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..."

"Spit it out! What's going on? What happened to Joey?" Zach snapped. His face was twisted with impatience.

Peter's voice trembled as he said, "Mr. Carter, the surveillance footage shows... Mrs. Carter appears to have been dragged into an alley..."

Just then, a video popped up on his phone. The words hit Zach like a punch to the gut. His hand instinctively reached for the phone, ready to dial the police.

Zayla leaned in to get a look, but her voice was soft and almost soothing. "Zach, don't rush. I saw Joey yesterday. She seemed drunk and was stumbling around.

"With the way she was acting, she probably went to a bar to find someone else—"

Zayla suddenly fell silent and covered Eugene's ears with her hands. With a worried expression, she whispered, "Sweetheart, you shouldn't hear this. It's not for kids."

Zach's expression darkened with fury. "So this is what she's doing behind my back, huh?"

Eugene shoved Zayla's hands away and snapped, "That shameless woman! What a disgrace! Dad, you need to divorce her! I want Mommy Zayla to be my real mom!"

A pang of sadness hit my chest as I shook my head, feeling helpless.

When we first got together, Zach promised to protect me and always stand by me, no matter what. But now, after hearing Zayla's words, he took them as truth without question.

I'd given him a son and managed the house for years, but all of that seemed to matter less than a single word from Zayla. He'd completely forgotten everything I'd done.

Love and indifference—there was no mistaking the difference.

Zach opened his mouth to speak, but Zayla went into labor. Without missing a beat, he hung up the phone and completely forgot about me.

Doctors rushed into the delivery room, a sharp contrast to when I had been left alone in the operating room. This was the private hospital Zach had carefully chosen for her.

Zach and Eugene hovered by her side with concern etched on their faces.

Even though Eugene was just in third grade, he tried his best to cheer Zayla on.

"Mommy Zayla, don't be scared. Dad and I are here with you. You're my superhero, the best mom ever. Be good, Elly. Don't hurt Mommy Zayla," he cooed.

When I gave birth, the only one crying like her heart was breaking was Mom. But even she, like me, had been despised by Zach and Eugene.

What did we do wrong? Why did they treat me like this?

Just then, Peter called again, but Zach hung up without a second thought.

His gaze lingered on Zayla, and it was filled with tenderness and concern. His nails dug into his palm, drawing blood without him even noticing.

He loved her—really loved her—more than anything.

Moments later, Elly's cry filled the room.

I silently prayed for Zayla to bleed out and die, but Zach had called in the best obstetricians in the city—she would never be in real danger. She would never hemorrhage or teeter on the edge of death like I had.

Zach didn't rush to check on Elly. Instead, he eagerly embraced Zayla and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you, darling," he said gently.

That was a reality I had dreamed of countless times, but one I could never seem to grasp.

Eugene, holding a large bouquet of flowers, beamed. "Mommy Zayla, you're amazing! I'll take good care of Elly!"

As the room filled with joy, Peter's call broke through.

Zach scowled, clearly irritated. "What now? Do you have any idea where I am?"

"S-sorry, Mr. Carter, but... Mrs. Carter has been found."

"Where?"

"Mrs. Carter... she's dead... in the bear enclosure."