Billionaire Lost to His Surrogate In A Love Game novel Chapter 205

Zachariah remained silent and motionless as Mrs. Fletcher kept on hitting him. When she finally grew tired and stopped the beating and the crying, Zachariah spoke, voice exceedingly calm. “I’m sad, too, that Cora has turned into what she is today, auntie. But I don’t know how she had completed the transformation, I really don’t.”

Perhaps not expecting such cold, harsh words from him, Mrs. Fletcher simply stared at Zachariah and forgot to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

Zachariah reached out a hand to support her. “Auntie, why don’t you and uncle both take a seat? Cora is still in the operating room, and we don’t really know how it’s going. I’m worried you will pass out if you keep crying like that.”

Mr. Fletcher, too, supported his wife with his arm. “Honey, calm down. Cora will be fine if she knows that we care about her so much.”

Leaning into Mr. Fletcher’s arms, Mrs. Fletcher did settle down a little. When she had finally fully cooled down, she said, “Let me ask you something, Zach. If Cora’s baby doesn’t survive, what is your plan for our Cora?”

Zachariah answered lightly, “Cora’s always been a lucky girl, auntie. I’m confident she will be okay.”

But Mrs. Fletcher was obstinate. “Do understand that Cora is our only girl. She insisted on keeping the baby, despite our vehement opposition, and you’ve promised you will get divorced and marry her. You can’t break your own promise, and I won’t allow it, either.”

Zachariah simply pursed his lips and stayed silent. Granted that he had genuinely meant to divorce Ophelia and marry Cora. However, with Cora and her parents incessantly trying to force the marriage on him, he began to be repelled by that very idea. And his attitude is easy to understand if one considers the fact that he had been, since childhood, the absolute star and king of his family, and had taken the lead on everything, so he didn’t like being bossed around like Cora and her folks had done.

Mrs. Fletcher stared at him, sharp-eyed. “Level with me, pal. Are you even planning to marry Cora at all?”

“Ophelia is also pregnant, auntie,” answered Zachariah calmly, “and I won’t desert the mother and child – I can’t, because that would be rather a beastly move. Surely you wouldn’t want a beastly son-in-law, would you?”

Infuriated, Mrs. Fletcher raised her hand high and slapped hard on his face. “Zachariah Chambers! If you want to keep that wife of yours around, why the hell did you come on to our Cora in the first place? Yes, your wife is pregnant, but so is the girl in the operating room! We don’t know if she or the child is going to survive. Don’t you find what you just said rather disturbing?”

Zachariah had a gloomy expression on his face, which was tilting to the right after being slapped by Mrs. Fletcher.

Mr. Fletcher touched her on the shoulder in comforting motions. “Relax, honey. I’m sure that Zachariah will have an answer for us after all.”

Mrs. Fletcher’s eyes were red with rage and tears. “Answer? What answer? Didn’t you hear what he just said? You and everyone in the Chambers family will answer to me alright, because if anything is to happen to my baby girl, I will demand an answer from you, even if I’ll have to spend all my cash!”

Still patting on her shoulder, Mr. Fletcher said gently, “Honey, calm yourself. Nobody wants anything to happen to Cora, and we don’t really know how she’s doing at all. We will sort things out once Cora wakes up, but you’re only making things worse by blindly accusing Zachariah of everything. So calm down.”

“How am I supposed to calm down when Cora’s in an operating room?!” yelled Mrs. Fletcher in her mental breakdown.

A nurse walked over with a reminder. “Ma’am, this here is an operating room, so please lower your voice.”

Holding his wife in his arms, Mr. Fletcher said, “My apologies. The person being operated on is our daughter, and that’s why my wife is being a bit hysterical.”

The nurse nodded understandingly, but repeated, “This is a hospital after all. So please be quiet.”

And then she left.

Leaning in Mr. Fletcher’s arms, Mrs. Fletcher waited until she was slightly calmer when she looked at Zachariah. “Zach, you grew up right before my eyes, and I know that you loved Cora with all your heart. Cora ran away from you, yes, but she was very young. And I know that she’s continued to love you all these years; otherwise, she wouldn’t have left her high-paying orchestra job to come back home. And she has rejected almost all performance invitations to keep her baby safe. Aren’t all these sacrifices enough to show how much she cares about you? Now, she’s in there getting a surgery, with her fate unknown, and so is the fate of her baby. Don’t you think you ought to make her some promise right now?”

Silent, Zachariah kept a dark expression on.

Mrs. Fletcher was about to lose it when her husband, patting on her shoulder, signaled for her to calm down. Looking at Zachariah himself, Mr. Fletcher said, “Zach, I understand what’s been going through your mind. Ms. Ophelia has been with you for almost five years, and you’re only human. Even if you didn’t like her at first, you must have developed something for her. And yes, Cora did you wrong in the first place, so her mother and I can’t really ask you to take responsibility for her. But it was you who decided to get back together with her, and to be with you, she’s even willing to be called an ‘other woman.’ Now, she’s still in the operating room. Should you not give her at least some recognition?”