I’d just given birth when my husband stormed in—his mistress on one arm, my mother-in-law on the other. She sneered, “Your surrogacy job is done.” My husband laughed, “Did you really think I’d stay with a poor woman like you forever?”
The Moment They Thought I Would Stay Quiet
He yanked the baby right out of my arms. The pain from my stitches was excruciating, and everything went white before my eyes. They assumed I was all alone.
But they never bothered to find out who my father was… and they were about to see how quickly a perfect - looking life could fall apart.
The first thing my daughter heard after being born was her father saying she was meant for another woman. The second was my scream when he snatched her away. I'd given birth to Sophia forty minutes earlier.
I was still trembling under the hospital blanket, stitches on fire, when the door flew open. Mark walked in wearing a charcoal - colored suit. His mistress, Diane, clung to his arm in a fancy cream dress.
His mother was on the other side, smiling like they were there for a party.
Diane looked at the baby and murmured, “She has Mark's eyes. ” Mark's mother leaned over me. “Your job as a surrogate is over. ” For a shocked moment, I thought the medicine was making me hear things wrong. Then Mark laughed.
“Did you really think I'd stay with a poor woman like you forever, Eleanor? ”
He pulled Sophia close to his chest. She started to cry loudly. That sound hurt me more than any pain. My voice was weak, but the room got really quiet. Mark took out a folder. “You signed an agreement. Diane and I are the real parents. You got paid.
” His mother patted my cheek. “Be thankful. We let you live well for three years. ”
The nurse by the door frowned. “Mr. Hayes, give the baby back to her mother.” Mark told the nurse to leave, but she didn't budge. That was his first mistake. His second was throwing the folder on my bed. His third was thinking I was too broken to read it.
The signature looked like mine, but the date was from a weekend I'd spent in Boston. The notary seal was from Nevada. The two - hundred - thousand - dollar payment they claimed I got had never shown up in any of my accounts.
Mark thought my silence meant I was giving up. “Security will take you out after you're discharged. Your apartment lease is canceled. Your cards are frozen. ” His mother smiled. “No husband, no child, no money. ”
I looked at Sophia's red, angry face and forced myself to calm down. “Can I hold her one more time? ” I asked. Instead, I reached for the bedside phone. Mark slapped my hand away. “Who are you calling? ” “My father. ” He smirked.
In our three - year marriage, I'd only told him my relationship with my father was complicated. He'd never asked why. I looked at the nurse. “Please call the number under my emergency contact. Tell him Eleanor Hayes needs him now.
” The nurse looked at my chart, then at me. “Hayes? ” I nodded. “Yes, that Hayes. ”
My mother - in - law gave us super - expensive baby formula. As soon as we got home, I threw it in the trash. Mark got really mad. “I'll never forgive you for being so ungrateful and disrespectful! ” I told him, “Look at the back of the can.
” He turned it over, and his face went pale right away.
There was this millionaire who secretly put hidden cameras in to protect his paralyzed son when he was away. When he finally watched the footage, he found out what the trusted maid had been doing behind his back.
The moment my divorce became final, I immediately canceled my ex - mother - in - law's credit card. Little did I know that by sunrise, my ex - husband Mark would be trying to force his way into my home.
On her wedding night, Eleanor Hayes, the bride, let out a blood - curdling scream. Diane, her mother - in - law, rushed into the room. She found Eleanor shaking on the floor while Mark whispered, "She had to pay."
Mark's ex invited me to her swanky two - million - dollar beach club bash. Her reason? To humiliate me by showing an old scar on my side in front of a sea of wealthy guests.
Twenty minutes later, Mark was still over the moon. He posted a photo of himself and Diane proclaiming "our miracle.
" They didn't realize that the nurse had triggered the hospital's infant - abduction protocol as soon as Mark walked through the door with my daughter.
The maternity floor locked up tight. Mark found that out when two security officers blocked the elevator. "This is insane," he yelled. "I'm the father." One officer calmly replied, "Then you won't mind waiting for verification."
Diane stormed back into my room. "Fix this," she demanded. "You forged a surrogacy contract," I shot back.
Eleanor stepped closer. "Your father can't help you. Mark has lawyers." Just then, my father walked in. He was wearing a navy overcoat, and his expression was one that had struck fear into corporate boards and prosecutors for thirty years.
My father, a former federal prosecutor, had built a huge private hospital network from one small clinic. Mark's face went pale. Everyone knew the name.
Father crossed the room, took my hand, and saw the bruising from where Mark had hit me. A hospital administrator followed with counsel, security, and two detectives. The nurse gave them the forged contract.
