Chapter 4 - The Surrogate Scheme
The hospital room was quiet, illuminated only by the soft glow of the monitors and the streetlights outside. Grace lay propped up on pillows, her skin pale, dark circles under her eyes. Sterling sat beside the bed, holding her hand, his thumb gently stroking her skin. He had told her everything Rosa had said about Eleanor on the balcony, and the weight of the revelation had crushed the last vestiges of hope she held for her mother-in-law.
"She wanted me to die, Sterling," Grace whispered, the tremor in her voice betraying her devastation. "She watched. She smiled. How can I live in the same house as her? How can I raise our children there?"
Sterling kissed her knuckles. "You won't have to. I’ve already started making arrangements. We’re going to sell the estate. We’ll find something new, something that is ours, away from her poison. We’ll start fresh."
"The estate has been in your family for generations," Grace murmured, knowing the sacrifice this entailed for him. "Your father..."
"My father would have understood," Sterling said firmly. "My priority is you and the babies. The house is just bricks and mortar. The legacy is not the land; it’s the family we are building. Eleanor cannot be a part of that."
There was a soft knock on the door, and Dr. Aris entered, holding a clipboard.
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster," Dr. Aris said. "I’m glad you’re up. We need to discuss the next steps. Your blood pressure is stabilizing, Grace, which is excellent. But the danger of preterm labor is still very real. Given the severity of the jolt during the fall, there is a high probability of micro-tears in the amniotic sacs. We won't know for sure for another 48 hours, but we have to prepare for every contingency."
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" contingency?" Sterling asked, his protective instinct flaring.
"Quintuplets at 28 weeks are viable, but the risks are astronomically high—cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease, blindness, developmental delays," Dr. Aris explained gently but clinically. "If labor starts, we will do everything we can
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