No Remarriage for us Stay Away (Lenora and Zachary) novel Chapter 468

Chapter 468 Harrietta Was Really His Child
The living room of the Fuller residence was steeped in an eerie silence, the atmosphere heavy and suffocating.

Zachary sat on the single-seater couch, his head lowered. His long, thick eyelashes shielded his eyes, obscuring any hint of what he was thinking.

Since yesterday, when Tamara had confronted him with the truth about Harrietta's origins, a nagging sense of foreboding had settled in Zachary's chest. Deep down, he knew that Harrietta was his daughter. The paternity test was nothing more than his need for certainty.

Tamara broke the silence, turning to Harrietta with a soft smile. “Harrietta, you're not an orphan. You have parents. Are you happy?”

Harrietta sat quietly beside Allison, her gaze shifting nervously between Tamara and Isla before briefly meeting Zachary's eyes. She appeared confused, unsure of what to make of the situation.

After Lenora dropped Harrietta off at kindergarten that morning, Zachary called to inform Harrietta that someone would be picking her up to take her to the hospital. After a few drops of blood were drawn, the person then took Harrietta to the Fuller residence. There, Isla introduced herself as Harrietta's mother and began speaking with her. Allison also told Harrietta that she was Zachary's daughter.

Though Harrietta wished she could be her uncle's daughter, she didn't want Isla, the strange and peculiar woman, to be her mother.

After a few moments, Zachary lifted his head and called to her, “Hattie, come to Daddy.”

Bewildered, Harrietta blinked and hesitated for a moment before nervously making her way to Zachary's side.

Zachary gently lifted Harrietta onto his lap and quietly asked, “Are you scared?”

He hadn't planned on revealing the truth to Harrietta so soon, but Tamara had insisted it was essential for Harrietta to learn her true identity. Even if Zachary had managed to stop her this time, Tamara would have gone to the kindergarten and told Harrietta everything herself.

Harrietta cast a wary glance at Isla before quickly burying her head into Zachary's embrace. Like a timid little mouse, she gave a barely perceptible nod.

Isla's expression faltered for a brief moment before she said, “I've been absent from Harrietta's life for so long, and for that, I'm truly sorry. I want to bring her home now and take good care of her, shower her with love.”

Harrietta was filled with dread. She instinctively clutched onto Zachary's collar. She didn't want to leave Lenora and Zachary, nor did she want to go with the stranger who claimed to be her mother.

“Impossible!” Zachary's voice was firm and unwavering as he gently patted Harrietta's back to comfort her. He lifted his gaze to Isla, his expression resolute. “Hattie is my daughter, and I acknowledge that. But if you're thinking of taking her away, I will never agree.”

“She's my daughter too!” Isla exclaimed, her voice sharp with frustration.

“The custody is with me,” Zachary replied, his tone cold and unyielding.

Isla's anger flared. “She's the child I carried for nine months, the one I painstakingly brought into this world. Just because Lenora can't have children, you think you can take her away from me? Deny her the chance to know her own mother?”

Zachary opened his mouth to speak, but Tamara quickly cut him off. “Zachary, have you considered Lenora's feelings about keeping Hattie? If she finds out that Hattie is your child, do you think she'll stay with you? Will you be able to treat her the same way as before?”

Harrietta's face went pale, her lips puckering in distress.

A few days ago, her classmate Paxton had confided in her about a new sister who had joined his family—a child born from his father's affair. Both he and his mother had no affection for the newcomer, seeing her as an unwanted disruption to their lives.

Would Aunt Lenora still love me since I'm Uncle Zachary's child with another woman? What should I do if she hates me?

Zachary paused, a brief flicker of pain crossing his eyes.

He couldn't bring himself to imagine how Lenora would react if she discovered that Harrietta was his child. He vividly recalled the tumult of emotions he had felt when he first learned that Lenora had once given birth to a child overseas—an overwhelming sadness, a deep sense of discomfort, and a simmering resentment. Yet, beneath it all, there had been a helplessness, a realization that there was nothing he could do to change the past.

He loved her, so he managed to swallow the bitterness in his heart and accepted the situation.