Original subtitles

[camera beeps]

Totonac.

That's what I call you while you're growing inside me.

Your father reprimanded me when he found out about it.

He said I shouldn't be giving you a name.

But then I explained that

Totonac is my language

and it has meaning.

It means three hearts.

Our three hearts are united in a way.

Him, me, and you.

And one day, you two will be together without me.

That's why it's important to me that you know this part

of the story, that you hear it from me.

I'm like a...

or they tell me... [chuckles]

that I'm like a sort of incubator.

I'm not supposed to have any bond with you.

But let me tell you, true love,

you don't have to think about it.

[opening theme music plays]

THE SURROGACY

10 MONTHS EARLIER

[man on radio] We almost made it to the end of the year

and we're all a little emotional and ready for the start--

Hey, Dad, what if we take a shortcut behind the factory?

I think we'll avoid a bit of traffic that way.

All right?

[car thrumming]

-[Yeni] Watch out. -[tires screeching]

[door clicking]

[Yeni] No, no, hey.

-No, stop. -[Mubu] Please.

[Yeni] Leave him alone.

[Mubu] Don't do anything to my daughter.

-Please. Please. -Shut your mouth.

That little Mayan princess

is coming with us. -Let go. No.

Come on, let's go.

Stop. Leave him alone. No!

[gunshot]

[gunshot]

[Balo screaming]

[groaning]

[siren wailing]

[phone ringing]

-[Julia] What's happening, Irene? -[Irene] We've got Yeni.

Although things didn't go quite as we planned

because Balo got shot and then his brother ended up dying.

What?

But they were supposed to bring a gun that fired blanks.

Yeah, that was the idea.

But then David said that Balo's brother

switched the weapon at the last minute.

-So what are we gonna do? -We're gonna stick to the plan. Or what?

Are you gonna back out and wait until surrogacy

becomes legal in Mexico?

Listen, Yeni is the perfect candidate.

People like her are easy to manipulate.

[line disconnects]

[tense music]

[water splashing]

[Carlos] Coming in, my love?

-[Julia] No. -It's divine.

[Julia] Really?

What's that look?

You all right?

Yeah, I'm fine.

Irene called.

What'd she say?

Well, Irene thinks she might have found someone

to be her surrogate.

[David] You've seen how things are.

You should have fled the scene.

I mean, I'm sorry to say it, but it's one less criminal now.

So what am I supposed to do?

Well, basically from this point forward,

we have about 72 hours max.

We gotta start greasing palms. You know how it is.

Nobody works for free, especially not here.

FEDERAL DISTRICT DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

We're gonna have to pay everybody a little something

and we'll have to pay the dead guy's family.

If we take care of this now,

your dad won't have to stay locked up,

because otherwise he might have to sit there

while he waits for his case to be heard,

on top of whatever his sentence might be.

I do know some people who might be able to help you out,

but that might not be a given.

They're gonna wanna know exactly what you're willing to do.

I'll do whatever they ask.

I just wanna help my father.

What crime did this woman's father commit?

[Irene] All I really know is that there was a carjacking that went sideways.

They both moved to the city a few years ago.

Mubu worked hard to give his daughter better opportunities.

So remarkably, Yeni managed to finish high school

and wanted to continue on to university.

-Anything else? -Oh, she didn't get in.

Girls with a background like hers, don't get degrees.

She works at a dry cleaners.

The owner is a woman named Cuca

and there's a granddaughter, Sonia. They're like her family.

[Carlos] And how do we know that she's being honest?

Because David showed me a copy of her police statement.

[Carlos] David? Who's David?

Hold on. Are you implying that I'm going around

telling everyone about your fertility issues?

Carlos, David's an old friend, and I trust him to be discreet.

[Carlos] Have you warned him that if he lies--

Look. Look. You don't have to say yes to this girl, okay?

I only mentioned it to Julia as something to consider.

[calm music]

Sweetheart...

Is he dead?

I murdered him.

No, but it wasn't murder. Listen, you were defending me.

It was his life against both of ours.

Okay?

Now, you'll be all alone because of me.

[Yeni] I'll make sure that never happens.

I'll make sure a lawyer helps you.

But how... How are you gonna pay for that?

It's a kind of lawyer that's provided to you by the court.

We won't have to pay for it.

[Julia] So, what did you tell Irene?

The truth. That we aren't quite sure yet.

-Carlos. -Sweetheart.

It's way too risky.

My sister tried that and she lost it immediately.

Baby, you know that we've only got one embryo left.

One. Think about it.

Are we really gonna entrust that precious egg

to someone we know nothing about?

