWho controlled the account the money was transferred into?\u201d
\nHannah lowered herself into the chair.
\n\u201cLucas.\u201d
\n\u201cWas it the agency\u2019s account?\u201d
\n\u201cNo. He called it the baby account. He said keeping the expenses separate would make everything easier.\u201d
\nI looked at the words on the page again.
\nReceipt acknowledged by carrier.
\nThere was no signature beside that sentence.
\nJust my name, typed neatly underneath it.
\nEven on paper, Lucas had found a way to make me agree without asking.
\nThe attorney told Hannah to preserve the records and avoid drawing conclusions about where the money had gone until the transfers could be traced.
\nAfter she ended the call, I contacted Mara.
\nShe asked me to gather my own records.
\nBank statements. Receipts. Messages about reimbursements.
\n\u201cAnything that shows what you paid and what you were told,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t have every receipt.\u201d
\n\u201cStart with what you have.\u201d
\nSo I did.
\nI found the parking charges first.
\nThen the pharmacy transactions.
\nThe babysitter\u2019s messages were still on my phone.
\nCan you send this week\u2019s payment when you get a chance?
\nUnderneath one was my reply.
\nOf course. Sorry. I\u2019m waiting on a reimbursement.
\nI stared at the date.
\nThat had been the week Lucas bought the nursery rocking chair.
\nHe had sent a photograph to our family group.
\nOnly the best for our girl.
\nI set the phone facedown.
\nAcross from me, Hannah was crying silently.
\n\u201cPlease don\u2019t,\u201d I said.
\n\u201cI sent it.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cI thought you had it.\u201d
\n\u201cI know that too.\u201d
\nShe shook her head.
\n\u201cYou were paying for all of this, and I kept sending you links to baby blankets.\u201d
\n\u201cYou were choosing things for your daughter.\u201d
\n\u201cWith money he said you\u2019d already been given.\u201d
\nI reached for her hand.
\n\u201cHe told each of us the part that kept us from asking the other.\u201d
\nHannah looked at our joined hands.
\nThen she pulled her chair closer, and we started sorting.
\nBy midnight, the kitchen table was covered.
\nNot with one terrible surprise.
\nWith dozens of ordinary things.
\nA tank of gas.
\nAn afternoon of childcare.
\nA smaller paycheck.
\nA maternity coat I had bought secondhand because mine no longer closed.
\nThe hardest part was how familiar every charge felt.
\nI remembered living each one.
\nI remembered telling myself it was temporary.
\nLucas would sort it out.
\nHe was good with numbers.
\nThe next morning, my son found me at the table with a calculator.
\n\u201cAre you doing homework?\u201d
\n\u201cSomething like that.\u201d
\nHe climbed onto the chair beside me.
\n\u201cI can help with adding.\u201d
\nI smiled for the first time in hours.
\n\u201cI might need you later.\u201d
\nHe looked at the pile of receipts.
\n\u201cIs this why you couldn\u2019t come on the school trip?\u201d
\nMy fingers stopped moving.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cYou said you had to work.\u201d
\nI remembered.
\nA museum visit.
\nHe had asked whether I could be one of the parents on the bus.
\nI had picked up an extra shift instead.
\n\u201cYes,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cThat was part of it.\u201d
\nHe nodded, accepting the answer far more easily than I could.
\nThen he went to find his backpack.
\nI sat there staring at the empty chair.
\nThe money had a total.
\nWhat it had cost us did not.
\nThree days later, Hannah\u2019s attorney called with the first clear answers.
\nThe account had been an ordinary account in Lucas\u2019s name.
\nThe agency confirmed it had not administered those reimbursements, despite the way his spreadsheet was labeled.
\nSome of Hannah\u2019s transfers had paid legitimate pregnancy expenses directly.
\nOther amounts had moved back into the household account.
\nSeveral had gone toward Lucas\u2019s credit-card balance.
\nThere were still transactions to explain.
\nNothing in the records showed the payments to me that he had marked as completed.
\nHannah listened, making notes.
\nWhen she hung up, she pushed the notebook away.
\n\u201cHe paid himself back.\u201d
\n\u201cFor what?\u201d
\n\u201cHe says he covered other costs earlier. He\u2019s claiming he was balancing everything.\u201d
\n\u201cAgainst money he said he gave me?\u201d
\nShe nodded.
\nI thought about all the times he had told me not to worry about the paperwork.
\nThen I opened my messages.
\nOne from six weeks before the birth caught my eye.
