Chapter 53 Chapter 53. Zephyr Learns the Truth
Zephyr held his phone and stared at the stack of documents he had just received, feeling as though all the blood had drained from his body. It was Zoria’s medical examination report, detailing the development of the fetus.
It had been nearly four months.
As he turned the pages one by one, he could almost picture the baby growing inside Zoria’s womb—slowly, vividly—so real that his eyes began to ache.
The final page was a DNA test report. Zephyr skimmed it, the figures in his head lining up with the results on the paper with a terrifying precision.
The horror in his chest swelled uncontrollably. He could not believe that the fetus that had miscarried had been his. If it really was his offspring… then had he killed his own offspring with his own hands? How was he supposed to live with a truth like that?
“This test has to be fake. Why the hell should I believe that what you gave me is real?” Zephyr snarled.
The truth was right in front of him, yet he still refused to accept it. Evander let out a cold laugh. “If you don’t believe me, then go ask the doctors at this hospital yourself. Ask them how many times Zoria’s been pregnant.”
Zephyr’s chest tightened, his pupils contracting. He shot to his feet and strode straight toward the ward. Evander tried to follow, but Zephyr’s bodyguard blocked him.
Evander struggled angrily. “Zephyr, let go of me!”
“I’ll investigate whose baby Zoria was carrying myself. It’s none of your business.” Zephyr’s voice was icy, every word sharp as a blade.
Deep down, Zephyr already sensed that what Evander said was true. Otherwise, why had he never been able to find out who the father was? And why had Dr. Smith suddenly gone abroad at this exact moment?
His vision darkened. Zephyr staggered forward, and the assistant beside him caught his arm just in time.
“Boss, are you alright?”
Zephyr pressed a hand to his forehead, his brows drawn tight. “I… I’m fine.” His voice was hoarse, trembling faintly despite his effort to hide it.
“Mr. Hawthorne, what are you doing here?” The voice belonged to the surgeon who had operated on Zoria earlier that day.
Evander’s words echoed in his mind. Before his thoughts could catch up, Zephyr had already lunged forward. “How many times has Zoria been pregnant before? Can you tell from her records?”
The doctor hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. Even though Zoria was a mixed-blood Omega, once she was admitted as a werewolf patient, her pregnancy records were clearly documented. And yet her Alpha didn’t know how many times she had been pregnant?
“She… had one abortion before. This time, she miscarried again. Altogether, she’s been pregnant twice.”
Zephyr’s fingers trembled, his throat bobbing. The world spun before his eyes once more.
“Only two times?” he asked.
The young doctor nodded.
Zephyr’s face went deathly pale, all color draining from his lips. The blow was so heavy that his mind lagged behind reality; his sight, hearing, even his sense of touch seemed to slow.
The assistant continued to support him as Zephyr felt lightheaded, nearly placing all his weight onto the other male.
“Mr. Wyndham, are you—” The doctor was about to ask something, but the assistant shook his head, signaling him to stop.
The doctor stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Fortunately, a colleague called out to him, and he quickly excused himself.
Some things, the more you fear them, the more you have to face them. Zoria had only been pregnant twice… which meant the previous baby had been his as well. And he had personally taken the life of a baby that belonged to both him and Zoria.
There was a hollow ache in his chest, like a needle slowly piercing his heart. It wasn’t loud or dramatic, but it hurt unbearably.
He suddenly remembered the pool of blood that day, the four-month-old fetus taken away for cremation. Zoria’s heart-wrenching screams rang in his ears, so loud it felt as if his eardrums were about to split.
Zephyr forced himself to stay conscious. His vision blurred as he staggered forward. He had to see Zoria. He had to ask her why she had hidden the pregnancy from him, why she had carried his offspring without saying a word. He had to ask… why she had claimed the fetus was lost during the bone marrow donation.
Zoria lay on the hospital bed, her hand resting unconsciously on her abdomen. This time, when she learned that the pregnancy had ended in miscarriage again, she felt no pain like she had the first time. Her emotions had already been worn down, dulled completely by the loss of her previous baby.
Bang! The door was slammed open.
Zoria jolted, her body trembling as she turned her wide eyes toward the sound. The moment she met Zephyr’s bloodshot, crimson eyes, her pupils shrank.
Before she could react, Zephyr lunged at her like a rabid beast, both hands clamping tightly around her throat.
A strangled groan tore from Zoria’s lips. The air in her lungs was ripped away in an instant. She opened her mouth, gasping weakly, staring straight at the ferocious male looming over her.
The first thought that surfaced in her mind was: so this was it, Zephyr finally wanted to kill her.
The killing intent radiating from the Alpha made Zoria’s limbs tremble uncontrollably. Tears spilled from her eyes from the pain alone, sliding down her cheeks and soaking into the back of Zephyr’s hand. He felt a burning heat there, left by her tears.
Zephyr’s assistant had worked for him for many years, and this was the first time he had ever seen Zephyr this enraged. Afraid that Zephyr would cause a scene and draw attention, he hurriedly shut the door tight.
"Why didn’t you tell me?" Zephyr roared.
"Tell you what?" Zoria’s mind was in chaos; she could no longer think clearly.
"Why didn’t you tell me you were carrying my baby? Why did you lie to me and say the fetus was lost during the marrow donation?"
Her throat was still being crushed, her lips flushed and damp from lack of oxygen. Like a fish thrown onto dry land, she struggled on the brink of suffocation. She weakly opened her eyes to look at Zephyr—an Alpha driven wild like a provoked beast—and suddenly, she laughed.