I mean, we know one thing.

That she's willing to give up nine months of her life

'cause she suddenly finds herself in a very difficult situation.

Yeah, someone willing to do this is probably

desperate for money and we can give her that.

I guess. But maybe if we leave the country,

we might find another option.

-It's illegal in this country. -Carlos, listen to me.

I'd rather be here so we can deal with anything

that comes up and we'll have a lot more

control over someone here.

We can also keep it more of a secret if we stay local.

You know how harshly people would judge us if they were to find out.

And what if they find out we're doing something illegal?

You think about that?

The kind of scandal that would mean for the family?

That'd be even worse.

But all the tests have been done

and she fits all the criteria to be our surrogate.

Hey. Look who it is, honey.

Your favorite aunt and uncle.

-We'll talk about this later. -[Fernanda] Say hi.

-Hello there. -What a handsome boy.

[Julia] Hello, Nico. Come here.

-Let me see you. -How are you, champ?

-So Mom will be here any minute. -Yeah?

Marcella called a meeting, said it was urgent.

What about?

No clue.

[tense music]

-[door closes] -[Marcela] Nora. Good afternoon.

I would like to resign.

Why is that?

We've always had a good relationship.

Huizar Pharmaceutical Industries has been financing your research for years.

You chose not to compensate any of the women

who participated in the studies.

You know, I wish it were as simple as throwing money at them

to keep them quiet.

It isn't.

Although, I understand that wasn't very fair.

We know that testing medications on humans

is always a risky ordeal.

Those women knew about the risks

and still decided to participate.

[tense music]

My letter of resignation.

Helping them would make things right,

and then no one would judge your company

for the side effects their children are being born with.

[Nora] Mm-hmm.

[tense music]

[tense music]

[Yeni panting]

[soft upbeat music]

[Cuca] Yeni, I ordered a bowl of soup for you.

But I'm not hungry.

That's okay. But try to have just a bit.

Sonia and I have been crunching some numbers

to see if we can help get your dad out somehow.

Yeah, we've been looking at our savings account.

If we pawned some of our dry cleaning machines,

I think that we could get 10,000 pesos.

That's so generous of you, but I don't think that's enough.

The lawyer made it seem like it was gonna be a lot.

Well, otherwise we could try

putting the dry cleaning shop up for sale.

Yeah, sure.

Thank you, Cuca.

I'm really grateful to the both of you, but...

I've got to give them an answer before tomorrow.

[Carlos] How are you, Mom?

-[Nora] Hello, darling. -[Carlos] Was there traffic?

[Nora] A bit?

Hey, what did Marcela want?

To resign from the company?

What?

[Fernanda] Well, wouldn't that be better for us?

It wouldn't be good for the company

if she doesn't wanna be there anymore.

[scoffs] I wish it were that simple.

She's not necessarily going to stay quiet.

But she knows she can't fight our legal department.

Our medical research is protected

-by confidentiality clauses. -Wait, Mom, listen.

The contracts those women signed were very clear

about any criminal proceedings. We're totally protected.

No prosecutor would ever come near us.

-[Carlos] Mom. -[Nora] I don't want any scandals.

-[door opens] -What?

-Enjoy. -[door closes]

[man] I'll be in touch with you very soon.

Thank you.

And what about the girl?

She's out having some lunch.

You can't let her slip away from us.

What are you talking about? Are we going ahead with this deal?

No, they're not quite on board yet. We're close.

I've got a bit more negotiating to do with them

but I have the contract with me so we can sign this afternoon.

Well, maybe you need to spell it out for this asshole

and remind him that a precious, stupid little surrogate like her--

Put a smile on your face and start handling this

and figure something out so the old man doesn't go to prison, hmm?

Yeah, but I need cash for the judge,

-for the head of police. -[shushing]

You'll get your cash. Don't worry about it.

-Fine. Keep me posted. -No, no, no, no, no.

That is not how this works.

Do it today. Hmm?

Take this... and start doing some actual work. You got it?

Thanks a lot.

Don't mention it.

[David] I've got a solution to our problem, my friend.

Okay, I don't mean to worry this much, but...

I can't stop thinking about all the things

that could go wrong with this, you know?

All right. If we're sharing, then I can't stop thinking

about how I might lose you if we don't have a child soon.

Why are you worried about that?

That won't... How could you even say that?

You do know that your mother desperately

wants a grandchild no matter what, right?

-Mm. -Even if you don't have one with me.

Well, I don't want to be a father if it's not with you.

But I understand.

It's always best to avoid making waves with my mother.

And what do you think will happen when we tell her

we're hiring a surrogate mother?

