Chapter 13 #2
“So once his father started pressuring him about a child, I became the obvious choice to help him figure it out since I already knew the expectations tied to his last name.” She gave a weak shrug.
“And of course I agreed. Hell, I would’ve even if money wasn’t involved.
” Her voice softened. “That’s how much I loved that nigga. ”
“Loved?” I questioned.
“Yes… past tense. Today made me realize that whatever I felt for Merge clearly doesn’t match what he feels for me.” She laughed quietly to herself. “And believe it or not, I’m okay with that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah… I’m a lil’ hurt, but I’m okay. I’m just not about to spend the rest of my life forcing myself into spaces where I’m only tolerated because I’m useful.
Before I let that man keep reminding me exactly where I stand in his life, I’ll bow out gracefully with my dignity while I still got a little left. ”
Hmm… maybe I won’t have to kill her for loving my Jace after all.
As long as this graceful exit she’s talking about is real and not one of those fake “I’m done” speeches women give right before showing back up crying, drunk, and nostalgic three business days later.
But if she’s serious about moving on, then maybe we won’t have a problem after all.
The thought slid through my head so casually it almost scared me.
I nodded in understanding. “I feel you on that. But I wanna ask you something. And if this is too personal, just say that. But… why did y’all need someone else to carry the baby?”
Zonnique sighed deeply. “Because life had other plans. I found out a while back that I can’t have children.”
The sadness in her voice was impossible to miss.
“Isn’t it crazy?” she laughed bitterly under her breath. “Sometimes the one thing your heart would’ve done for free becomes the one thing your body refuses to give.”
The car grew heavier with silence before she finally said the next part.
“I knew what was riding on this heir situation for him, especially his father’s expectations, so instead of telling him every little step—because I was afraid he’d turn it down with no second thought—I started trying to help him the only way I knew how.
I searched quietly for someone who could carry his child without turning the situation into a circus. ”
She laughed humorlessly.
“I convinced myself that if I handled everything first and came to him with a plan already in motion, he’d understand and accept it. And maybe he still will. But today? Definitely not today.”
Suddenly everything started to come together.
The anger in Merge’s eyes.
The betrayal in his voice.
The way Zonnique looked both guilty and defensive at the same time.
Zonnique hadn’t just surprised him with a pregnancy; she had rearranged his entire future without permission. And somehow… I was standing in the middle of all of it.
For once, I didn’t know what to say.
The silence hung thick between us until we reached a stoplight.
Zonnique glanced over again, her expression shifting to something more serious.
“Now… let me ask you something. And maybe I should’ve covered this during the interview. Still, I need complete honesty here,” she began, and a knot formed in my stomach instantly.
“Okay…” I replied cautiously.
“Is there anything I should know about you that I don’t?”
I blinked rapidly, the question catching me off guard. “Like what?”
“Do you have any ex still attached to you? Someone who might pop up later feeling territorial? Anyone who thinks y’all are still together?
I know that probably sounds a little too personal, but situations like this require people to ask uncomfortable questions, especially when powerful families, money, emotions, and a pregnancy are all getting mixed together.
The last thing anybody needs is unnecessary drama showing up halfway through this arrangement. ”
“N-No.” My voice trembled slightly, revealing more nervousness than I intended.
“Are you sure?” she pressed.
Why does she keep looking at me like that?
Did Jace recognize me and just not admit it out loud to me but told her afterward?
Does she know already and just trying to catch me in a lie?
Immediately, the voices started creeping in.
No, fool. If that man truly recognized you, you’d probably already be dead and being prepared to get buried underneath one of them big expensive houses rich people like to hide bodies in.
Please. You saw the way he looked at you? That wasn’t love, nostalgia, or longing; that was assessment, like he was trying to decide whether you were dangerous or just weird.
You better hope he doesn’t find out who you really are. Because if “Merge” is really who they say he is now, then Jace isn’t the one you should be scared of anymore.
“Yes! Did he say something to you? I haven’t done anything wrong! I mean… I haven’t done anything!” My words stumbled out in a rush, and I regretted my lack of composure.
Damn. Calm down, Haelyn. You sound guilty as hell.
Zonnique exhaled heavily and rubbed her temple.
