Chapter 22 Chapter 22. Violence Under White Lights
When Zoria woke up, she was startled to find two men in the room. When her mind fully cleared, she realized they were Zephyr and Evander.
"This is a hospital?" Zoria said softly.
She had once thought she would not survive this time. She had never expected to wake up again.
Hearing the movement, Evander walked to her bedside. "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Is your body still hot?"
Zoria shook her head, then reached out and tightly grabbed Evander’s sleeve.
Zephyr’s gaze unconsciously settled on her hand. Seeing Zoria so close to another man made his chest feel even more stifled.
He stepped forward, looked down at her coldly, and said, "Since you’re awake, we’re going home."
Zoria’s body trembled slightly. She was truly afraid of Zephyr.
She used to think she still had some strength left to resist. But after being locked in the storage room and nearly losing her life, she finally understood that Zephyr could easily torture her to death if he wanted.
Her thin body instinctively leaned toward Evander, and Evander shifted as well, placing himself in front of her, blocking Zephyr from getting closer.
"Can’t you see she doesn’t want to go with you?" Evander shouted through clenched teeth.
Zephyr’s eyes turned icy. He reached out, grabbed Evander by the collar, and shoved him hard, sending him crashing to the floor. Evander cried out, struggling to fight back, but he was quickly subdued and then took a solid punch to the face.
The blow left Evander dizzy, the taste of blood filling his mouth.
Zoria had never expected Zephyr to attack Evander right there in the hospital. Zephyr was an Alpha, and Evander was no match for him at all.
"Stop hitting him! Zephyr, let him go!" Zoria cried hoarsely.
Zephyr’s fist froze in midair. He glanced at Zoria, the corner of his lips lifting into a cold smile. "What? Feeling sorry for him? Then will you behave and come home with me now?"
Zephyr’s expression was calm to the point of being unreadable. It was impossible to tell whether he was holding back or already enraged.
Pinned to the ground, Evander shouted, "Zoria, you can’t go with him! Sooner or later, he’ll play with you until you’re dead!"
Zephyr tightened his grip around Evander’s throat, watching his face turn red as he laughed mockingly. "Since you’re talking about playing around, let me ask you something. Zoria was pregnant before, wasn’t she? Can she still be pregnant now? If she can’t anymore, wouldn’t that useless womb of hers just be a waste?"
"Zephyr, you bastard... Ah!!!"
A dry cracking sound rang out, followed by a scream of agony. Zephyr had snapped Evander’s arm.
It felt as if Zoria’s heart was being crushed in someone’s fist, the pain so intense she could hardly breathe. Her whole body turned icy cold, as if her heart had been torn open and freezing wind was rushing straight into her chest.
Her fingertips trembled as she clenched the bedsheet, her voice choked with sobs. "Zephyr, let Evander go... I’ll go with you. I’ll go home with you."
"Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d understood this earlier?" Zephyr said with a smile, one that was cold and brutally cruel.
He released Evander, then kicked him hard, sending him flying into the corner of the wall with a heavy thud.
"Evander..." Zoria’s voice grew hoarse, swallowed up by the chilling murderous aura that had settled over Zephyr’s face.
Zephyr walked to the bedside and saw that the IV bottle was nearly empty. He reached for Zoria’s hand, intending to pull out the needle. But Zoria reacted as if shocked, jerking her hand back. The needle shifted, blood seeping from the vein and staining the tube red.
Zephyr’s expression turned ice cold. "Zoria, you’re an adult now. Don’t think only about yourself. Think about others too. This time it was Evander. Next time, it could be someone from the Valor family, or someone else entirely."
Zephyr sat on the edge of Zoria’s bed, one hand clamped tightly around her wrist so she could not pull away. He quickly yanked out the needle still stuck in the back of her hand, and blood immediately welled up, dark red and frightening to look at.
He grabbed a tissue and pressed it hard against the wound until the bleeding stopped, then finally let go.
Staring at the swollen back of Zoria’s hand, Zephyr said coldly, “You really never listen, do you.”
Zoria pressed her lips together and did not answer. She closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing and suppress the storm of emotions surging in her chest.
“I already agreed to go home with you. Can you let me go now?”
Zephyr frowned and released her. A dark bruise instantly appeared on Zoria’s pale wrist. His emotions were slipping out of control. It was as if every time he touched Zoria, his reason simply collapsed.
He stood up and looked down coldly at Zoria, who was curled up on the bed. She trembled, her face deathly pale, her lips bitten so hard they bled.
Zoria was timid yet stubborn, her eyes rimmed with red, looking like a small rabbit baring its teeth in a desperate attempt at self defense.
Zephyr bent down and ignored her struggling as he lifted her straight into his arms.
“Zephyr, let Zoria go! You can’t take her away!” Evander shouted in despair as he tried to push himself up from the floor.
Zoria was about to struggle harder, but when she saw Evander injured, she only shuddered slightly, clenched her teeth, and let Zephyr hold her tightly against his chest.
Zephyr’s gaze grew dark and heavy, silent like a storm gathering before it broke.
Zoria trembled as she felt Zephyr’s throat move slightly. Then his low voice came down from above, cold and merciless. “Zoria is mine. Even if she dies, her soul belongs to me. Wherever I want to take her, I will. What does that have to do with you?”
Evander was in too much pain to stand. He barely managed to sit up before collapsing again. Zephyr shot him a provocative glance and walked past slowly with Zoria in his arms.