Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1171

"Good riddance!" Priscilla muttered under her breath, glaring at the empty doorway where her daughter-in-law had just exited. "Can't cook, can't clean, no grandkids... what's the point of having her around?" She shook her head in exasperation. "No mother-in-law in the world would be happy with that!"

Priscilla reluctantly stepped out of the car, watching as Zane drove off towards the Beacon Hill Mansion. He hadn't even reached the entrance when he was stopped in his tracks.

Zane tried explaining for what felt like an eternity, "I'm Elysia's college buddy, she invited me over," but the guard wasn't having any of it.

Frustrated, he dialed Elysia's number, only to have Tarquin answer, "Who are you?"

"I'm Elysia's friend from college, Zane," Zane replied, his annoyance mounting.

"Who?" Tarquin repeated, feigning ignorance.

"Elysia's college buddy, Zane!" he reiterated, his patience wearing thin.

Tarquin cut the call abruptly, leaving Zane fuming, fists clenched on the steering wheel. He was sure Tarquin was doing it on purpose. "Just you wait, Tarquin," he muttered to himself, "one day I'll tell you straight to your face—I'm Elysia's husband!"

Why Tarquin held such a grudge against him was beyond Zane. After all, his feelings for Elysia were a well-kept secret, even from Elysia herself. Perhaps it was just Zane's good looks that made Tarquin feel threatened.

After calming himself, Zane tried calling again. Tarquin answered once more, with the same dismissive, "Who are you?"

This time, Zane carefully contained his irritation. "Zane, Winona's husband."

"Zane, you jerk!" she yelled, fists flying. "You promised us you'd take care of Winona! It's been over a year and you only just found out she was in trouble!"

"How could you say you loved her?" Blossom sobbed, landing a punch. "You let her down, and you let us down!"

Taking a cue from Elysia's words the day before, Blossom continued to pummel Zane. He couldn't fight back in front of Elysia, so he tried to defend himself, but before he could react, Elliot and Evan had grabbed his arms.

"Mr. Zane, don't move," one of them said, holding tight. "Let Blossom blow off some steam. She'll feel better after she gives you a good whacking."

Zane could only stand there, speechless.