When Jessica’s husband, James, requests that she be a surrogate for his brother’s fiancée, she reluctantly agrees, ignoring her instincts. But as the pregnancy advances, so do her doubts. The fiancée remains elusive, details don’t add up, and when Jessica finally meets her, the truth changes everything.
It all began when James, my husband of eight years, invited me to a “family meeting” with his mother, Diane, and his younger brother, Matt.
A couple in their home | Source: Midjourney
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as we headed to Diane’s house. It felt like there was always some new drama stirring up in James’s family.
“What now?” I asked James. “Did your mom find another tiny crack in her beloved china and suddenly decide I’m the culprit?”
James focused on the road ahead. “It’s serious, Jess. Just listen to them, alright?”
A man driving a car | Source: Pexels
As we walked in, Diane gave me her usual, slightly stiff hug and ushered me into the living room. Matt gave a quick, uncomfortable nod from his armchair.
“Jessica,” Diane started, her voice dripping with that overly sweet tone she always used when she needed something. “We have a very special request for you.”
I looked over at James, who seemed absorbed in examining his hands.
Matt cleared his throat.
A man seated in a living room | Source: Midjourney
“Jessica,” Matt began, his voice unsteady. “I’m engaged.”
“Congratulations!” I said, genuinely happy for him. “When do we get to meet her?”
Matt and Diane shared a glance.
“Uh… I’m not sure. She’s a wildlife photographer,” Matt explained.
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
“She’s currently in the Ethiopian Highlands, trying to capture footage of Ethiopian wolves in their natural habitat,” Matt explained. “The cell service up there is pretty terrible.”
Diane leaned in, her expression serious. “The issue is,” she began, “my future daughter-in-law has some health concerns. She desperately wants to have children but can’t carry them on her own.”
A sense of unease washed over me as three pairs of eyes locked onto me with unwavering focus.
A woman sitting in a living room | Source: Midjourney
“We were hoping,” Matt began, “that you might consider being a surrogate for us.”
The words lingered in the air. I turned to James, expecting him to be just as stunned as I was, but his face said otherwise—he’d known all along.
“You want me to carry your baby?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
A woman on a sofa staring uncertainly at someone | Source: Midjourney
“Consider what it would mean to Matt,” James said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “Plus, the compensation could really help us, especially with the kids. We could make a significant contribution to their college funds and even tackle some of those kitchen renovations you’ve been eyeing.”
“But your brother’s fiancée…” I began, hesitating. “Shouldn’t I at least have a conversation with her first? This is a big decision.”
A doubtful woman | Source: Midjourney
“She’s totally on board,” Matt assured me quickly. “We did the IVF before she left and had the embryos frozen. All we need now is a surrogate.”
“But I haven’t even met her.”
“She’ll be back in the States soon,” Diane said, giving my knee a reassuring pat. “You two will get along wonderfully, I’m sure.”
A woman in a living room smiling | Source: Midjourney
I felt cornered, the weight of their gazes pressing down on me.
James knew exactly how to play me: our kids’ future, the upgrades to our home—things that were close to my heart.
Though a sinking feeling gnawed at me, I nodded, albeit slowly. “I’ll do it.”
A woman in a living room | Source: Midjourney
The next nine months blurred by in a whirlwind of doctor visits and increasing discomfort.
Each trimester brought fresh struggles—morning sickness that never faded, swollen ankles, and relentless backaches that stole my sleep.
Through it all, James supported me in his own way, massaging my feet while reminding me how the money would transform our lives.
Yet, something felt off.
A thoughtful pregnant woman | Source: Midjourney
Matt came by often, bringing vitamins and checking in on the baby.
But his fiancée stayed an enigma.
“Has Matt’s fiancée called yet?” I asked James one evening as we lay in bed, my large belly making it impossible to get comfortable.
A couple having a conversation in bed | Source: Midjourney
“She’s still traveling,” James muttered, already half-asleep.
“For nine months? Without even one phone call to the woman carrying her child?”
James sighed and turned over. “You’re overthinking this, Jess. Stressing out isn’t good for the baby.”
A man sleeping on his side | Source: Midjourney
“The baby,” I murmured to myself. “Not me.”
As my due date neared, my discomfort only deepened.
I decided to call Matt directly.
“When is your fiancée coming back? I’d really like to meet her before the baby arrives.”
A woman speaking on her cell phone | Source: Midjourney
“Soon,” he promised. “She’s still in Ethiopia, trying to photograph some incredibly rare bird in the Nechisar Plains.”
I sighed. This woman seemed just as elusive as the wildlife she chased.
The day I went into labor, James rushed me to the hospital while I clutched the dashboard, pain tearing through my abdomen.
A hospital building | Source: Pexels
At the hospital, James stayed by my side, holding my hand during the initial examination.
Matt and Diane showed up soon after. They hurried into the room, but I raised my hand to stop them.
“Out, both of you,” I snapped, my teeth clenched. “This is too personal.”
