Lady Warrior's Warth on Divorce Day novel Chapter 140

Wren’s face grew even paler.

Zoya was right before him now. It was too late for him to cover up those files.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?” Zoya didn’t even glance at the papers scattered on the floor. She rushed over, looking at Wren’s pale face worriedly.

Wren’s lips trembled. He wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

Zoya reached out and touched his forehead, muttering, “You don’t have a fever. Or have you been overworking yourself these days?”

“Maybe I’m just a little tired,” Wren muttered.

“Yeah. Look, everything was spilled all over the floor,” said Zoya, glancing at the mess on the floor. Then she knelt to gather the papers herself.

“No, thanks. I’ll do it myself,” said Wren. He reached out to stop her, panic flashing in his eyes, but it was too late. Zoya grabbed the papers. When her eyes landed on the photo on top, she made a small sound of surprise, “Whoa!”

“This photo…” Zoya stared hard at it, her eyes locked in place.

Wren froze at that moment. He felt like ice was flooding his veins, leaving him stiff as a statue.

He almost reached out on reflex to snatch the photo from her, desperate to stop her from seeing any more.

‘I need to think of something that makes sense. Or… Do I just lie?‘ Wren’s mind raced. ‘But she despises that more than anything. And I promised her I’d never lie to her. But, does it mean there’ll never be a relationship between us once she knows about this?‘

“Why do you have pictures of Oscar, my brother?” Zoya asked, her voice laced with confusion as she flipped through the stack. Every single photo was of Oscar, and all the files scattered around were about Oscar, too.

“I…” Wren tried to speak, but his mind went blank, panic flaring in his chest.

“Did

you do all this just to help me find Oscar?” Zoya said softly, still staring down at the photos. Among those photos, there were some she hadn’t even seen before. “Wren, thank you!”

Her words brought Wren back to his senses.

Yes, Wren was helping her search for Oscar, but he knew deep down these files meant much more than just that, and not all his reasons were so simple.

“Could I get another copy of these photos?” Zoya asked gently.

“Yeah… I can do that,” Wren replied, hesitating for a split second.

Zoya picked up one of the photos and murmured, “I don’t even know when I’ll get to see Oscar again. I do miss him, you know? He got that scar on his shoulder because he was protecting me.”

Wren stiffened, his fists clenching at his sides, barely able to hide the tremble running through him.

Right at that moment, all he could do was be grateful that her head was still bent over the photos. Otherwise, she’d see how terrified he was.

Zoya added, “Back then, Oscar and I were traveling abroad with our parents when we happened to encounter a terrorist attack. In the middle of all the explosions and chaos, Oscar did everything to keep me safe. He held me so tight that he nearly gave his life to protect me. If it hadn’t been for him, I probably wouldn’t be around right now.”

Her eyes reddened as she stared at the scar on Oscar’s shoulder in the photo.

“You do love your brother, huh?” Wren murmured, his voice soft and hesitant.

“Obviously! That’s why I have to find him, no matter what!” Zoya declared.

“What… What if you never find him?” Wren asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I’ll keep searching no matter how many years it takes. I won’t stop until I find him!” Zoya replied, her voice steady and unwavering.

Wren was silent momentarily, then murmured, “Zozo, if one ever betrayed your brother, could you forgive one?”

Zoya looked up at him, obviously confused. “What kind of question is that? If one did something like that to Oscar, that’s for Oscar to decide whether to forgive the one or not, not me.”

“But what about you? Could you forgive the one?” Wren pressed, anxiety tight in his voice.

“It depends on what happened. If it ever put Oscar’s life in danger, I’d never forgive one, no matter what,” Zoya replied, her tone sharp and resolute.

Wren tried to speak, but his throat just locked up, and no sound would come out, no matter how desperately he wanted to say something.

Zoya gently set the photos aside, worry flickering in her eyes as she glanced at Wren’s pale face. “You don’t look good. Come on, lie down and get some rest.”

“Okay,” Wren murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. Then, Zoya took his hand in hers, the gesture gentle and unexpected.

“Your hand is freezing!” Zoya gasped, instinctively wrapping his hand between both of hers, trying to warm. him up.

It was autumn, and it wasn’t even all that chilly. With the air conditioner running in the room, it was pleasantly warm. Still, Wren’s hands felt weirdly cold, enough to make Zoya wonder.

“Are you cold?” Zoya asked softly, her concern clear.

“A little,” Wren murmured, almost embarrassed.

Zoya lowered her head, rubbing his hand gently between hers, then blowing warm air on his fingers to help chase away the cold.

Wren froze for a second. His hand gradually grew warmer in her care, and his heart was beating faster than

ever.

Wren thought, his heart aching, ‘Maybe the colder I get, the more I crave a little warmth. And once I finally have that warmth, I never want to let go. I just hold on tight, afraid of losing it.’

“Zozo, I’ll find your brother,” Wren murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Maybe Wren’d only have the guts to come clean once he helped Zoya find Oscar.

A few days later, Zoya finally got to meet the boy who’d kidnapped Jasmine, with his lawyer by her side.

Unlike the masked figure she’d seen during the livestream, the boy before her was gaunt, almost fragile. His features were delicate and vulnerable. And his delicate face looked completely different from how it had been when he was with Jasmine before.

It was almost impossible to believe he and the masked figure were even the same person.

“You wanted to see me?” Zoya asked.

“Yes,” Gabriel Zeldin, the boy, replied. His gaze fixed intently on Zoya. “I want to know, why are you helping me? I know Mr. Ackles is defending me because of you.”

He’d run into Zoya before, once on the island, and then again at the orphanage. Sure, Enrique Ackles was supposed to be the Richmond family’s lawyer, but everybody knew about all the media gossip swirling around Wren.

The boy even straight–up asked Enrique why he was taking the case. Enrique just replied that Mr. Richmond was only involved because someone asked him to be.

So after connecting the dots, the boy realized Zoya was probably the only person close enough to Wren to ask for this kind of favor. That was how Enrique ended up as his defense lawyer.

“I thought you needed help,” Zoya said.

Gabriel gave her a wary look, saying, “What do you want from me?”

He’d seen way too many adults play nice to get something out of people. The charity work was just for publicity, and all those orphanage events were about showing off how “kind” they were to the world.

“I don’t expect anything from you. I just don’t want you to blow up your life chasing the truth,” Zoya told him, her voice gentle but firm.

“So you expect me to believe you’re just being nice?” Gabriel replied warily, his eyes cold and guarded.

Zoya chuckled. “Hey, it’s fine if you don’t buy it. Maybe one day I’ll hit you up for help. Who knows? But let’s wait until you’re out and free before we start worrying about that.”

Just as Zoya was about to leave, Gabriel suddenly called out, “Wait! If you are as kind as you say, I want you to help prove my father was innocent!”

Then, Gabriel suddenly dropped straight to his knees right there in the visitation room before Zoya, his desperation laid bare.