Chapter 79 Chapter 79. Promises Zoria Won’t Trust
Zoria parted her lips mechanically, took a few sips, then stopped. Only then did Zephyr realize he still hadn’t given her the medicine.
He helped her sit up, propping her against the headboard, then got out of bed to fetch the medication the doctor had prescribed.
"Take your medicine."
Zoria looked at the pills resting in his palm, then snatched them up and tossed them straight into her mouth. She didn’t drink any water, just swallowed them dry, one by one. One pill got stuck in her throat, refusing to go down, and a bitter taste spread through her mouth.
Zephyr startled, set the glass down, and reached out to touch her forehead. "How are you feeling now? Still uncomfortable?"
Zoria stared at him blankly, as if lost somewhere else. A long time passed before she finally turned to look at Zephyr, her blue pupils reflecting his silhouette.
Zephyr let out a quiet sigh. "This time, it was my fault."
Zoria gave a mocking smile. To Zephyr, what was right and what was wrong, anyway? Or did he truly understand where he had gone wrong?
"Zoria, from now on, I swear I’ll treat you well."
At those words, Zoria finally reacted. She blinked, her eyes brimming with restrained tears, and forced out, "Zephyr, you’re a liar."
Zephyr’s expression darkened instantly. "This time, I’m not lying to you."
Zoria tugged the corner of her dry lips into a smile. "Zephyr, do you remember what you said to me in the hospital?"
Zephyr frowned, unsure which time she was referring to.
Zoria’s hoarse voice rang out. "You said you could lie even in front of the Moon Goddess. So how could I dare to believe you again?"
She turned her head away, staring out the window, and continued with difficulty. "When we performed the bonding ritual, I believed you, and my family fell apart. When I donated my marrow, I believed you, and I lost my first child. After that, I believed you again, and in the end, my father died in prison."
Zoria let out a rasping laugh. "Have you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf?"
Zephyr suddenly felt as if he had slipped from a great height, his heart sinking so heavily he could barely breathe. He stood frozen for a long while before speaking. "Zoria, I’m serious."
Zoria responded with a cold, mocking laugh. "Serious? Seriously insulting my intelligence? Zephyr, you say you treat me so well, right? Then I beg you—let me go. Stop crushing me under your feet, please. Isn’t that possible?"
She didn’t understand. There were so many things she simply couldn’t make sense of.
Zoria murmured, her voice so soft it was almost as if she were talking to herself. "Zephyr, in your eyes, am I really not worth cherishing at all?"
"Just because I’m an Omega, and a half-human at that, capable of bearing children—does that mean I’m not even considered a living being to you?"
Her eyes gradually burned, dry and blurred, yet not a single tear fell from start to finish. Her heart hurt beyond measure, as if someone were squeezing it tightly in their fist.
Zoria had never regretted anything as much as she did at this moment—regretted ever meeting Zephyr. She couldn’t understand how simply loving him had turned her life into something this miserable. She also couldn’t understand why she had to endure such extreme suffering, from the destruction of her family to the agony of losing a child who had never even had the chance to take shape.
Just how much did Zephyr hate her, to keep trampling on her like this, pushing her all the way down into eighteen levels of hell and still swearing never to let her go?
Zephyr spoke, his voice low. "This has nothing to do with bearing children."
Zoria gave a faint, scornful smile. "Then it’s just because I can satisfy your sexual desires, and Faye can’t, right?"
Zephyr’s voice turned icy at once. "Don’t drag Faye into this."
He had asked himself the same question before—why he couldn’t bring himself to let Zoria go. At first, perhaps it really was just about using her Omega body to bear children, to satisfy an Alpha’s possessive instincts. But gradually, he realized that his heart would ache because of her, and his gaze could no longer tear itself away from her at all.
Zephyr had never thought he loved Zoria—until yesterday, when he saw her with Lysander. They had only been eating together, watching a movie, yet it was enough to drive him mad with jealousy.
"I won't mess around with Faye anymore."
Zoria let out a cold laugh. "Then that really sucks for you."
At this moment, Zoria was frighteningly indifferent. Zephyr felt that anything more he said would be pointless. He softened his tone, stepped forward, pulled her into his arms, and lowered his head to press a gentle kiss to her forehead, as if soothing a small, skittish animal. "Let's stop talking today. Be good and get some rest. Listen to me. I'll prove it to you someday."
Zoria was placed back onto the bed. Her eyes were unfocused, carrying a chill as she looked at Zephyr. "Will I still be allowed to go out in the future?"
"Don't bring this up again."
Zoria seemed to understand. She curled up, slowly closing her eyes. She knew she would return to those days without sunlight, just like before.
Zephyr stood by the bed, looking down at her sleeping face from above. After a while, the phone on the table vibrated. He picked it up and stepped outside. Since bringing Zoria here, Zephyr had barely been able to focus on work. Although his guards had been handling things for him, there were still many important documents that required his personal review. The workload had piled up, and he had completely forgotten about it. Only when a guard called to remind him did he remember, and he had no choice but to start dealing with it.