I'm not sure, but I guess we just have to make it clear

that we have control over the situation

and there are no risks.

Fine. But I want you to tell her tonight.

-Tonight? -Carlos, this girl is going

to ensure that we finally create the family we've always wanted.

So it only seems fair that we help her get her dad out of jail in return.

What's the problem?

So when are they releasing my father?

Listen, sweetie.

[Irene] I'm taking a huge risk with you. Hmm.

And there's a possibility that Carlos might see you,

and he might change his mind and back out.

We have to consider that.

But you're not gonna change your mind, right?

[Irene] Once you sign this, you can't back out.

When will my father be released?

[David] My God. You're like a broken record.

-Give it a rest, will you? -[Irene] Hey. Hey, listen. Listen.

Here's what we're gonna do.

The plan is you come with us tomorrow. Hmm.

And then your dad will be able to get out.

Wait, why does it say I have to be confined

during the entire pregnancy?

That's because they intend to make sure

you get the best medical observation possible.

Is it 'cause they're worried that I'll steal the baby

once I give birth to it?

Absolutely not.

Did you not hear what my colleague just said?

I know that you're worried about making a risky decision,

but think of how much more we stand to gain.

[dramatic music]

[Yeni] I don't want any children.

I'm not going to run away with one that isn't even mine.

These are the conditions.

It's up to you.

[somber music]

[Nora] No, no, no, no, no. I'm fine. You're very kind.

Thank you. No, no, no, no. Later. You're too kind.

-I hope you like it. -I can't get enough of them.

[man laughs]

-Hello there. How are you? -Very nice to meet you.

Why don't we all take a seat now that everyone's here.

-No? -[man] Thank you for inviting us.

[Nora] Oh, please. On the contrary, thank you for coming.

It's just a small--

-Sorry. Would you excuse me? -Of course. By all means.

[line ringing]

Carlos, what happened?

No wonder you can't get pregnant.

I thought that Carlos told you, you shouldn't be drinking alcohol

while you're on fertility treatments.

We finally found a surrogate and I need you to implant the embryo.

If you help me out,

I'll be able to release you from the company.

[somber music]

What do you say?

[people cheering]

[inaudible conversations]

-...fish sandwich. -[Cuca] Thanks.

-Happy New Year. -Happy New Year.

Thank you very much.

The detainees will be getting a New Year's dinner,

and I pulled some strings for you to eat with your dad.

-Oh, go on honey. -[Sonia] We'll be here.

[dramatic music]

[Yeni] Tomorrow, I'm getting you out of here.

How, sweetheart?

That isn't important. But what does matter...

promise me that no matter what happens, we'll be okay.

We're gonna be just fine, my love. That's a promise.

Let's both make sure we accomplish all of our big dreams.

[somber music]

You and me... forever.

[people] Six, five, four, three...

-[Mubu] Cheers, honey. -[people] ...two, one.

[all] Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, my love.

[clinking]

Come here, my love.

I would like you all to join me in raising your glasses

so we can make a little toast.

We have some exciting news to share.

Don't tell me... you're finally pregnant?

Mm-hmm.

[gasps]

We've decided to hire a surrogate mother,

so we can finally have a child.

[ominous music]

Good luck with that.

You're going to need it.

[somber music]

[door opens]

[door shuts]

[water sloshes]

Hang on a minute, I'll come with you.

No, Sonia.

He rented a lawyer to come to get me,

and she wanted me to be alone.

Yeni, are you sure about all this?

I hope this isn't something bad. There are lots of gangs out there.

Some of them kidnap women for trafficking, or steal their organs.

No, come on, Sonia.

Don't put these thoughts in my head now,

and I mean, I've already signed a contract with these people.

Can I ask you for a favor?

Will you give my dad this letter for me?

You're not going to say goodbye?

I don't think so.

But I promise I'll keep you posted, okay?

I have to go.

[soft dramatic music]

[Marcela] I won't always be at your beck and call, you know?

[Carlos scoffs]

Marcela, honestly, my mother should never

have forced you to work for us, and to be frank,

I think you'd be much happier if you had your own practice.

Will you consider it?

There's nothing to think about.

You're taking full advantage of a poor girl's misfortune.

Taking advantage?

I don't see it from that perspective because if surrogacy were legal,

which it is in many other countries, would you feel the same way?

It'll be legal eventually.

There'll be contracts, and surrogates will be paid

a living wage for their time,

and they'll be able to do whatever they want with their cash.

Pay for school, start a business, pay off their debts,

or help their families, go traveling, anything.

