My Husband Paid Her To Bear His Child

My name is Thea Sullivan, and I've been married to Chandler Lewis for six years. During these six years, we spent the first four focusing on our careers and the last two entirely devoted to having a child. My uterus feels like barren land; no matter how hard I try, it refuses to bear fruit. I've undergone IVF twice, each time planting hope deep inside, only to watch my hormone levels drop helplessly and end up with red eyes in front of the cold ultrasound reports. Chandler Lewis always held me close and said, "It's okay, we'll take it slow." His hands were warm and strong, and the understanding in his voice eased some of my guilt. After the second IVF failure, he suggested hiring a live-in nutritionist. "Professionals do professional work," he said, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "If you nourish your body well, our baby will come naturally." I didn't object. Back then, my entire focus was on getting pregnant; I was willing to try any method that might help. That was when Vera Watson walked into our home. She looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with shoulder-length hair and two faint dimples when she smiled, giving off a clean and friendly vibe. Her résumé was impressive: a master's degree in nutrition from a top medical university in China, plus advanced training at a renowned maternity center abroad. "Mrs. Sullivan, rest assured, I will create a personalized meal plan tailored to your constitution, paired with gentle treatments, to ensure your body reaches its optimal state for conception within three months." She looked sincere as she handed over the plan. Chandler Lewis was very pleased and made the decision on the spot, offering a monthly salary thirty percent above the market rate. On the very first day Vera Watson moved in, she completely transformed the kitchen. Every morning at seven sharp, she'd bring warm bird's nest soup and multigrain porridge to the dining room. At ten in the morning and three in the afternoon, snack time was fixed—sometimes freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juices, other times silky soft white fungus soup. She also accompanied me through forty minutes of yoga, with gentle movements specifically designed for women preparing for pregnancy. I have to say, she was truly professional. After a month, my menstrual cycle regulated, and my complexion improved significantly. Chandler Lewis noticed the changes in me and grew increasingly trusting of Vera Watson. Sometimes, when he was on a business trip, he would even call specifically to remind her to take good care of me. I gradually came to see Vera as a friend. We would go grocery shopping together. She taught me how to judge the freshness of ingredients; On evenings when Chandler had social events, we would curl up on the sofa watching movies and sharing little secrets that only girls talk about. She always said she had been through one failed relationship and no longer hoped for love, choosing instead to focus on her career. I sighed to her, saying I couldn't even conceive a child and felt deeply sorry for Chandler. She held my hand gently, comforting me, "Mrs. Sullivan, you're so wonderful, and Mr. Lewis loves you deeply. Your baby will come—just waiting for the right moment." Those warm words felt like medicine, soothing my anxious heart. A week before the three-month mark, I realized my period was late. At first, I thought it was just normal fluctuation after the treatments and didn't pay much attention. Until that morning, while brushing my teeth in front of the mirror, a sudden wave of nausea overwhelmed me, and I rushed to the bathroom to vomit. Vera heard the noise and entered with a cup of warm water, a strange glint in her eyes: "Mrs. Sullivan, you're not..." My heart suddenly raced, and I shook my head, saying "Impossible," but my fingertips were already trembling. That afternoon, I used the excuse of a routine check-up to secretly buy three pregnancy tests from different brands. Back home, I locked the bathroom door, my palms slick with sweat. When all three pregnancy tests clearly showed two red lines, I covered my mouth as tears instantly streamed down. I'm pregnant. The baby I had been longing for two years had finally arrived.