FALLING FOR THE SURROGATE

THIRTY-ONE

Falling For The Surrogate
0.31

Normani Janine

I'd woken up early today to pack my bags as today was officially the end of my stay in the contract

Different thoughts rushed through my mind as I picked up outfits from my closet into my suitcase

One thing was sure all these clothes are not going to fit into this luggage I came to that conclusion after I'd placed the last of my short on to the heap already on my bed with my luggage almost full I was going to need a box and I really didn't want to leave my room for two reasons one I didn't want to wake anybody up and two nobody knows I'm leaving today

That's because you didn't tell anyone you were

my subconscious mocked me

So I found myself tip toeing around the house carefully so as not to make any noise that would alert anybody so as I remember I saw some empty boxes in the kitchen store the other day and I was planning on borrowing one for the rest of my things

It was 4am in the morning so imagine my surprise to find mrs Candace in the kitchen pealing a banana it seemed "Normani...darling what are you doing up so early...is Tommy awake" she fired at me

"Urm no Tommy isn't awake...yet" I couldn't help but ask he seemed to have a weird habit of waking up at weird hours "Tommy's bottles are in the fridge and in any case he awakes you can probably warm them up for him right" I asked rambling a bit as I continued "And if he isn't feeling up for that you could probably feed him his baby food you know how to make it don't you I'm sure Hugh's does too I taught him although he likes to make it cold and sometimes forget he has to warm it"

"And Tommy likes to bath before eating at night please remember that in case Hugh forgets"

"Normani why so much information in the morning you do know I took care of Hugh right and I also watched you take care of Tommy so I know what he likes he's indeed my grandson isn't he" she replied me with a smile "and besides if I forget something you can remind me yourself" and to that statement she hugged me and returned to bed

While I took the box and returned to my room to resume packing knowing I'm never going to be there to remind her I'll be long gone

I carefully threaded up the stairs to Tommy's nursery as I gazed lovingly at him my heart breaking knowing I'm never going to see him again I let my hand stroke his curly mane his hair so soft to touch just like his fathers I blinked as a single tear dropped landing on his cheek it wasn't enough to wake him up but he stirred.

And that was my cue to go nobody must know that I'm leaving especially Hugh because then I wasn't so sure I'd want to leave again

I'd ordered an Uber who was waiting for me outside as I hurriedly carried my suitcase to his already opened hood he helped me place my suitcase in before asking "anything else" I nodded my head in the negative knowing I couldn't go back to get the rest of my clothes in the box as Tommy had already woken up and soon the whole house would wake when he doesn't stop crying

"No we can leave now that's all of my things" I said as I got into the car holding my small bag tightly in my arms and my phone in my other

I glanced at pictures on my phone in the back of the Uber tears falling as I looked at all the photos I'd taken of Tommy.

I missed him

We weren't even five miles away from him and I was already missing him badly.

I wondered what he would do when he didn't see me when he looked at the person carrying him and didn't see me

Hugh Sterling

I awoke this morning to loud wailing and the child monitor annoying beeping sound

Didn't Normani hear this

As I got out of bed with a groan walking toward The wailing sound I found Tommy on his belly angry tears on his cheek his mouth opened as he wailed

Where was Normani

I couldn't help but ask again as I picked the little guy up he stopped crying a while after "there there buddy" I placed him to my chest patting his back the way I see Normani do every time

This seemed to calm him down as I walked down the stairs to the kitchen "seems you'd be drinking from the bottle today bud since mommy isn't here to feed you"'I told him

It's been an hour now and still no Normani in sight I was tempted to go check her room to find out if she was doing okay Alexandra was coming today to drop the news as well as bringing the divorce papers so we can sign and I needed everyone to be present

Mom came down with Tommy in her arms "the little guy had been crying I thought Normani was with him" she said but it sounded more like a question

"I don't know mom I haven't seen her since I woke to his wailing" I told her with a shrug but deep down I was getting worked up Normani was always in Tommy's room before anyone else she was always with him he didn't have to cry to get her attention

"Well that's weird...Have you checked her room probably she's still asleep"she says but it was so unlikely I mean it was 9am tommy should have been bathed and freshly clothed by now

"No I didn't let me do that now.

I walked down the hallway to her room by the right I paused outside the door knocking once before I called out"Normani you in there" no response I knocked again for good measure before turning the doorknob finding the door unlocked I went it

You know that chills when you're watching a horror movie and you find an abandoned house that has warning signs written all over it but you open the door anyways and the door creaks loudly and cold still breeze rushes to you as you step in a sign of nothingness

Well all these didn't happen except I just knew Normani wasn't in there when I opened the door I stepped in finding the room empty as expected I checked the bathroom

I looked around the room a second time only then noticing a box by the bed I knew wasn't there before I wondered what it was as I went towards it a feeling of dread Rose in the pits of my stomach
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