Chapter 3 Living hell

LATE KADEN'S RESIDENCE

Amelia paced around in the untidy kitchen , gripping her phone in frustration. She had called Claire countless times, but every attempt went straight to voicemail. Something wasn't right. Claire never ignored her calls especially not after their last conversation about her mother's condition. Did something bad happen? Not at all. She muttered.

Tears welled in Amelia's eyes as she stared at the phone screen. Claire had been taken away in the dead of night, and no one seemed to know where she was. The Blackwoods were powerful, but could they truly make a person disappear without a trace? Her thoughts drifted to the past-back when things were normal. Back when they were just two best friends, dreaming about their futures.

Amelia pocketed her phone, returning her gaze to the dirty dishes which were stacked high in the old sink. The air smelled of old grease and discarded leftovers. Amelia's stepmother, Vivian, stood in the doorway, arms crossed, her gaze hard as she looked at the girl standing before her.

"You think you can just sit around all day pressing that scrap of yours uh?" Vivian sneered, her sharp nails digging into Amelia's arm as she yanked her forward. "You'll eat when you finish cleaning up this mess, lazy ass"

Amelia's stomach clenched in hunger, but it had become a routine and had learned long ago not to protest. She had been forced into this life ever since her mother died due to cancer. Not long after did her father get married to Vivian who brought in her daughter from her previous marriage.

Her father was a busy man always occupied with loads of works and barely came home. She had become a maid in her own home, punished for crimes she never committed. Courtesy of her step mom and daughter.

Vivian's eyes fell on the phone in Amelia's breast pocket. "I think it's high time you stay phoneless since it's a distraction." She snatched it away from Amelia's breast pocket who tried to take it back, but a swift slap was sent across her face, as her lips burst with blood gushing out. Vivian tossed the phone onto the counter. "No more distractions. Get to work."

Amelia swallowed the pain, forcing herself to hold back her tears. She knew better than to show weakness. She turned toward the sink, biting the inside of her cheek to keep her emotions in check.

She let out a hot breath cursing death, wishing it never existed. She could still hear her mother's laughter, still see the way her younger brother used to run into their mother's arms, before cancer stole her away.

She wiped her tears, determination hardening her expression.

BLACKWOOD'S RESIDENCE

The doorbell rang, its chime echoing through the expansive hall. Claire's heart skipped a beat. She was nervous, but there was a stronger feeling coursing through her: dread. She still hadn't fully processed the nature of the arrangement she was about to enter. It wasn't the way she'd imagined becoming a mother or even helping someone else. She had assumed the process would be, well, natural. But this was anything but natural.

Dr. William Harris, a tall man in his late forties, walked through the door, his steps confident. Eleanor greeted him, her smile tight, and led him toward Claire, who was seated anxiously on the couch.

"Claire," Eleanor said sharply, "This is Dr. Harris. He'll be examining you today. Don't waste his time." She said with a glare.

Claire stood, her legs shaky. The doctor extended his hand, and she took it, her skin cold to the touch.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Claire. I'll be making sure you're fit for the process, and that everything is in order," Dr. Harris said, his tone clinical but not unkind.

The man's demeanor made Claire feel as though she was some kind of specimen, something to be studied and analyzed. Still, she nodded. "I understand."

They moved to the private examination room that had been prepared for her. Dr. Harris asked her to lie down on the examination bed, and she did as instructed, hoping the process would go quickly.

The doctor set to work, checking her vital signs, asking her various questions, and in few minutes he

"You'll be receiving the implant," Dr. Harris explained, tapping his pen on the clipboard. "We'll be using a method known as intrauterine implantation. We'll be implanting the fertilized egg into your womb. It's a fairly straightforward process, and we'll schedule it for next week."

The words hit Claire like a freight train.

"The fertilized egg?" Claire asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "So... I'm not going to have...sex... with ...Mr. Blackwood?"

The question hung in the air, and she immediately felt embarrassed for asking.

Dr. Harris looked up, his eyes briefly darting to Eleanor, who had entered the room just in time to hear.

"You would do well to remember your place here, Claire," she said, her voice dripping with disdain. "You're here on our terms, and you will comply. Remember that you have no choice. You could easily end up in prison, and your sick mother will have no one to care for her. So it's best you shut your stinky mouth, work with our terms or I'll personally throw you into prison"

The words cut through Claire's heart, but she forced herself to hold it together. She nodded, though she felt her throat tighten.

