“You want the truth? Well, here you go. Merge and I were never some big love story. We’ve dealt with each other on and off for the past three years, so, I guess you can say we have a bit of history, chemistry, comfort… whatever you wanna call it. But us being serious? No… never. He kept me around because I was “familiar,” I understand his lifestyle better than most of the other women he’s dealt with, and I know how to mind my business when necessary.”
Zonnique sighed, taking a breather.
“I’m not going to go into all the details about their family business, but Merge knew he needed an heir eventually,” she explained softly. “That part wasn’t a surprise. In his family, having a child isn’t just personal; it’s tied to power, succession, legacy… all that mafia dynasty bullshit.”
Mafia?
“So once his father started pressuring him about a child,Ibecame 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…pasttense. 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…whydid 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 askyousomething. 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 thereanythingI should know about you that I don’t?”