“Six centimeters,” the nurse said. “Things are progressing quickly.”
A nurse holding a clipboard | Source: Pexels
Minutes later, James’s phone chimed. He slipped his hand from mine and checked the message.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, stepping out. “Matt’s fiancée is here.”
Moments later, he returned—with a stunning woman.
I knew her instantly.
A shocked woman in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney
“Rachel?” The name slipped from my lips like a curse.
Rachel was James’s high school sweetheart. The woman whose name I had forbidden in our house after I found James, drunk, scrolling through her social media one night—six years into our marriage.
After he confessed that he had never truly gotten over her.
A smiling woman in a hospital room | Source: Midjourney
“Jessica!” Rachel’s face lit up with genuine joy. “I can’t thank you enough. I know this must have been so difficult, but you made our dream a reality!”
The room tilted around me.
I turned to James, my voice shaking with fury. “You knew exactly who she was this entire time. And you never told me.”
A woman yelling at someone | Source: Midjourney
James’s face barely changed. “It wasn’t relevant.”
“It wasn’t relevant?” I echoed, disbelief rising in my voice. “You asked me to carry a child for the woman you told me you never got over, and that wasn’t relevant?”
Diane moved closer, her tone soothing. “Darling, don’t overreact. Rachel wanted a baby, and you were the perfect choice!”
A woman in a hospital room speaking to someone | Source: Midjourney
“You’ve already had two kids without any issues. Besides, she wants to keep her body.”
The truth crashed over me like a tidal wave.
This wasn’t about family. It was about convenience—about preserving Rachel’s perfect figure while using mine as nothing more than an incubator.
A furious woman in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney
“Good to know I’m just a broodmare,” I retorted.
Rachel’s face reddened with guilt. “I didn’t mean—”
“Quiet!” I shouted, another contraction tearing through me. “Liars. Manipulative little—”
“Stop being so dramatic,” James sighed.
A disapproving man | Source: Midjourney
“Jessica, it’s done,” he said. “The baby is here. Just let it go.”
I took a slow, shaky breath, trying to steady myself as the contractions intensified.
Turning to the nurse checking my vitals, I ignored the family that had so deeply betrayed me.
“I need a moment alone with my husband.”
A nurse in a hospital room | Source: Pexels
Rachel and Diane paused, but the nurse swiftly ushered everyone but James out of the room. As soon as the door clicked shut, I turned to James with a frosty stare.
“We’re done.”
James blinked, clearly confused. “What?”
“This marriage. Us. You manipulated me into being an incubator for that witch. You’ve disrespected me one too many times.”
A furious woman yelling at someone | Source: Midjourney
James laughed—actually laughed. “You’re making this a bigger deal than it is.”
“Am I? Then you won’t mind if I take everything I’m legally entitled to in the divorce.”
The color drained from James’s face as the reality hit him.
A shocked man | Source: Midjourney
We had built a comfortable life together. Our house was nearly paid off, and we had retirement accounts and college funds set up for our kids. All of it was now up for division.
“Jessica—” he began, his voice tinged with panic.
“No,” I cut him off, my voice steady despite another contraction tearing through me. “You took away my choice. Now, I’m taking back my life.”
An emotional woman in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney
I still had to face the final stage of labor.
I went through it alone, refusing to let any traitors stand beside me as I fought through the relentless pain.
When a newborn’s cries finally filled the room, a storm of relief, grief, and determination settled over me.
A newborn baby getting cleaned up | Source: Pexels
The nurse placed the baby in my arms for a brief moment.
I gazed down at the tiny face, so pure and innocent despite the circumstances surrounding its arrival.
But then I gently handed the child back to the nurse. “This baby isn’t mine to keep.”
A newborn baby | Source: Pexels
Within a week, I had met with a lawyer.
I filed for divorce, secured full custody of my children, and ensured James faced the full consequences of his actions.
He tried to make amends—sending flowers, leaving tearful voicemails, even showing up at my parents’ house, where I was staying with the kids.
A man filled with regrets | Source: Midjourney
Please, Jessica,” he pleaded. “It was a mistake. I should’ve told you.”
“A mistake?” I replied, my voice steady. “A mistake is forgetting an anniversary. This was a deliberate betrayal.”
Three months later, I sat across from my lawyer as she slid the final divorce papers toward me.
“He’s agreed to all terms,” she said. “The house, the accounts, primary custody. You won, Jessica.”
Divorce papers on a desk | Source: Pexels
I signed my name with steady hands. “I didn’t win anything. I just stopped losing.”
As I left the office, my phone buzzed with a text from James: “Rachel had the baby christened yesterday. They want you to know they’re grateful.”
I deleted the message without replying and stepped into the crisp autumn air.
A woman walking on a city street | Source: Midjourney
Rachel got her perfect body and her perfect baby. Matt got his family without the burden of watching his fiancée endure pregnancy.
James got exactly what he deserved.
And me? I got something far more precious: my freedom.
A smiling woman glancing to one side | Source: Midjourney