\nI\u2019d asked whether he could send something before Friday because the babysitter needed paying.
\nHis reply was still there.
\nI\u2019m chasing them. Please don\u2019t stress Hannah about this. She feels guilty enough already.
\nI forwarded it to Mara.
\nThen I put the phone down before I could throw it.
\nLucas arrived that evening.
\nHe called from the driveway instead of coming straight to the door.
\n\u201cI need five minutes.\u201d
\n\u201cAbout what?\u201d
\n\u201cThe reimbursements.\u201d
\n\u201cPut it in writing.\u201d
\n\u201cI brought a check.\u201d
\nThrough the window, I could see him beside his car.
\nAn envelope was in his hand.
\nI called Mara before I opened the door.
\nHer answer was simple.
\n\u201cRead anything attached. You don\u2019t need to sign something tonight.\u201d
\nDad was already at the house, fixing a loose cupboard hinge.
\nWhen I told him Lucas was outside, he put down the screwdriver.
\n\u201cDo you want me here?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nLucas came into the kitchen.
\nHe looked toward the spare room.
\n\u201cIs Hannah here?\u201d
\n\u201cShe\u2019s settling Lily.\u201d
\nHe nodded and placed the envelope on the table.
\n\u201cI want to make this right.\u201d
\nI opened it.
\nThere was a check.
\nEighteen thousand six hundred dollars.
\nFor one foolish second, relief moved through me so quickly it hurt.
\nThen a folded page slipped out beneath it.
\nI opened that too.
\nLucas shifted.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s just to confirm we\u2019ve settled things.\u201d
\nI began reading.
\nThe first paragraph referred to expenses.
\nThe second referred to disputed statements and documents.
\nBy the third, my hands had stopped shaking.
\nThey had gone completely still.
\n\u201cYou want me to withdraw my complaint about the medical form.\u201d
\n\u201cI want us to resolve this privately.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd say the other documents were a misunderstanding.\u201d
\n\u201cBecause that\u2019s what happens when people panic. Things get misunderstood.\u201d
\nI read the last paragraph.
\nIt asked me not to discuss the matter further with relatives or outside parties.
\nI looked up.
\n\u201cThis isn\u2019t a receipt.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a way forward.\u201d
\nDad pulled out a chair.
\n\u201cSit down, Lucas.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t need a lecture.\u201d
\n\u201cThen answer your sister.\u201d
\nLucas remained standing.
\n\u201cI\u2019m giving her the money.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re attaching conditions to it,\u201d Dad said.
\n\u201cI\u2019m trying to protect my family.\u201d
\nFrom the hallway, Hannah spoke.
\n\u201cWhich part of your family?\u201d
\nLucas turned.
\nShe stood with the baby monitor in one hand.
\nLily was asleep.
\nFor once, my brother couldn\u2019t use her crying as a reason to interrupt.
\n\u201cHannah, this doesn\u2019t involve\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cFinish that sentence carefully.\u201d
\nHe looked away.
\nShe stepped beside me and read the page.
\nWhen she reached the paragraph about the medical form, her face changed.
\n\u201cYou want her to say she was confused.\u201d
\n\u201cThat isn\u2019t what it says.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what does it mean?\u201d
\nHe rubbed both hands over his face.
\n\u201cI could lose everything.\u201d
\nNobody answered.
\nHe looked at Dad.
\nThen at Hannah.
\nFinally at me.
\n\u201cDoes that matter to any of you?\u201d
\n\u201cYes,\u201d I said.
\nHis eyes lifted.
\n\u201cIt mattered when I agreed to carry your child. It mattered when I waited for reimbursements without telling anyone. It mattered when I thought you were overwhelmed in that hospital room.\u201d
\nI laid the paper down.
\n\u201cIt still matters. That\u2019s why I\u2019m asking you to stop before you make another choice you\u2019ll have to explain.\u201d
\nHis mouth tightened.
\n\u201cYou think you\u2019re better than me.\u201d
\n\u201cNo. I think you owe me money without buying a different version of what happened.\u201d
\nI slid the document back.
\nHe looked at the check.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re really going to turn that down?\u201d
\nFor a moment, I saw the bills waiting in my drawer.
\nThe babysitter.
\nThe shifts I had taken.
\nMy son on the school bus without me.
\nThen I put the check on top of the document.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sending copies to Mara. You can arrange repayment through her without this attached.\u201d
\nLucas stared at the envelope.
