Not your typical baby mama

"I wonder what happened", Victoria whispered to Stella whilst in the corridor.

They stood a few feet away from the door leading to the sunroom. Getting no response, she looked at Stella who had nothing but worry on her face.

They both got startled from the sound of Amy's sobs that now echoed from the room. Without a second thought, Stella took a step forward to go to her only to be held back by Victoria.

"But-" she started. Victoria shook her head saying no.

Much to her dislike, Victoria led them away giving the two the privacy they requested and not to alarm Roserie who was fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Zach and Amy were now on the sofa. He had embraced her while she straddled him, crying her eyes out as he pet her head.

He remained silent, letting her cry out the pain. No amount of words could alleviate the pain. All he could do was simply hold her and let her cry.

"She....", She sobbed and clutched his suit jacket tight where her hot tears fell. "How could she...."

She slightly pulled away to look at him. "Is this a joke? I speak to her, I spoke to her..... Today.... I-I-I asked how she was feeling. Zachery I swear I-" she closed her eyes letting the tears fall, her mouth quivering, her mind and brain unable to properly coordinate her thoughts with her mouth.

The slowed speech, how weak she had been sounding lately and the jokes she had been throwing, the way both of them got carried away reminiscing about the past. All of that kept replaying in her mind. The strict woman that had a soft spot for her in heart, Joanne, was gone.

Zach could only wipe Amy's tears with his thumb but more fell. His silence only made her cry even more, it confirmed that the news about her death was real. Joanne was gone. Forever.

Her sobs soon quieted down to become whimpers accompanied with sniffles. He stood up, carrying her in his arms. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and silently let her tears fall on him.

The rest of the house automatically became somber seeing the master and mistress of the house in such a mood. Zach went to their room and carefully lay her on the bed.

As he pulled the sheets to cover her body, he saw a tear escape from her closed eyes and then fall into her pillow. He leaned forward and kissed her temple. As he walked away, he heard her stiffle her sobs probably hoping he wouldn't hear her but he did.

He disappeared into the bathroom and undressed to get into the shower. He stood under the cold water and let out a heavy breath. Joanne Harper, a woman who was part of Amy's past and part of the reason of who Amy is.

He will never personally thank her for protecting the woman he now calls his own, the mother of his child. His heart ached thinking of how lost and lonely Amy must feel after losing such an important person. He run a hand through his hair, frustrated, angry, and heart broken.

Not wanting to stay away from for too long, he quickly washed up and left to dress up. Amy was still in the same position he had left her. Tears were no longer falling, but her eyes remained closed. He decided to use the opportunity to explain the situation to the family.

"Zach, what's going on?" Victoria asked as soon as he got out of their room.

"Let's go downstairs", he said. He didn't want anyone disturbing Amy.

He took Roserie from her and led the two older women downstairs. Henry and Richard were already waiting at the foot of the stairs thus he decided to break the news right then.

"What's going on?" Henry repeated his wife's question.

"Joanne Harper passed away this evening", he replied.

"Oh dear!" Victoria gasped.

"Oh gosh!" Stella cupped her mouth and she too gave way to tears. Richard wrapped his arms around her.

They were not friends with the older woman but they new her because of how their library helped their orphanage. And knowing how important Joanne was to Amy, it only made Stella's heart ache more and cry more.

"George called to let me know", he added.

Henry sighed and patted Zach on the shoulder. The latter looked at the two women. "Mom, Stella, I need your help in looking after Roserie tonight. Amy's not in a good shape."

"Of course. Of course. You don't need to ask", Victoria answered without hesitation.

"Of course dear", Stella agreed. "Amy.... Poor child. Take good care of her. She'll need you the most right now."

He nodded. He didn't need to be told twice. Speaking of which, he needed to get back to her. As though reading his thought, Victoria gestured for him to hand over his daughter.

"Excuse me, sir", Edmund announced his presence, getting his master's attention. Zach handed over his daughter before giving Edmund attention. He spoke quietly already guessing the reason for the somber mood. "Dinner is ready, should I bring up yours and Madam's to your room?"

"Mm." Zach kissed his daughter's forehead before leaving everyone for Amy.

With each step he took going upstairs, it felt heavy and so was the weight of his heart. He quietly opened the door and left it slightly ajar so Edmund shouldn't bother knocking when coming in.

He quietly got under the covers and carefully turned Amy over, pulling her into his arms. She pulled him closer with a clutch of his shirt and started sobbing softly.

"She left me... She left me.... How could she leave me?.... Did she want to stay away from me that much?..... Am I that unpleasant-"

"Amy, you know that's not true." He knew she did not mean any of the things she was saying but he still felt the need to assure her.

"Then how could she.... How could she leave me? She wanted me to keep my distance but since I didn't listen to her, she decided to leave me... Forever", she choked on her sobs.

Zach only pulled her closer. He closed his eyes, fighting back the tears. Every word she said was like a constant stab to his heart. The more she cried, the more he felt like someone was slicing layers and layers of his heart.

The sound of soft footsteps made him open his eyes. He watched Edmund quietly set the table for them before excusing himself. Zach was in no hurry to get her to eat. He waited for her to calm down before letting her know.

"Baby, dinner is ready", he whispered.

"I don't want to", she replied in the same tone with a sniffle.

"I know, but you need to. You'll need to be strong when sending her off."

She brought her head up, resting it on his pillow so she could look at him with a brows raised. He wiped away her tear stained face and gave her a nod to the silent question she was giving him.

At the King's Villa

"Oh my gosh! Just when we were debating on who to take out and that, bless her soul, croaked. How convenient!" Esmeralda gaffawed at the news of Joanne's death. "The heavens are finally on our side baby!"

"That's enough", Dylan growled. She had been like this ever since they got the news he was now fed up. Even Aldo who stood in the room could not help his inner grimace at Esmeralda's attitude.

"Baby, be happy! This is good news for us!" She moved around his desk and situated herself on his lap comfortably.

"You're right about one thing, it is good news for us. I can bet all my money that A.J will be there, she can't miss this", he replied. "We wanted to get her before anyone else could, we'll use this chance."

She snapped her fingers. "Agreed."

Dylan looked over at Aldo with a frosty expression. "Get ready, we have a package to secure."

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