I just hope if and when that time comes,

that there will be enough studies about this process

to ensure that the surrogate and the baby don't suffer psychologically.

Mm, that's bound to happen.

It's the same thing with the company's medications.

You can't cure an illness without a few side effects,

and sometimes they're damaging.

Right?

[door creaks]

Come in.

Is this where I'm gonna be staying?

That's not my decision.

Look, Carlos is here.

Now you can ask him all the questions that you want, hmm?

[soft gentle music]

[Irene] How are you?

-Fine, you? -I'm good.

Carlos, this is Yeni.

I pictured her differently.

What do you mean?

Well, why don't we sit down?

Mm-hm.

I've brought some water and sodas.

It's in the fridge along with the rest of the stuff

that you asked me to bring.

Thanks.

I'll probably have a little bit of soda.

-What would you like? -Would you like something to drink?

I'll have some water.

-Water. You, some water? -Yeah, I'll have some too.

[Fernanda] Hey.

[Julia] Hey.

We're gonna head back early with my mom.

Okay, that's fine.

I'll let Carlos know. He left early this morning.

Mom will just... well, she'll just have to accept

that you've made your decision.

Are you sure you don't wanna wait a bit more,

or maybe even try again later?

No, Fer, thanks.

To be honest, this will be our very last chance

to have a child because we've only got one embryo left.

Unless we get someone else's ovaries, or we just give up.

I only say that because I think I should have waited.

I don't know.

If it's because I just had Nico

and maybe it was just too soon for the implant to take.

Let us know when you get home safe, okay?

Bye.

Bye.

Yeni is well aware that she cannot develop

any kind of bond with the baby

because she is, obviously, not the mother.

Yeni, did they also explain

that we're going to be taking you to see a doctor

in order to implant the embryo?

Yes, I understand all of that, but I'd mostly like to know

when you think you'll be getting my father out of prison.

Well, I don't have that info just yet, I'm sorry to say.

But I promise that it will be as soon as possible.

So listen, Yeni, I can promise you

we'll do everything we can to make your pregnancy smooth,

but you also have to promise us that you'll follow all the rules

so that everything goes well.

Yes, sir.

Will you excuse us?

Tell me, Irene.

You're going to get her father out as soon as possible, right?

JUSTICE FOR EVERYONE

[Yeni] I've always told you

that I don't think I could handle being a mom,

that I never felt ready,

that I didn't want to bring a child into such a hard world just to suffer,

that everything I ever learned from working

and from finishing up college

would be so that you and I could finally have a life

where we didn't have to worry about money or anything else.

But it turns out that life has other plans.

[Nora] Is everything all right?

The embryo has divided. She's going to have two babies.

Hmm, I can't wait to tell Carlos.

Now he's got two opportunities in case one of them fails.

I'm going to let Yeni know.

What for?

It's better if she thinks she's only having the one.

Nora, she's going to notice.

Being pregnant with twins is a completely different experience.

-Her stomach will be absolutely-- -It's her first pregnancy.

She's ignorant, she's inexperienced,

she is merely a walking incubator for my grandchildren.

Nothing more.

[Yeni] I'd like to believe that I'm helping

two people have a child that they want desperately.

I don't know.

The only thing I know for sure

is that I'll be temporarily lending my body's capacity

to provide a service so we can be happy.

[tense music]

I feel like I should have gone with him to pick her up.

[Nora] Absolutely not.

Carlos should be here taking you to the hospital.

We've got employees to take care of the likes of her.

Your tea.

Thanks.

-[door closes] -I don't know, maybe it's because

we're pregnant with twins so Carlos thought that maybe

if there were complications or something,

the employees wouldn't be able to take care of things.

Well, either way, you shouldn't ever have gotten involved with that woman.

But at least this nightmare will be ending today.

-[ominous suspenseful music] -[door opens, closes]

[keypad clicking]

Your dad's been pretty private about things,

although I do know that there is a special lady

that he'd do anything in the world for.

I knew it had to be Julia,

and that's why I wanted to meet her.

But... I got carried away.

[cellphone buzzes]

I fell in love with the person who stayed with me,

looked after me, and loved me for nine months.

Are you okay?

Yeah, it's just... It's Julia reminding me

what time the C-section's at.

She's really nervous.

Well, if it was a natural birth-

It isn't gonna be a natural birth.

Julia and I have already decided, and you already agreed,

and you've signed a contract.

-Or did you forget that? -Oh, right. That's true.

Thanks a lot.

I almost managed to forget that I'm just a walking womb

that you and your wife have been renting out.

Look, Yeni, all I can say is that all of us,

and that includes you, agreed to what's happening today,

and after today, it's going to end.

