Chapter 107 Chapter 107. No Place to Hide
Zoria opened the door and stepped out to take a look. The noise was coming from the apartment next door. When she had moved in, that unit had still been empty. How had it been rented out so quickly?
A bad feeling crept up on her. She went over to check and saw more than a dozen workers crammed into the not-so-large space. They were discussing renovation plans, with tools piled up outside the door.
Judging by the situation, she would not be getting a single peaceful night of sleep for at least the next week. Zoria returned to her room, took Hamburger with her, and planned to head downstairs to avoid the noise for a while. But just as she reached the turn of the staircase, she saw Lysander coming up toward her.
Lysander raised a hand and smiled. "Good morning, Zoria."
Zoria: …
…
"Zoria!" Zephyr suddenly jolted upright, eyes flying open. His face was deathly pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He looked around in panic. Everything from the dream moments ago still churned violently in his mind. It had been a horrifying nightmare. He had dreamed of Zoria, dreamed of her walking alone along the roadside. He had stood behind her, calling her name over and over, but it was as if she could not hear him, continuing step by step toward the middle of the road. Then, without warning, a car had come speeding toward her, and he had seen Zoria collapse into a pool of blood.
Zephyr clenched his fists tightly, gasping for breath. He knew it was only a nightmare, yet cold sweat continued to seep from his skin. Just then, a pair of slender, pale arms wrapped around his waist. Faye frowned in displeasure, a fierce flame igniting in her chest.
Zoria again. She had lost count of how many times she had heard that name.
Anger surged through Faye, irritation driving her nearly mad. "Zephyr, what the hell is wrong with you? You and Zoria ended the bond a month ago. Don’t tell me you still can’t forget her?"
Her voice rose, every word thick with resentment. She hated her current life and was beginning to grow fed up with Zephyr’s attitude as well. The villa had been renovated, Zoria’s belongings had all been cleared out, yet it was as if Zoria’s spirit still lingered here, stubbornly refusing to leave.
Zephyr shook his head hard, but the images from the nightmare clung to him, refusing to fade. He grabbed the hand resting on his waist and asked coldly, "Why am I here?"
He clearly remembered getting drunk in the living room the night before. Yet when he woke up, he was in bed with Faye, and they were not wearing any clothes.
"Zephyr, you were drunk last night. You even treated me as if I were Zoria…" Faye frowned, her eyes reddening as if she were about to cry.
"Zephyr, do you regret it now? You like Zoria. You didn’t want to break the bond with her. If that’s the case, then why did you save me back then? If I had known it would turn out like this, I would rather have let Lysander kill me." Her voice choked as she lowered her head, her body trembling.
The day Zephyr had saved her from Lysander, she had been so happy it felt like being given a second life. Zephyr had chosen her, not Zoria, and that had made her believe that she still held an important place in his heart. She had gambled correctly. Zephyr still cared about her.
But from the moment they returned to the villa, everything had changed. Zephyr rarely came home. Every time she pretended to be sick to coax him back, he responded halfheartedly. And on the rare occasions when he did stay the night, he spent the entire time calling out Zoria’s name.
At first, she had tried to reassure herself that as long as Zoria stayed away long enough, Zephyr would forget her, and he would eventually love Faye wholeheartedly. But reality proved her wrong.
Zephyr parted his lips, yet no words came out. After a long moment, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice. “I’m sorry, Faye.”
Without warning, he flung the blanket aside, stood up, and strode straight into the bathroom. The mirror reflected a version of himself that looked utterly worn down. His eyes were bloodshot, dark circles weighed heavily beneath them, his hair was a mess, stubble covered his chin, and an unnatural flush tinged his cheeks.
Without Zoria, how had he ended up like this?
He scooped up cold water, soaked a towel, and scrubbed his face hard. But no matter how much he rubbed, he couldn’t wash away the exhaustion or the pain etched into his features.
No. He had to bring Zoria back. Right now. He had planned to wait a little longer, to make sure Faye was properly settled before going to look for Zoria. But he had lost control of himself. All he wanted was to drag that runaway rabbit back, bind her tightly to his side, and keep watch over her day and night.
He couldn’t endure these days without Zoria. If this continued, his mind would completely collapse. If she refused to come back, then he would tie her up and force her to stay.
Zephyr clenched his fingers, making a decision in his heart. He owed Zoria far too much. For all the despicable things he had done to her in the past, he would make amends no matter the cost. He would treat her well, just as she had once treated him with such kindness.
Back in the bedroom, Zephyr went straight to the wardrobe to look for clothes. He dragged out an old trunk from the bottom of the closet and rummaged through it until he found a set of old clothes. They were the ones Zoria had bought for him back then. Having been sealed away for so long, they carried a damp, musty smell.
The clothes should have been washed before wearing, but Zephyr no longer cared. He picked them up and put them on piece by piece.
Faye was startled by his frantic, almost deranged actions. She hurried out of bed and grabbed his arm.
“Zephyr, what are you doing? Today’s a holiday. Where are you rushing off to?” she demanded, shock and anger colliding until she looked ready to explode.
Zephyr acted as if he hadn’t heard her. He kept getting dressed, and before he had even straightened himself out, he was already heading for the door.