\nHe had expected the money to end the conversation.
\nHe hadn\u2019t understood that it was the reason the conversation had finally changed.
\nHannah sat beside me.
\n\u201cDid you make this yourself?\u201d
\nHe didn\u2019t answer.
\n\u201cLucas.\u201d
\n\u201cI found a template.\u201d
\nShe closed her eyes.
\nDad stood.
\n\u201cI think you should go.\u201d
\nLucas picked up the envelope.
\nAt the doorway, he turned back.
\n\u201cYou used to trust me with your life.\u201d
\nI felt the words land exactly where he intended.
\n\u201cYes,\u201d I said.
\nHe waited.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s why this hurts.\u201d
\nHe left without another word.
\nAfter his car pulled away, I went upstairs and sat on the edge of my son\u2019s bed.
\nHe was asleep with one arm hanging over the side.
\nHis museum wristband was looped around the bedpost.
\nI touched it with one finger.
\nThen I went downstairs and sent everything to Mara.
\nThe check.
\nThe proposed statement.
\nA brief account of what had been said.
\nI didn\u2019t soften it.
\nI didn\u2019t add anything.
\nThe next week, repayment arrived through the attorneys without the conditions.
\nI paid the babysitter what I owed.
\nI caught up on the bills I had postponed.
\nI ordered the replacement part for my son\u2019s bicycle.
\nWhen he asked whether that meant we could ride together again, I said yes.
\nIt should have felt like victory.
\nInstead, it felt like getting back something that should never have been taken.
\nThat afternoon, Hannah received an email containing more of the records her attorney had requested.
\nShe sat at the table while I folded Lily\u2019s clean clothes.
\nFor several minutes, all I heard was the soft click of the keyboard.
\nThen she said my name.
\nI looked up.
\n\u201cDid Lucas ever ask you about the house?\u201d
\n\u201cWhat house?\u201d
\n\u201cThis house.\u201d
\nI set down the little sleeper in my hands.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nShe turned the laptop toward me.
\nThere was an email Lucas had sent to a loan broker shortly before Lily\u2019s birth.
\nMy sister has agreed in principle to help secure additional financing against her property. She is currently carrying our child, so I\u2019m coordinating the paperwork to avoid burdening her.
\nI read it once.
\nThen again.
\nBelow it was the broker\u2019s reply asking for ownership details and confirming that I would need to participate directly.
\n\u201cI never agreed to that.\u201d
\n\u201cI know,\u201d Hannah said.
\nShe opened the next attachment.
\nA scan of my identification.
\nMy address.
\nInformation copied from documents I had provided for the surrogacy arrangements.
\nMy stomach dropped.
\nBefore either of us could speak, my phone rang.
\nAn unfamiliar number.
\nI almost ignored it.
\nThen I answered.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\n\u201cGood afternoon. I\u2019m calling about the financing inquiry your brother submitted. We haven\u2019t been able to arrange the required conversation with you.\u201d
\nI stood so quickly that my chair scraped across the floor.
\n\u201cThere is no inquiry from me.\u201d
\nA pause.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry?\u201d
\n\u201cI did not authorize my brother to submit anything.\u201d
\nHannah reached for a pen.
\nThe caller\u2019s voice became more careful.
\n\u201cThen I\u2019m glad we spoke before proceeding. I\u2019ll flag the file.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did he say the money was for?\u201d
\nPaper rustled.
\nThen came the answer.
\n\u201cHe described it as preparing your home for you to become the baby\u2019s permanent caregiver.\u201d
\nI looked at Hannah.
\nShe was already looking at me.
\nThe caller continued.
\n\u201cHe said the child\u2019s mother would not be living there.\u201d
\nFrom the spare room, Lily began to cry.
\nHannah rose immediately.
\nI stayed where I was, one hand braced against the table.
\nLucas had not merely imagined leaving his daughter with me.
\nHe had begun making plans around our house, our money, and Hannah\u2019s absence.
\nAnd until that telephone call, neither of us had known how far those plans had gone….<\/p>\n
PART 6: THE LETTER HANNAH NEVER RECEIVED Hannah did not take the envelope. She stared at it as though something inside might reach out and hurt her. \u201cWhat did he … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":88,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dramastory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/storymerausa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/storymerausa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/storymerausa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storymerausa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storymerausa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/storymerausa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123,"href":"https:\/\/storymerausa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions\/123"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storymerausa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/88"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/storymerausa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storymerausa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storymerausa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}