"I understand," she said quietly, though her mind was racing. The idea that she was merely a vessel for someone else's child, reduced to a set of eggs for the wealthy Blackwoods, made her sick to her stomach.

With that, the doctor left, and the door closed with a soft click behind him. Eleanor's icy stare never left Claire till she left.

BLACKWOOD'S MASTER BEDROOM

The room was quiet, bathed in the soft glow of the chandelier. The scent of roses lingered in the air, a touch of luxury that reflected the grandeur of the Blackwood.

Damian and Eleanor were both curled up on the bed.

"We're gonna be parents" Eleanor said, her eyes distant but gleaming with a knowing glint

After years of trying, of hoping and dreaming for an heir, they had finally found a way that would guarantee them what they desired most the continuation of the Blackwood legacy.

Damian pulled her closer to himself as a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Elly" Damian began as he fondly called his wife, his voice low but filled with promise,

"Isn't our life just so perfect? I wish to live this same way in my next world" He fantasied.

Eleanor's lips curled into a knowing smile, and she sat up beside him, her fingers tracing the fabric of his shirt absently.

"I know," she said softly, but her tone was layered with satisfaction.

"And the best part is, we're gonna be couples in our next world, over and over again." She clicked her tongue.

Eleanor was never one to give up her physical allure or her position as the unchallenged queen of their world.

More reasons she refused to get pregnant. she wasn't interested in the stress of motherhood and losing her hard earned shape.

She considered pregnancy and child birth very odd and promised never to indulge in them.

Eleanor looked into his eyes, her smile widening as she leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips. When she pulled away, her eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

"Claire was eager to see her mom, she thinks we're gonna fool her"

"Tell my driver to drive her to the hospital and bring her back in not more than an hour ". Damian said picking up his phone.

"Your personal driver?" Eleanor asked furrowing her brows.

"You've got a problem with that?" Damian asked, his gaze on his phone.

"But... she's just a surrogate, she could probably take a cab not been driven around like she's yours " Eleanor said with an aura of jealousy.

"And if she runs away? You know how hard finding someone like her was and remember what happened last time"

Eleanor raised her hand as a sign for him to stop.

"I vividly remember" She stood up, smoothing her dress as she glanced back at Damian with a smirk before leaving the room.

Damian's eyes remained glued to his phone.

LATE KADEN'S RESIDENCE

Vivian was furious about her missing money, she had scattered the entire rooms in the house frustratedly searching for her money.

"Where the hell did I keep it...where." She muttered continuously, moving from one angle to another, scattering clothes on the floor, bed and chairs.

She ran to the sitting room and met Amelia doing some dusting. Her face twisted in anger and disgust.

"You haven't seen any money around here, have you?" Vivian's voice was low and dangerous, her eyes scanning Amelia as if she were a suspect.

"No, Ma'am," Amelia replied cautiously, hoping to avoid trouble.

But Vivian wasn't having it.

"I know you took it! Don't lie to me. The money was for a women's group I belong to, and it's needed urgently. Where is it?" She yelled shoving her fingers into her hair like a deranged woman.

"You're the only one who cleans the room in this house, where is my money!"

Amelia remained silent, unsure of how to respond. But before she could say another word, the front door opened, and her stepsister walked in, dressed in a tight fitting dress and stiletto heels, clearly having just returned from a party.

The girl had always been reckless, always flaunting her lifestyle without a care for anyone else.

"Is that so?" Lisa, her stepsister asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, if you must know, I gave the money to my boyfriend and please I'm so exhausted that I need to take a nap" she said bluntly, without the slightest hint of remorse.

Vivian's face turned red as her bones weakened.

"You did what? Lisa for heaven's sake that was the women's group money. How dare you steal my money and give it to that worthless boyfriend of yours who can't afford to rent himself an apartment!" Vivian howled.

Lisa didn't flinch instead she came closer and spake directly to her mother's face.

"I gave it to him, so?. And you'd better not call him names again cause you are worst than him, or should I start spilling to people about how evil you are huh?" Lisa stared straight into her mother's eyeballs with audacity lurking around her.

Vivian's jaw clenched and she folded her first in premium fury.

"Lisa... I'm" She couldn't complete her words cause Lisa already walked away.

"Shit!" She muttered swaying her first into the air.

Amelia, feeling the tension in the air was about to quietly retreat to her room, but Vivian blocked her.

"You're gonna provide that money before the end of tomorrow and I don't care where you'd get it or else you'd see my dangerous side" Vivian said, her red eyes forcing fear into the mind of Amelia.