Chapter 1 1

Flora walked out of the hospital sadly, she stopped a cab and as the cab drove her to a nearby hospial that her younger brother was, tears streamed down her cheek.

She had just carried on an act of surrogacy for a man she had no idea about. She gazed at the bag containing money in her hand and her heart ached terribly.

Life had really been unfair to her. She used to live a happy life with her mum, dad and younger brother until her mother died.

Her father brought in another woman to the house three days after Flora's mum death. Apparently, he had been engaging in the act of infidelity and had been keeping this woman outside of marriage for a long time.

Juniata who happened to be the new woman that her father married treated Flora and her brother cruelly that they had to flee from home.

Flora had been living alone with her younger brother since then. She goes to school but still works for the rest of the day, saturdays and sundays included. She just wanted her younger brother to live the most comfortable life.

But things got even worst when her younger brother, Tony was diagnosed to have a hole in the heart last week. She felt like her world was crumbling. She had no one that could help.

Her father was wealthy but the hatred that subsists between her and her father would never make her go to him to ask for help.

It was during her strugge to find the money to pay for the surgical operation of her younger brother that she got an offer from a female teacher at her school who knew about her predicament.

The offer was for her to carry on the act of surrogacy for a wealthy man but she will never get to know his identity.

"Hey, aren't you dropping here?" The cab man jerked her off her thought.

"Oh! I'm sorry." Flora looked out through the window of the car and saw that she was at the place where she was to drop.

She paid the cab man and highlighted, she walked in quickly with the bag of money in her hands.

When she found the doctor that was in charge of her brother, she said," I've been able to get the money."

"Great," the doctor directed her to where she was to pay.

After she had paid, the surgical operation was carried on the second day in the afternoon.

While the operation was going on in the operation room, she was roaming around the corridor and was hoping that the operation would go well.

Her brother was her only companion, she loved him dearly and prayed earnestly that his surgery would be successful.

Her heart wasn't at ease at all, today was a tuesday and she was supposed to be in school but she can't afford to leave her brother in the hospital alone on a sensitive day like this.

About an hour later, a doctor walked out of the theater room with a glove in both hands. Once Flora sighted him, he walked swiftly to him," sir, how is my brother?"

The doctor had a dull look on but Flora didn't want to be too quick to judge the state of her brother by the expression on the doctor's face.

"He's still alive but I'm sorry, the operation wasn't fully successful. The hole in his heart had widened up and we could only close up a few inches. Though the heart tissues will start growing around the mesh but it would not permanently seal the hole." The doctor said.

"So what did you advise, doctor?" Flora questioned.

"Another surgery, dear. I know it's expensive but if you want a permanent healing for your brother, I'll advise another surgery," the doctor said and after a few seconds, he walked away.

Flora stood still, dejetcted and hopeless. She watched as her brother got wheeled out of the operating room back to his ward.

She followed slowly, she had to painfully loose her virginity to surrogacy yesterday just to get the money for this surgery only for the surgery not to be fully successful.

After the nurses who wheeled Tony to his ward had left, Flora came in. Tony looked weak in the face but when he saw Flora , he spoke," big sister, you look so sad, is it because of me?"

Flora bite her lower lips painfully and couldn't say a word for another thirty seconds, she was worried that if she speak, tears would stream down her face.

She didn't want to cry before her brother, that would only hurt him even more.

Tony held her by her hand and looked to her face, "Flora, I'll be fine."

"I also believe that you will be fine," Flora finally spoke. At this moment, all that was in her head was how to get another money for her brother's surgery.

"Where did you get the money for my surgery?" Tony questioned. He knew that the money needed for the first surgery was very exorbitant and even if her sister works day and night for a year, it would be impossible for her to get such money.

How does she tell her that she lost her virginity to surrogacy just to get the money for his surgery.

"A kind man gave me," she lied.

Tony wondered whom this kind man was, he didn't want to bother his sister anymore so he kept quiet. He had just been operated on so he knew he needed rest, he soon fell asleep.

Flora caressed her forehead and kissed it, she dragged the stool she was sitting on to the wall and kept imagining in her head on how else to get the money for her brother's surgery.

She wanted her brother to be healed completely.

With her eyes shut and her head resting on the wall, she heard the sound of the door and her eyes fluttered opened immediately.

She was surprised and angry to see the person she hated to see most. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth in anger, she spoke harshly," what did you want?"