She agreed to be a surrogate for her best friend’s mother; a wealthy widow who desperately wanted one last child.
It was meant to be a beautiful act of kindness.
Instead, it became the reason she lost custody of her own daughter and watched her life unravel in family court.
Lila had been close to the Thompson family since college. When Eleanor Thompson, a 58-year-old widow with a vast inheritance, asked her to carry one final child using donor eggs and her late husband’s frozen sperm, Lila saw it as a way to give back.
Eleanor had paid for her education and helped her through tough times.
“I’ll carry her for you,” Lila said. “No strings.”