Cristine stood by the window, staring out at the morning sun filtering through the delicate lace curtains. The warmth of the light brushed her face, but inside, she felt a swirl of confusion. Each night with Andrei had been different. It wasn't just an encounter dictated by the terms of their surrogacy agreement—it was something else, something that left a soft, aching feeling in her chest. The touch of his hand, the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn’t paying attention, it all added layers of complexity to their already strange arrangement.
Is this right? she wondered. The question had been circling in her mind ever since their relationship started to take on an unexpected depth. What began as a contractual obligation had become a blur between obligation and genuine affection,
