Chapter 2 Chapter 2. Forced to Donate Bone Marrow

Looking at the ultrasound image, Zoria smiled softly, relieved that her baby was still safe.

"Your baby is fine, but you still need to be careful. During this time, avoid having sexual relations with Zephyr." Evander had not intended to say more, yet Zoria still felt grateful. She nodded gently and thanked him.

When Zoria returned to the castle, she saw several police cars at the gate. A few officers were speaking with the maid. The moment the maid spotted Zoria, her eyes lit up and she pointed toward her.

Two officers immediately turned and walked toward Zoria. "You are Ms. Everhart, correct?"

Zoria froze, nodding slightly. Panic surged inside her, and her face grew pale.

"Yes, I am. May I ask what this is about?"

"Please come with us to the station. Your father is suspected of involvement in embezzlement, and we need your statement."

Zoria’s whole body stiffened. "How could that be? My father would never embezzle!"

"Ms. Everhart, it would be best for you to come to the station and discuss this further."

Before she could fully grasp what was happening, the police had already taken her away. Sitting in the car, she couldn’t help glancing out the window. A crowd had gathered, whispering and pointing, their eyes filled with mockery as they looked at her.

Zoria’s body trembled uncontrollably, her hands clenching tightly on her lap. Inside her, the baby seemed to sense her tension and kicked, sending a dull ache through her stomach.

In the interrogation room, the blinding white light burned her eyes. Zoria closed them for a moment to adjust before opening them again. Across from her, an officer asked questions while taking notes.

When she learned that her father had already been detained and would stand trial the next day, Zoria’s pale lips trembled. "May I see my father?"

The officers agreed and led her to the visitation room, granting only five minutes.

After just one night, Kieran looked haggard, his hair streaked with far more gray. Zoria’s nose stung as tears welled up. "Daddy, what on earth happened?"

Kieran only shook his head and whispered, "Zoria, you must be careful with Zephyr."

Five fleeting minutes passed too quickly. Zoria watched as the warden led her father away, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks. Pressing her forehead against the cold wall, she wept in silence, her shoulders trembling.

Why had her father told her to be wary of Zephyr? Could it be that everything was connected to him?

The police, having gotten nothing more out of her, released Zoria. In a daze, she returned to the castle.

Inside the castle, the servants looked at her with mockery. One maid even scolded her outright, "The mayor has already been arrested for embezzlement, so why did you still come back here? Neither you nor your father are anything good. The two of you are nothing but vile and despicable!"

"Has Zephyr returned?" Zoria did not respond to the maid’s taunt, only asked softly about Zephyr.

"Find him yourself."

Zoria pressed her lips together without replying, slipped past the maid, and went upstairs. Along the corridor, unlike its usual emptiness, two pairs of shoes were left on the floor.

Could it be that Zephyr had brought another female home?

"Zephyr…" Zoria called twice as she stepped into the bedroom. Seeing the light on in the upstairs room, an ominous feeling rose in her chest.

She climbed the stairs and stopped before the tightly shut door. Just as she was about to push it open, broken moans drifted from inside. Her hand froze in midair.

Hearing that sound, she knew full well what was happening inside. Zoria’s blood seemed to flow backward, her whole body turning icy cold and trembling, even her fingers would not stop shaking.

She drew a deep breath and shoved the door open. Inside the room, two bodies were entwined on the bed.

"What are you doing here?" Zephyr hurriedly pulled the blanket over the female beneath him. Though they had been mates for three years, Zoria had never once seen him so gentle.

She had known that Zephyr had been unfaithful for a long time, but she had never imagined that one day he would bring that female home, let alone make love to her right before her eyes.

Leaning against the wall, one hand resting on her stomach, Zoria’s voice trembled. "Zephyr… who is she?"

Zephyr looked at Zoria, stepped down from the bed, and picked up his robe to put it on.

"Go outside, I have something to say to you." His voice was cold, carrying no trace of warmth.

"Zephyr, I am so scared…" The strange female on the bed poked her head out from under the blanket, speaking timidly. Zephyr turned back to embrace her, even lowered his head to kiss her forehead, gently saying, "Faye, wait for me a little while. Just lie here quietly and wait for me."

Zoria bit her lip until it bled. Before she could recover, Zephyr’s hand had already gripped her arm tightly. Without a shred of mercy, his fingers squeezed so hard that a bruise immediately marked her wrist.

She cried out in pain, her body staggering, almost collapsing to the floor.

Zephyr dragged Zoria into a private room and slammed the door shut.

"Zephyr, who is she?"

He did not answer. Instead, he walked to the desk, pulled out a contract and a pen, and threw them straight in front of her.

"Sign it!"

Zoria lowered her eyes to the words on the paper, their chill cutting to the bone. Even though it was autumn, her entire body trembled.

"You want me to donate my marrow to someone? To her?" Zoria’s reddened eyes brimmed with tears as she helplessly looked at the male before her. "Zephyr, why?"

"Your family has already fallen. Do you still think you are the mayor’s daughter? If you don’t want your father sentenced to death, then you had better obey me."

"Why… why is it… you! It was you who harmed my father! Zephyr, why? What have I ever done wrong to you? If you hated me so much, then why did you agree to become my mate back then?" Her voice was furious, choked with despair.