Chapter 43 Chapter 43. Zoria’s Farewell to Her Father
The assistant’s car stopped at the hospital entrance. Zephyr held Zoria’s hand and got into the car. No one spoke along the way.
They soon arrived at the prison. Zoria got out and looked up at the place. The wind blew past, and her newly healed eyes began to sting again. Zephyr signed his name and led her inside. Visiting time was only fifteen minutes.
But for Zoria, that was more than enough. She had not seen her father for nearly four months. She wanted to know how he was doing now, whether he had been abused in prison.
Inside the visiting room, Zoria sat stiffly in front of the glass. Before long, a guard led Kieran in. With just one glance at him, Zoria nearly burst into tears.
She almost could not recognize the male in front of her as her father. His hair had turned completely white, deep wrinkles lined his face, his eyes were dull, his body thin, and the prison uniform on him hung loosely.
"Daddy…"
The words "I miss you so much" stuck in her throat. Her eyes burned as if rubbed with sand.
Kieran looked at Zoria. His body trembled, but he was pressed down into the chair by the guard.
"Zoria, why did you come here?"
Zoria did not dare tell him that Zephyr had brought her. She was truly useless. Even seeing her father required Zephyr’s permission.
She shook her head and asked hoarsely, "Daddy, are you doing okay in here?"
"I’m fine." Kieran looked at Zoria with pity.
"Zoria, you still haven’t cut off the bond with Zephyr?"
Zoria’s face went pale. She had not expected the first thing her father asked to be this.
Kieran sighed and held his head. "Zoria, I was wrong. I’m sorry."
Earlier, Evander had come to see him and told him about Zoria’s situation. Aside from regret over his past mistake, all that remained was guilt. These sufferings were never meant for Zoria to bear.
Zoria’s throat tightened with bitterness. She parted her lips, then swallowed all her words back down. She could not stay by her father’s side to care for him, and could only resign herself to being tormented by Zephyr. All she wished for was that her father could live peacefully in prison.
"Zoria, I don’t want you to stay with Zephyr. My only wish is for you to divorce him, find someone who truly loves you, and live happily, even for my share of life."
Zoria could not speak. She only felt as if her insides were being twisted into a tight knot.
Fifteen minutes passed quickly. The guard stepped forward to pull Kieran away. Kieran suddenly pressed himself against the glass, his eyes wide. "Zoria, remember this. A member of the Everhart family must not let others bully them. No matter what happens in the future, you must protect yourself first. Only then can you protect…"
Before he could finish, he was roughly dragged away by the guard, who even raised an electric baton to threaten him.
Zoria watched Kieran’s lonely back. She slammed her hand against the glass and shouted hoarsely, "Daddy!"
Kieran staggered and turned back. Zoria’s heart wrenching cry made him unable to hold back his tears, yet he could only lift his head and smile bitterly.
Being able to see his daughter one more time was enough for him…
"Ms. Zoria, visiting time is over. Please step outside."
Zoria stood there blankly. It was only when the guard gently patted her shoulder that her mind returned. Kieran blinked, forcing down the bitterness in his eyes.
When Zephyr saw Zoria come out, he stood up and adjusted his clothes. Aside from her reddened eye sockets, there was not a single tear on Zoria’s face.
"So?"
Zoria bit her lip, lowered her head, and said nothing.
Seeing her timid appearance, Zephyr let out a mocking laugh. He then reached out, wrapped an arm around her thin waist, and pulled her into his arms. "Remember what your father looks like now. One day, if you don’t listen to me, he won’t just end up this miserable."
Zoria’s body trembled slightly. Zephyr curved his lips, his gaze sweeping over Zoria’s pale neck, so beautiful it could be called a swan’s neck.
His eyes darkened as they settled on the hollow at the back of her neck. His throat moved faintly. He could not stop the image of Zoria lying in his arms from rising in his mind. The Alpha’s desire surged, but unfortunately, he still had to wait another half month.
Zephyr suppressed his instincts and spoke in a hoarse voice. "After we get home, you’ll take care of Faye during the day. Whatever she tells you to do, you do it. Remember this well. Don’t bully her."
Letting Zoria take care of Faye had been Faye’s own suggestion. Zephyr hesitated for a moment. He always carried a deep sense of guilt toward Faye.
The bond with Zoria had never been severed, which was already enough to make Faye feel wronged. On top of that, Zoria was now carrying his offspring. Thinking it over, having Zoria look after Faye during the day did not seem unreasonable. It could be taken as a form of compensation, a way to soothe Faye.
As for Zoria… why should he care about the feelings of a lowly Omega?
Zephyr agreed to let Zoria attend to Faye during the day. He also told Faye to arrange only light tasks for Zoria and not let her get too tired. After all, Zoria had just miscarried and needed time to recover.
When Zoria returned to the villa, her bedroom had been moved from the second floor to the first. Her status had shifted as well, from mistress of the house to a servant.
Here, anyone could order her around. Her body had not fully recovered, yet she was already forced to do heavy labor alongside the other servants. Whenever Zephyr went out to work, all the exhausting chores in the villa were dumped onto her shoulders.
Zoria worked until her back and waist ached, but she did not dare complain. The incision on her abdomen was healing, itching and aching at the same time. Sweat soaked into the wound, making the burning pain even worse.
The maid Jenna walked over, her eyes full of mockery. "What, slacking off now? Do you still think you are our Luna?"
Zoria was watering flowers in the yard, her clothes drenched in sweat. She had barely wiped her face when the taunt came.
"Ms. Faye told you to go sweep the balcony. Why are you still here?"