“He didn’t say anything specific. But just know, Merge is hard to convince and even harder to fool.
He already struggles with trust, and after today, his paranoia is probably about to get worse.
So, if he finds out I hired a surrogate with hidden baggage, complicated attachments, or somebody emotionally unstable carrying his child behind his back?
” She scoffed. “Yeah… that won’t end well for anybody involved. ”
I stayed quiet.
“But no need for you to worry about anything,” she reassured me, her voice softening.
“His anger is directed at me, not you. I’m the one he feels crossed him.
So don’t let yourself get worked up. You’re pregnant now, which means, stress matters…
your health matters… and that baby staying healthy matters.
So whatever little nervous spiral you’re about to send yourself into, don’t.
We need a smooth, healthy pregnancy, okay? ”
I nodded slowly, absorbing her words. “I understand.”
“One more thing,” Zonnique continued, her eyes now fixed on the road. “You’ll be staying with me until we can sort everything out.”
I blinked again, that time harder. “With you?”
She nodded matter-of-factly. “Yeah. Not my decision… I’m just the messenger.”
A sense of despair washed over me, shattering whatever fragments of hope I had left.
No luxury mansion awaited me, no butlers to cater to my every need, no waking up surrounded by the familiar scent of Jace’s cologne wafting through the hall... just this bitch and a borrowed address.
That’s when the reality of the situation finally hit me with full force.
I couldn’t stay with Zonnique, even if I wanted to. My life was already entangled in the apartment Dr. Loomis had secured for me.
“Uh… I literally just moved into an apartment recently, so I can’t just up and leave.”
Zonnique merely shrugged, as if my concerns were negligible. “If I know Merge, he’s gonna want eyes on you at all times anyway.”
A burst of happiness rose in my chest.
“For the baby’s sake,” she clarified immediately, breaking the fleeting moment of joy that threatened to seep in.
“I’ll run your situation by him, though.
Maybe he can pay your landlord off… or come to some agreement another way.
Handling problems is kinda his specialty.
No worries there. He’ll probably provide security too…
no guarantees yet. But knowing Merge, he’s not gonna want you moving around too freely without eyes on you. ”
My stomach fluttered nervously at the thought.
“But relax,” she quickly added, sensing my unease.
“You won’t be a prisoner in my home. I want you to be comfortable.
If you want to have a girls’ night with a friend, go shopping, visit your old neighborhood, see family, get your nails done, or just get out of the house for a while, I’m not going to hold you hostage. ”
Her tone shifted slightly, taking on a more serious edge.
“But you can’t be out partying every night, running the streets daily, disappearing for hours, or doing anything reckless while carrying his child…
especially not once Merge fully locks in mentally on this pregnancy.
I know what he’s capable of. And trust me…
you do not want to trigger that overprotective switch in him.
That man will damn near have you on a scheduled routine for the remainder of your pregnancy.
” She laughed uneasily. “Hell, he’d probably have you set up in some upstairs room under the excuse of ‘doctor’s orders’ while convincing himself it’s all for your protection. ”
Zonnique probably thought that sounded terrifying to me, but little did she know the thought of Merge becoming obsessively protective over me and the baby sent a dangerous amount of warmth through my chest.
Still, I quickly forced my expression into one of concern instead of excitement.
“Wow. That sounds a little… intense.”
“Right. Now he probably wouldn’t physically lock you in a basement or anything crazy like that…” Zonnique paused, a slight hesitation in her voice. “Well… hopefully not. But let’s just say Merge believes that control solves problems. That’s how his brain works.”
Despite me not being afraid, Zonnique kept describing Jace as if she viewed him as a dangerous man and that people just vanished when he got involved.
No, I refuse to believe that.
Not my Jace.
He was the guy who’d get anxious ordering food over the phone and would even apologize profusely when he accidentally stepped on my toes, so this can’t be the same man she’s hinting at.
The rest of the ride was stone cold silence.
When we pulled up to her house, I fought to keep my expression from cracking. The place was decent—real nice for regular people—but it wasn’t what I had pictured my new life as a surrogate to be.
Where are the chefs?
The waitstaff?
The penthouse-level accommodations?
It was giving starter home, not billionaire breeding queen.
Zonnique opened the door, then stepped aside, allowing me to enter. “Come in.”