Chapter 89 Chapter 89. Zephyr’s Forced “Date”
After two weeks of rest, Dr. Luke told Zephyr that Zoria could go outside for light walks and get some fresh air. The first thing that came to Zephyr’s mind was taking her out to eat, to watch a movie, to go to an amusement park. Those were all things Zoria had once hoped he would do with her—back then, he had refused every time.
“Zoria, let’s go out for a bit, okay?”
Zoria did not answer. She simply lowered her eyelids, pretending she had not heard him.
Zephyr knew very well that Zoria did not want to see him, but he did not care. He sat down at the edge of the bed, took her icy hand, and rubbed it as if trying to warm her.
“Let’s watch a movie and then stop by the amusement park, yeah?”
Zoria opened her eyes and glanced at him, her voice flat and distant. “No.”
Finally hearing an answer from her—even if it was a refusal—Zephyr felt as delighted as if he had been rewarded. He smiled softly. “Go change. The weather’s great today. I picked out a dress for you. You’ll look really beautiful in it.”
After speaking, he did not bother to look at her reaction. He rummaged through the wardrobe on his own, picked a dress at random, and laid it on the bed.
“Wear this one. White dresses suit you.”
Irritation was clear on Zoria’s face. She grabbed the white dress and flung it straight at Zephyr. “Do you not understand what I’m saying? I don’t want to go out!”
Back when she had wanted to go out with him, Zephyr had mocked her for being naive. Now that she did not want to go, he was forcing her instead. How ridiculous.
Zephyr frowned, looking at her in confusion, as if he truly could not understand why Zoria kept getting angry. He lowered his voice to coax her, patient to the point of being fake. “Be good. Don’t make a fuss.”
The way he soothed her was exactly how one would soothe a kitten or a puppy. To him, her anger was nothing more than a child acting out.
“If you don’t want to change yourself, then I’ll dress you.” Zephyr had already decided to drag Zoria outside no matter what.
He wanted to make it up to her, to give her everything she had once longed for but never received. Zoria had wanted him by her side—then now he would stay with her every day. She had wanted to go to the amusement park—he would take her. She had wanted to watch movies with him—he would book the entire theater; whatever she wanted to watch would be shown. He did everything he could to fulfill her past wishes, hoping only that she would give him another chance to make amends.
Zoria still could not escape Zephyr. In the end, she was forced to change clothes and then carried straight outside in his arms, like a pet.
The sunlight outside was a little dazzling. Zoria had not been out for a long time and felt unaccustomed to it, squinting slightly. After settling her into the car, Zephyr reached into his pocket and took out a map, already marked with red ink.
“First we’ll go to the amusement park. Then we’ll head to the movie theater. I’ve already booked dinner too.”
The weather that day was truly beautiful. The entrance to the amusement park was packed, people crowding and jostling one another. Afraid that Zoria might get lost or bumped by the crowd, Zephyr held her hand tightly, as if worried someone might steal her away.
After buying the tickets, he carried Zoria through the sea of people. Along the way, Zephyr talked nonstop, pointing at the map of the park and asking what she wanted to play. Zoria did not say a single word. She walked quietly, as if the liveliness of the amusement park had nothing to do with her at all.
Zoria could not handle anything too stimulating, so Zephyr took her on the Ferris wheel instead. When the cabin reached its highest point, Zephyr pulled her onto his lap and leaned in, meaning to kiss her.
Zoria turned her face away, yet their lips still brushed by accident. It felt as though the air had been drained from the space, leaving a chill so sharp it stole her breath.
"Zoria, I want to kiss you."
She struggled to get off his lap, but Zephyr refused to let her go. He bent down, held her tightly against him, and trapped her whole body in his arms.
Zoria’s face remained blank, but the hatred in her eyes was unmistakable.
Zephyr lifted a hand to cover her eyes, his teeth clenched as if the pain cut to the bone. "I just want to kiss you right here. Nothing else. Look—those couples are kissing too, aren’t they?"
As he spoke, he turned her around and forced her to look behind them. Through the glass, Zoria did see a male and a female locked in an embrace inside another cabin.
She spoke, her voice cold and merciless. "You and I are enemies."
That single sentence shattered Zephyr’s illusion. A bitter ache rose in his chest, and he fell silent.
Zephyr let out a quiet sigh and tightened his arms around her again. He did not dare look at her face. Instead, he turned her back to him, lowered his head, and brushed the tip of his nose lightly against her smooth white neck, breathing in the soft, sweet scent clinging to her skin—the kind of scent that made the wolfish instinct inside him grow even more restless.
Zoria was terribly ticklish. She leaned aside at once, struggling on his lap.
"Let go of me."
The narrow cabin swayed slightly. Zephyr gripped her hand. "Don’t move. Aren’t you afraid of falling?"
Zoria glanced down, then smiled. "If I could really fall and drag you down with me, that would be perfect."
Zephyr lowered his eyes and stared at some distant point in silence. Then he leaned back a little and finally loosened his hold on her.
When they reached the ground, he still held her hand as he led her out of the cabin. They walked down together, hand in hand, immediately drawing countless looks. Their striking appearances—and the fact that they had appeared in the news before—made them easy to recognize at a glance. Some people even secretly took photos and posted them online.