Chapter 2

Zach carefully leaned Zayla against his chest, picked up the bowl of freshly stewed chicken soup from the table, and blew away the rising steam.

"You must be starving. You're still so weak—you need something nourishing," he said.

"I want the chicken soup Joey used to make," Zayla whispered as she settled into him.

"Her soup was always perfect for me. If I have that, I'll have the strength to bring our baby into the world." As she spoke, her hand absentmindedly brushed against his.

Zach flushed and quickly pulled out his phone to call Peter. He barked, "Have you found Joey yet?

"If you have, tell her to make some chicken soup and deliver it immediately. Zayla's waiting. Move faster!"

Peter sounded frantic on the other end. "Mr. Carter, we can't find Mrs. Carter. She's not at Mrs. Larson's grave."

Zach's frown deepened, and his voice grew sharper. "What about the zoo's animal care room? Isn't she always there?"

"She's not there either..."

Fury flared in Zach's eyes. He roared, "Dig up her mother's grave! Film it, and send me the video! I refuse to believe she can hide there forever!"

At that, I surged forward, consumed with the urge to tear him apart.

"Zach, I hope you die a miserable death!" I screamed, but I was just a wisp of a soul—utterly powerless.

Then, Zach turned, his gaze landing on where I hovered. He shouted, "Joey Larson!"

I froze, and my heart pounded. Could he... see me?

But the next second, a cold smile tugged at his lips. He sent me a voice message, accompanied by a video. The footage showed Mom's grave, desecrated. Bones were scattered across the ground.

"This is the price you pay for disobedience. Come out now unless you want others to suffer too. And come apologize to Zayla right now! Or I'll grind your mother's bones to ash and pour it into the toilet!" he threatened.

Tears blurred my vision as I stared at the screen. Rage tore through me, and I lunged at Zach repeatedly—but it was useless. My hands passed through him like mist.

Just then, Eugene came running over. He clapped gleefully at the video. "That old hag got what she deserved! I always hated her!

"Dad, you don't know, but she never lets me eat ice cream or play games. She was just like Mom, so annoying!"

I felt my heart twist with pain. I wanted to step forward and demand an explanation from Eugene so badly.

Was this what Mom gave her life for? To save an ungrateful brat like him?

Zayla quickly hushed Eugene and gently reprimanded Zach. Her voice was soft and angelic—every inch of the picture of kindness. "Joey is your mother and your wife. You mustn't treat her with such disrespect."

Zach and Eugene fell silent at her words and sat obediently by her side.

"Don't worry, Mommy Zayla! I'll respect you! Joey's just a wicked woman—I won't acknowledge her anymore!" Eugene assured her.

"Don't worry, Zayla," Zach added. "After you give birth to our baby, I'll take good care of you."

I laughed coldly, staring at Zayla's fake, hypocritical face.

Just half a month ago, Zach had begged me to find Zayla a job at the zoo. But she was pregnant, and working around animals was dangerous.

I refused—and suspected there was more between them than he admitted.

But Zach accused me of being jealous, swearing that Zayla's baby belonged to her ex-husband—a man who had fled after being caught for tax evasion.

Zach insisted he couldn't abandon her, claiming they were still good friends. He even wanted to bring her into our home.

At that time, Zayla had played the same sweet, fragile act she had on now. She cried as she said, "It's okay. If it's too much trouble for Joey, I'll find another job. I know being pregnant can be a burden."

When Eugene heard she was leaving, he panicked and rushed to stop her. He happily ran circles around me, saying how much he liked Zayla and begged me to let her stay.

Zach and Eugene put on a perfect act. And just like that, I let a devil through the door.

They probably never imagined that sweet, soft-spoken Zayla would one day shove me down the stairs, screaming that only one person could be Mrs. Carter—and it had to be her.

When I tried to call Zach for help, she drugged me and dragged me into an alley to be assaulted. And when I survived, she threw me into the bear enclosure at the zoo.

Though I had been a zookeeper for years, bears were wild, dangerous creatures. In a desperate bid for survival, I sacrificed one of my own hands to distract the bears and ran toward the emergency exit.

But when I reached for my keys, they were gone. In that moment of terror, I realized that Zach had given them to Zayla.

"Come on, Joey. Zayla's just curious about the animals. She's pregnant, so be more patient with her. Besides, most of the animals are gentle. It's not like she'll go near the dangerous ones."

Even though I had refused, he secretly took the keys and gave them to her. What he didn't know was that this betrayal had cost me everything.

The starving bears, having devoured my severed hand, charged after me. I had no choice but to scramble up the iron netting and scream for help.

But Zayla hadn't gone far. She stood nearby, laughing, and threw rocks at me as if I were a monkey. Stone after stone struck my body.

"Die, you filthy woman! Your son would never claim a wretch like you as his mother!"

Now, looking at the scene before me—Zach and Eugene doting on her—I felt a hollow bitterness gnaw at my soul.

I had spent most of my life sacrificing everything for Zach and Eugene, yet to them, I was worth nothing compared to Zayla.

Just then, Zach's phone rang. It was Peter. "Mr. Carter... bad news. Mrs. Carter seems to..."