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 doneanything!” 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 evenharderto 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 foranybodyinvolved.”
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 justupand leave.”
Zonnique merely shrugged, as if my concerns were negligible. “If I know Merge, he’s gonna want eyes on you atalltimes 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.”