Hmm.

Finally, I'll be able to get some sleep again.

But not you.

You'll be waking up all the time,

getting food and changing diapers.

Yeah.

I just want you to think about the fact

that in a few short hours, you'll be with your father again.

[ominous suspenseful music]

[car horn blaring]

[ominous music intensifies]

[baby cries]

[Marcela] It's the boy.

[Dr. Navarro] Look at his legs.

[baby cries]

Haven't seen you in a while, old man.

-[gunshot] -[Balo screams]

I was trying to protect my daughter from being kidnapped.

We just wanted to get you into jail for a few nights

so we could get your daughter to agree to the pregnancy.

Why her?

Just how it goes.

Hey!

[ominous dramatic music]

Calm down.

[Marcela] Here's the girl.

[Dr. Navarro] Give her to me.

[Marcela] She seems to be perfectly healthy.

Kill me.

'Cause if you don't...

I'm going to kill you before you can do

any more harm to my daughter.

The pediatrician has examined him and he's healthy,

but unfortunately, he was born with club foot.

As you know, there are a variety of surgeries and treatments we can--

But he'll never be a perfect boy.

If you monitor the treatments carefully, and are fastidious with therapy--

He'll never be able to walk or run properly.

He'll never be normal.

In my family, everyone is normal, Navarro.

[Julia] I can finally stop wearing this fake belly.

Honey, should I go see if there's any news?

Yes, would you please? I can't leave this room

and I can't ask anyone anything.

Your mom doesn't want anybody to see me because I'm supposed to be giving birth.

Okay, sweetie, I'll come back soon.

Yes, please do.

[ominous music]

[woman] I'm making good time for this dinner of yours.

-[car tires screech] -[car crashes]

[ominous music]

[cellphone rings]

RECOVERY ROOM

[sighs]

Nora, what is it?

[Nora] Irene has got your release form.

I'm only dealing with Carlos.

Well, you're no longer working for us.

Isn't that what you wanted?

You should tell me now because if you don't do

exactly what I tell you to, I assure you that you'll never be rid of me.

I trust that you know what you need to do with that woman?

Yes.

Carlos.

How'd it go?

I'm so sorry, but we lost the boy.

It was a stillbirth, and there was nothing we could do.

His umbilical cord had wrapped around his neck.

Little girl is perfectly healthy.

[Carlos sighs]

[melancholic piano music]

And Yeni? How is she?

She's fine. She's young.

We'll send her home tomorrow morning.

Your mother wanted to handle

all of the paperwork for your son's funeral

so you can be with Julia.

No, he's my son, I should handle that.

Carlos, your daughter and Julia need you right now.

I know how much you've gone through to have those children,

and I'm gonna tell you something that may not be comforting but might help.

You see that man sitting there?

He just lost his wife, and she was also pregnant.

Can I see the baby?

Of course you can.

[somber music]

-Yeni? -[door opens]

-Were you looking for me? -Yes, I'm glad you're here.

I need to see all of the documentation for the patient and the baby.

I wanna see what treatments they're giving them.

Of course.

And, nurse, may I borrow your pen?

-Sure. -Thank you.

-[door opens] -Yeni, how are you feeling?

[door closes]

I feel, um, pretty nauseous.

That's a normal effect of the anesthetic.

I can give you some medication to help with the nausea,

and you can have something light for dinner.

You have to try and eat even if you're not hungry.

-Hmm. -We won't see each other again.

You can call me...

if you need anything at all.

[dramatic music]

[nurse] Are you ready?

-Yes. -[nurse] You can go ahead.

[man] Yeah, yeah, man.

Yeah, no, I've got her here in the car with me.

Yep, don't worry. Yes, I've got her. Don't worry about it.

Hospital handed her over to me really fast.

[man] What's going on?

Maybe she's lost?

[woman] Is that a baby? It's really tiny.

Can I help you?

-[man 1] Miss, wake up. -[woman 1] Miss, is that your baby?

[woman 3] Hey, miss, is that your child?

Do you need some help? Are you sick?

It's a baby. It's really tiny, isn't it?

[man 3] Excuse me, miss. Are you all right?

[baby cries]

[tense music]

-It's a baby! -[man 3] Wake up, miss.

[woman 3] It's so tiny and pale.

But look at her skin, she's so dark.

-[woman 4] Miss? Miss? -Who did you steal it from?

[woman 4] Someone call the police right away.

[woman 3] Good idea.

-Call them. -[woman 3] We should definitely call them.

That's not her baby.

[tense ominous music]

[closing theme music plays]