Chapter 134 - Mary

The angry roar of the slapping waves against the stretch of boulders few meters from her cottage, pierced into Mary's ears. As soon as her consciousness resurfaced, she remembered the deal the night before and she jerked up from her bed. The sudden movement made her pause, a searing pain pressed on her temples. She then remembered, she had too much wine. It was her first time to try it but the fear of what she had agreed to sacrifice, made her want to drown herself with the magic of the fluid until she'd make it sure she would remember nothing.

She looked down to check herself, all the pieces of her clothing were still intact. Yet somewhere between her thighs, the pain of a seemingly lacerated wound reminded her that the deed was indeed done.

While thinking about it and imagining what it was like, a sudden sense of humiliation engulfed her. She laughed but the sound of her hollowed and derisive laughter echoed back to her own ears, reminding her of how foolish she was to consent to the plan. She may had owed Zara her life but the price

she had agreed to pay was too great.

She couldn't understand but all of a sudden, she felt she just lost a great piece of herself. That first experience would have been of thrill and butterflies in her stomach, had it been shared with all her consciousness with the man she loved. She was sure the execution was cruel, there was no making out like what she saw on the movies. There was no foreplay to prepare herself for the penetration. The opened sachet of a lubricant on top of her bedside table said it all. And it broke her heart.

What had been a course of laughter a moment ago turned into sobbing. A great part of her was taken away but she hadn't even seen the face of the benefactor. Never in her life had she dreamed of becoming a surrogate mother, not even for the child of her bestfriend whom she owed her existence.

Before the first rays of the sun broke into the pitch-dark skies, she stood up to leave. But as she picked up her things, her gaze fell on the bedside table. There was a note and a passbook...

"Mary, you may want to breathe for the moment but please see me once the seed is planted. I will take care of you as promised, in a place where no one knows us and I'll send you overseas once the baby is out."

_____

The cry of a baby woke her up as the nurse placed the tiny bundle in her arms. The labor was long and the pain was excruciating, making her fall asleep and exhausted right after she heard her sharp cries and the doctor's announcement.

"Miss Mary, she's so beautiful!"

Mary took a deep breath and smiled. A tear escaped from her eyes as she caressed the soft and yawning bundle in her arm. How could she give her up? She came out from herself and her tiny heart pumped the same blood that run into her system.

"Does she have a foreign blood?" the nurse asked further and the question pinched her heart. How would she know?

"Yes," she answered and was even almost tempted to say, "not just a foreigner but a stranger".

Mary's thoughts strayed back to the day she decided to flee from their place. The amount of money Zara deposited into her account was more than enough to support her even if she would not find a job while waiting for her delivery. The red lines on the pregnancy test kit beamed at her even in her dreams and that eventually prompted her to retract from their agreement. She knew it would shatter Zara's expectations and excitement, or it might even kill her. But she had thought about this a thousand times. She just couldn't give away her child.

Her thoughts then drifted off to Zara. How is she now? How does she reacted to her betrayal? Does she and her husband know that the plan was successful? If so, why don't they chase her? If they wanted to find her, they can always use their connections and resources.

"Ma'am, somebody wants to see you. Should I let him in?" the voice of the nurse broke into her recollection.

Before she could answer, a tall figure appeared entered the doorway. A big grin was plastered on his face as with those tender eyes he looked at her and the baby.

"Is he the father?" the nurse asked again.

"Yes. Can you now please bring me the birth certificate so that I can sign it now?"

"Sam..." Mary began to protest. He may be a very good friend, a confidante and companion especially during this difficult stage of her life, but she did not want his pity.

"Let's get married right after this," he said as he reached out for her hand.

"But..." she wanted to remind him of her status; of her child where he was not the father.

"I don't care about your past. What matters to me is you and the baby."

____

Mr. Dioko looked at Sam with glints of admiration in his eyes. This man raised up his child without the need to know who made up her personality. He molded in her a beautiful heart and shaped her characters into an admirable woman that she is now.

"Sam, thank you," Mr. Dioko said as he reached out his hand over him. "You're such a good father to her."

Sam gave out a light smile as he accepted his hand. "No need to thank me. She's my daughter."

"Of course."

Mr. Dioko held their gazes for a moment before he placed down an envelope on the table. With shaking hands, Mary lifted it up and pulled out the sheet of paper. Her eyes immediately fell on the conclusion and a strange feeling wrapped up her whole being.

In bold letters, the impression was written.

"Based on our testing results through the analyses of the genetic markers presented, the probability of the paternity is 99.9999%. Thus, it is proven that Gerald Dioko is the biological father of Allyza Reyes."

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