The Virgin Surrogate

The moment Angela opened her eyes, the familiar place welcomed her. The walls of the white room, the smell of the chemicals, and just the aura of the rooms scream nostalgia, which brings anxiety to her.

"Ms. Angel Davis?" The doctor called her.

With her hands gripping the white sheet of the hospital bed and her heart rate rising and sweat dripping into bullets, she suddenly became aware of her surroundings.

"We're done for today."

Angel exhaled a long sigh after holding on to the pain she had felt from all the tests done to her. She wasn't physically or mentally ready for this. With just the tests being done to her, she's already wondering if she must pursue the plan she had made.

Being at the hospital reminds her of her father's constant recurrence of sickness and medication. And now she couldn't believe her father would be the reason for her hospital visit as well. She mustered all of her remaining strength and left after being told to wait for the results of her tests.

"Angela, you know that we couldn't be late. The professors will be arriving on time. Everything was already set up; please arrive on time for our sake. Her best friend, Rachel, rants on the phone.

She hurried away from fixing herself, thinking about the event of her one master class in art, where an exhibition of their artworks would take place. She wasn't in her right state of mind for the past few days, so it must've slipped her mind.

That's how stressed she was. Art and painting are her life and passion, which keeps her going, so for a problem to affect her this badly is such a big deal.

"What do you call this masterpiece, Miss Angel Davis?" One of the professors asked her.

Rachel, her friend, struck her lightly to wake her up from spacing out. Blinking away her anxiety, she started to present her work.

"I named this piece "sacrifice," she explained.

The professors nodded, waiting for more, but her anxiety was so intense that her tongue couldn't help but become tangled.

"And what's your inspiration for making your masterpiece?"

She swallowed the pressure balling in her throat as she stared at her painting. It was a little girl posing for her father, who was slowly fading away while on fire and painting the little child.

"My father," she uttered with a shaking voice.

"Your father is a painter as well?"

She smiled sadly and shook her head lightly. "He's an accountant."

Staring more at the painting, she gets more sentimental. It was his father's dream to be a painter. Growing up, she had always seen his father's artwork and masterpieces. Her passion for art grew over time, and she soon discovered it.

"My father gave up his dream to support our family," she said. "And, despite telling us he was content and happy, I could see it in his eyes-the fire of passion being held back as he looks at me, striving for the passion he once gave up for me and for us."

Tears clouded her eyes. She poured her heart and soul into making this piece, and for her, this was more than just making something from scratch. But for her, it was also her voice and freedom. A daughter's distraught voice recalling her sick father, who sacrificed his own happiness for her.

"He painted my life in colors while he enjoys it in black and white. He fulfilled my dreams even though it meant sacrificing his own."

Tears poured down to her cheeks, causing the eyes of everyone to fixate on her. She couldn't hold it any longer. Covering her face while sobbing, she stormed out of the room, leaving all the people behind.

She felt the coldness and extreme desolation as she sat at the canteen of her university. Her thoughts and feelings are in turmoil. With her father in need of money for his medication, she will need to sacrifice her studies or the dream that her father has for her.

"What? What do you mean by surrogacy?" Rachel, who comforted her, exclaimed.

She let out a sigh and nodded lightly. At first, she couldn't believe it herself either. But she couldn't think of anything else.

She handed her phone to Rachel and let her read the text message she just received.

This message is to inform you that your application to be one of the surrogate mothers in our program has been accepted. Please come to this address to participate in some preliminary tests, after which you will be placed on hold awaiting the agency's final response.

With kind regards,

Billionaire Surrogate Program

"And you're saying that you've done all the tests they've required of you?"

Her friend couldn't believe what she had done. All she could do was palm her face to rub off the mixed emotions inside her.

"I don't know, Rachel. I needed to try my luck. I was desperate, alright? Dad had been sacrificing for us and for me all this time. Using all our savings to attend this prestigious art school. And now that I have the chance and capability to help him, I know that I needed to do something," she desperately voiced out.

Rachel reached for her hands. "I know. I know it's hard for you at this moment. But you have to think about this. This is your dream and your father's dream for you."

She bit her lips. Now that she has been put in a critical position, she does not know what to do, especially since the choice is between her father's life and her father's dream for her.

"But it's not just about that, Angela. You are a virgin." Rachel said her final words loud enough for her to hear.

She gulped and avoided her gaze. She's well aware of that.

"How in hell will you handle this, huh? This was not just about those things, do you ever think how you could handle this?" Rachel tried to enlighten her. "This will change your life forever."

Her lips curved into a smile, and all she could think about was her family, especially her father, who was in desperate need.

"That's what sacrifice is, Rachel." She smiled. "Just imagine how much it broke my father's heart when he gave up his passion for me and my family."

Rachel could only sigh as she looked at her dear friend. Angel knew it all, but she also knew that she would be willing to give up her own happiness for her father.

Reading the second text message, she again pulled on all the courage left in her.

Congratulations! You've passed the primary tests!

We may have a client who is willing to offer a $70,000 contract that is still open to negotiation. You will need to fill out an approval form in order to provide some information to his end. Await the final response until then.

With kind regards,

Billionaire Surrogate Program

Her eyes widened in shock. The fact that she passed the test is already surprising for her. But a contract worth that much has yet to sink in with her.

A virgin surrogate? Would that be me?