Chapter 67 Chapter 67. Heartless Mother
Jenna pressed her back against the cold wall and spoke in a quivering voice. "Ms. Faye, Alpha will definitely come back in a few days. He loves you so much—how could he just abandon you?"
Faye suddenly froze. She lifted a hand and clawed at her tangled hair, muttering to herself, "That’s right. He loves me so much. How could he not want me anymore?"
At that moment, the sound of a car pulling to a stop came from outside. Joy immediately lit up Faye’s face, and she rushed out barefoot.
"Zephyr’s back! Zephyr’s back!"
But when she ran outside, the one she saw wasn’t Zephyr—it was his assistant.
The assistant stared at Faye in shock, almost failing to recognize her.
"Ms… Ms. Faye."
Faye asked blankly, "Where’s Zephyr?"
"The Boss is in a meeting at the company," the assistant replied.
"Then will he come back?"
The assistant looked into her hollow eyes and, for some reason, felt deeply unsettled. His heart tightened. Faye’s state was clearly the result of severe emotional stimulation—her mental condition was unstable. Should he report this to the Boss?
No. For now, it was better to calm her down first.
Lowering his voice, he said gently, "The Boss will definitely come back."
After saying that, the assistant avoided looking at Faye’s expression and hurried into the house to search for the ring.
The ring was eventually found in Zoria’s room, hidden in the drawer of her bedside table. Inside the box were two rings—one stained with blood, the other spotless, looking brand-new, as if it had never been worn.
The assistant took the rings and left. Before going, he glanced at Faye, who was sitting on the sofa with her head lowered. He let out a soft sigh, then turned away.
Back at the company, he handed the rings to Zephyr and briefly mentioned Faye’s condition.
Zephyr’s expression remained calm, without the slightest hint of panic in his eyes. He quietly opened the ring box in his hand. The moment he saw the rings, his pupils shifted subtly. Zephyr took out the clean ring and slipped it onto the ring finger of his left hand.
Then he reached into the box and picked up the other ring.
The surface of the ring was coated in a dull gray layer of rust. As it brushed against Zephyr’s fingers, it left behind streaks of dried blood.
When had this ring finally left Zoria’s hand? Zephyr thought carefully for a moment. It seemed to have been around the time he forced Zoria to sign the bone marrow transplant agreement for Faye. After that, he had never seen Zoria wear this ring again.
Zephyr placed the ring back into the box. "Take this ring and have it cleaned. Before we go to court, bring it back to me."
The assistant accepted it, still unable to guess what Zephyr was thinking.
In truth, Zephyr simply wanted the ring cleaned—so that he could personally put it back on Zoria’s hand, making sure she would never be able to take it off again.
…
Zoria stayed in the hospital to recover from her injuries, never expecting that an uninvited visitor would show up that day.
Juliette—her mother—stood at the door of the ward, a fruit basket hanging from her hand, her expression visibly stiff and uneasy.
“Mommy…” Zoria called out. By the end of the word, her voice had gone hoarse. Seeing Juliette brought back the scene she had accidentally witnessed on the street months ago.
Zoria could not understand why Juliette had come to see her. After her father died, Juliette had clearly stopped acknowledging her as a daughter and had never appeared again.
Juliette softened her voice. “Zoria, can I come in?”
Zoria nodded. The moment Juliette stepped inside, Zoria’s gaze instinctively fixed on her belly.
Juliette was dressed in loose clothing today, yet it still failed to hide the unmistakable curve of her abdomen. She was pregnant.
Zoria did not know what she was feeling. It was not resentment, nor exactly sorrow—just a suffocating ache tightening in her chest.
“What are you here for?”
Juliette froze for a moment, then set the fruit basket on the table, her voice turning even more awkward. “I just came to see you.”
At those words, Zoria’s nose burned. She turned her head toward the window, remembering how, months ago, Juliette had told her not to call her mommy anymore.
Zoria took a deep breath. After she finally steadied herself, she curved her lips into a faint smile. Her eyes swept briefly over Juliette’s belly as she asked softly, “How many months?”
Juliette’s expression stiffened. Her right hand unconsciously rested on her abdomen. “Four months.”
By that count, Juliette had already been pregnant when she sever the bond with Kieran. Zoria looked at her with a darkened gaze. Her own child had once been four months along too—only her belly had not shown as clearly as Juliette’s did now.
“I owe your father,” Juliette said, assuming Zoria was blaming her for severing the bond with him.
Zoria’s voice was distant. “That’s all in the past. You didn’t come here today just to check on me, did you?”
“Everhart Pack has already fallen. I can’t bury my whole life with it. Zoria, don’t come looking for me again in the future. Don’t ruin my new life.”
Those were the words Juliette had said to her months ago—so clear it felt like yesterday. Zoria had not gone to her. Instead, Juliette was the one who came.
Zoria did not believe Juliette had come without a reason. Something must have happened.
“Zoria, I heard you want to sever the bond with Zephyr.”
So it was about Zephyr after all. Just as she expected—Zephyr had already made his move. Zoria clenched her teeth and looked straight at Juliette.
Juliette continued, “I’m begging you. Don’t sever the bond with him, okay?”
Zoria’s breathing hitched. Her heart felt as if it had dropped straight into the depths of the sea, sinking into an endless abyss. Her voice came out rough and hoarse. “Wasn’t that what you always wanted? For me to sever the bond with him?”