Steven reached out to embrace me, but I stood up and moved away, leaving his hand hanging awkwardly in mid-air. A shadow of disappointment crossed his face.
“Yes, but, Zephyra, let me explain. It’s not what you think.”
The moment Steven admitted it, my mind went blank. I froze on the spot, the world blurring around me. I could see Steven’s mouth moving, but I couldn't hear a single word.
On the way here, I thought I had prepared myself for the worst, but hearing the truth still felt unbearable. The catalyst for the tragic fate of my child and me… was Steven.
I stared at him, my voice like ice. “So you were the one who got our child killed!”
Steven stood and moved toward me. “Zephyra, please calm down and let me explain. It’s not what you think, I…”
I stumbled back, a profound coldness seeping into my bones. My voice was eerily calm, devoid of any emotion.
“But the result is the same. Steven, you caused the death of our child. That’s why I started drinking to drown my sorrows. You caused all of it.”
Steven’s brow furrowed, his expression filled with sorrow as he looked at me.
I had hated Queena, and I had hated myself for not taking care of my body, but I had never hated Steven. At most, I just blamed him for being heartless. I never connected him to it, even thinking he didn't know Queena and that she had pursued him on her own.
Thinking back now, I must have been foolish from the pregnancy. If Steven barely knew Queena, why was he so wary of her? Why did he insist her family take her abroad and forbid her from returning?
He knew all along that Queena would hurt me and our child.
And I was the biggest fool, kept in the dark from start to finish.
Steven looked nervous. “Zephyra, listen to me, it’s not what you think. The reason I…”
“Enough!” I cut him off sharply. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. Steven, from now on, we're strangers. Please don’t ever appear in front of me again.”

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