Chapter 3 THREE

"So you're telling me you were there because you were applying for a job? In that kind of place, really?"

I bit my lower lip and looked down. Dra. Vallero sighed deeply, and shame immediately washed over me. She used to be my classmate back in high school, now she's successful, living comfortably, while I... well, look at me.

"How about your son? How's he doing? I just came back to the Philippines, and I was planning to visit you soon. I didn't expect to see you in a place like that," she asked again.

My chest tightened, and I couldn't answer right away. Dra. Vallero was actually the one who helped deliver my baby. I had no money for the hospital and no one with me at the time. Thankfully, she happened to be on duty and helped me even though I didn't know how I'd pay for anything. She even covered part of my bills after I gave birth, so my debt didn't grow too big.

I was supposed to thank her back then, but I later heard she went abroad before I could even talk to her again. So she never found out that...

"My son's gone."

"What? What do you mean gone? Did his father take him away from you?"

I bit my lip and gave her a faint, bitter smile. "H-He died when he was two. Dengue," I said softly.

Her lips parted slightly in shock, and I quickly looked away as I exhaled deeply.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know," she murmured.

I pulled her coat tighter around me-the one she'd lent earlier when she saw how short my clothes were. She had also invited me to grab coffee nearby so we could talk. I was going to refuse at first; I could only afford 3-in-1 coffee anyway. But she insisted, saying it was her treat, so of course, I went along.

"It's fine. Hardly anyone from our batch even knows. The others... well, they don't care," I said quietly.

"But Lyana..."

"When did you come back, by the way?" I quickly changed the topic, looking up at her. "Are you here for work or just a vacation?"

I couldn't help feeling envious. She could just hop on a plane without worrying if she'd have something to eat the next day. Must be nice.

She gave a small smile, though I could tell it was forced. "I came back for work. My cousin hired me, he said they needed my help, so I returned even though I was busy abroad," she explained.

"What kind of work? Are you still a doctor?"

She hesitated for a moment, as if unsure whether to answer. Then she let out a nervous laugh. "N-Not exactly. I'm no longer working in a government hospital. Uh... I work for an agency. As a doctor."

"Really? What kind of agency?" I asked curiously. Maybe she knew of a job opening I could apply for. I was supposed to pick up Thirdy from Auntie's tomorrow, so I needed some assurance that I'd have work soon. Just enough to give me a little peace of mind.

She still didn't answer right away, like she was carefully choosing her words.

Finally, she sighed and leaned closer. "I work for a surrogacy agency in California," she said in a low voice.

My brows knitted in confusion. "Surro... what? What kind of job is that?"

The word sounded familiar, but since I'm no doctor, and definitely not as smart as she is, I couldn't recall exactly what it meant. Maybe I'd heard it once at school? Or in a hospital? I wasn't sure.

"It's hard to explain, but basically... w-we look for women who can carry a baby-"

My eyes widened, and I clamped a hand over my mouth. "Is that illegal?" The words slipped out before I could stop them.

She didn't look offended, probably used to that question by now. She calmly shook her head. "It's legal in other countries. It's not illegal here either, but since the Philippines is considered conservative, it's not common," she explained.

I slowly lowered my hand and nodded. "So... what do those women do, exactly? Is it like a real job? Since you said it's an agency."

"Well, we help couples who can't have children due to infertility or medical conditions. We assist them through gestational surrogacy, meaning the egg cell of the woman and the sperm cell of the man are implanted into the surrogate mother's womb. For same-sex couples, we help them too, by finding an egg or sperm donor. The baby grows in the surrogate's womb until birth."

My mouth fell open at her explanation. Maybe I was just slow, but it took me a moment to fully grasp what she said.

"I-Is that even possible?" I asked in disbelief.

She nodded. "It is. We've helped a lot of couples already. The agency and the surrogate mother are both compensated, depending on the contract," she said.

Compensated?

"You mean... those women make money off the babies-"

"It's not like that," she interrupted quickly, making me look up at her again. "They're helping couples have children. The payment is compensation for that help. It's a fair exchange, they support you financially, and you help them start a family. But of course, it still depends on the surrogate's mindset."

I slowly nodded, finally understanding what she meant. "That's... actually amazing. I didn't know something like that was possible," I commented.

"Lyana?"

"Hmm?" I casually sipped the coffee she'd bought me. "What is it?"

"Your baby... he was healthy when you gave birth, right? No complications?"

I frowned a little but nodded. "Yeah. He was healthy. My pregnancy was fine too. I wasn't even sensitive back then. He only got sick because of... dengue." My voice trailed off as I looked down.

"You mentioned before that your relationship with the baby's father was short, right? H-How many times before you..."

"Before?"

"Before you conceived?"

I nearly spat out my drink at her question, snapping my head up to glare at her.

"I-I mean, I'm just curious. If it only happened once, then that means you... well, you get pregnant easily."

I stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded, before I managed to speak. "Why are you asking me that kind of question?"

"You need a job, right? For your brother?"

Though confused, I still nodded. I really did need one, especially now that I was getting Thirdy back. He was my only priority. "I need it badly," I said firmly.

"In that case..." She met my eyes, and I suddenly felt uneasy, sensing that whatever she was about to say would change something. I was about to look away when she finally spoke again.

"Would you like to be a surrogate?"