Now, seeing Zora lying seductively on the bed he once shared with Naya, Cesar felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of rage.
He yanked her up, clearly unsettled. “Zora, why are you lying here? Didn’t I say you’re not allowed to sleep in this bed?”
Zora stared at his furious face, a wave of resentment rising inside her. Ever since Naya’s accident, Cesar had become a completely different man.
In the past, just seeing her would make him ache to pull her into his arms. But now, her presence only stirred a deep, unspoken irritation in him.
What unsettled her even more was that it wasn’t just Cesar. Abigail, too, had started to avoid her. A creeping panic began to take hold.
She reached out and tugged gently at the hem of his shirt, her voice soft and coaxing. “Cesar, it’s been so long since we’ve been close… Don’t you miss it?”
Watching Zora plead before him, Cesar frowned. Naya had never once begged him for intimacy like this.
If anything, he had always been the one demanding her touch.
“Zora, go back to your room. I told you, you’re not sleeping here,” he said, his tone steady, his mind mostly clear.
Zora stared at him, his cold rejection slicing through her. Her resentment boiled over.
She knew it now, this man was utterly in love with Naya.
Even Abigail had turned against her, probably bought over by Naya’s sweet gestures and gentle bribes. The thought made Zora’s heart twist in rage.
Still, she kept her expression composed, wearing the mask of a kind and graceful woman.
She quietly changed into her pajamas and returned to the living room. After pouring a glass of water, she placed it gently on Cesar’s bedside table.
‘Cesar, I know you’ve been feeling on edge these past few days. We’re husband and wife, I won’t hold it against you. Here, drink some water and try to rest early,” she said softly.
Then, with practiced care, she helped him out of his coat and handed him a clean set of ɔajamas.
Cesar sighed inwardly as he looked at Zora’s gentle, submissive expression.
Pressing a hand to his brow, he muttered, “Zora, go back to your room. I need time to adjust… to JS.”
A storm brewed quietly in his chest. Naya’s face wouldn’t stop flashing in his mind, yet he couldn’t bring himself to be cold toward Zora.
Sensing the shift in his tone, Zora’s heart lifted slightly. Her voice was tender, her smile composed.
‘I understand, Cesar. Ms. Steele cared for you for so many years, her sudden death must’ve shaken you. I get it, and I’ll wait. I’ll give you time,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion.
17
3:49 am
“But I’m still a woman too… I have feelings, and my heart aches. Naya is gone now. I just hope you can let go soon…”
“No,” Cesar cut in sharply, “Naya is not dead.”
It didn’t sit right with him. The car accident, the timing, the abruptness of it all, it felt planned.
Something told him Naya hadn’t died. She was alive. And this was just one of her schemes.
Zora listened to Cesar’s words in horror. She couldn’t bear the thought of what he might do i Naya were still alive.
He would go back to her, just like before.
The idea made Zora clench her fists. She couldn’t let that happen. She had to find Naya, whethe she was alive or dead.
3:49 am
