Reclaimed By My Ex-husband-Chapter 288: She will understand

Chapter 288: She will understand
Nathaniel finally reached the hospital and went straight to see his mother.
Gracie looked better than before. Her legs were still weak, but at least she could speak again. The moment she saw her son, tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Nathaniel..." she cried.
"Mom, don’t," he whispered gently as he bent down to hug her. "Everything is alright now. You’ll get better soon."
"It was Riya," Gracie said shakily, pulling away. "She pushed me down the stairs."
"I know," he replied softly. "And she has already paid for what she did."
Gracie had heard about Riya’s death, yet she felt no sorrow. What she had in her heart was only remorse and heartbreak.
"I loved that girl," she said, voice breaking. "I treated her like my own. I trusted her. But she betrayed us. She didn’t hesitate to poison Vincent. When I caught her and confronted her, she pushed me down the stairs. She wanted to silence me forever and even poisoned me. I can’t believe I raised such a venomous snake into this house."
Nathaniel exhaled deeply. "Riya was twisted, a psycho. I didn’t see it at first either. I assumed she was just spoiled and overindulged. But she was selfish, unstable."
His skin crawled with disgust as he remembered her attempts to seduce him.
"She craved constant attention," he continued. "She wanted everything and everyone revolving around her. She was even jealous of Zane. Someone that sick... It’s my fault for not realizing sooner. But it’s over now. She got what she deserved. And Zachary... he’ll face his consequences soon too."
"Riya stooped so low, and I never saw it," Gracie said, feeling aggrieved. She blamed herself for her ignorance. "I was blinded by my affection for her. Instead of correcting her, I kept defending her. I was harsh to Zara, accused her, doubted her... yet she was the one who tried to protect me, this family."
Shame twisted painfully inside her. "I knew Riya acted wrongly many times, but I still took her side and scolded Zara. When Zara warned us that Riya had poisoned Vincent, I accused her of lying and picking on Riya. I refused to listen, never bothered to look for the truth. And because of that, Riya grew bolder and kept plotting against our family."
Tears of deep remorse rolled down her cheeks. "Our negligence gave Riya the chance to manipulate our love and trust. We failed. We couldn’t see who the real culprit was and kept hurting the one who genuinely cared about us."
Her shoulders slumped with the weight of regret and guilt. "I want to apologize to Zara. Bring her here. I’ll talk to her."
Nathaniel nodded softly, a faint smile touching his lips. "I’ll bring her. Don’t worry. Zara is kind and understanding. Once I explain everything, she’ll understand. Now..."
He pulled the blanket up, tucking it securely around her. "You should rest. Focus on your recovery. You need to get better soon."
He squeezed her shoulder gently as if reassuring her before leaving.
’I’m coming, Zara,’ he murmured to himself as he made his way toward her room, completely unaware that she had already left the hospital.
A thrill of anticipation pushed him forward. After days of distance, he was finally about to see her again. He imagined the look on her face when he explained everything—how his actions had all been part of a plan to bring down Zachary and Riya.
More importantly, he had something important to tell her. He had finally uncovered the truth about his real savior. He couldn’t wait to see her expression when he told her that the woman he had loved all along was her, not Nora.
It was his greatest mistake. He had mistaken Nora for Zara.
He would apologize, and he believed Zara would forgive him. His excitement swelled with every step he took. A wide smile stretched across his face at the thought of finally seeing her.
"Zara," he called as he pushed the door open.
But he stopped dead in his tracks. The smile vanished instantly.
Zara wasn’t there.
A nurse was in the middle of changing the bedsheets. She straightened and turned when she heard him.
"Where is Zara?" he asked, bewildered.
"And who are you?" she asked, eyeing him carefully.
"I’m her husband."
"Husband?" She frowned in disbelief. "She was in critical condition when she arrived. If you are her husband, shouldn’t you have been here? You never showed up. Now you come?"
Nathaniel’s jaw tightened. He didn’t have time for this.
"Where is my wife?" he repeated coldly.
"She left," the nurse said bluntly. "And honestly, you don’t seem to know anything. Are you sure you are really her husband?"
’Left already?’ Nathaniel was taken aback.
He had planned to stay by her side, to look after her, to never leave her alone again. But she had left on her own.
’She was supposed to be resting here for a few more days... why would she leave so suddenly?’ His mind spun in confusion.
Assuming she must be upset with him, he turned sharply and strode out of the room.
’I need to find her,’ he thought, walking down the lobby briskly.
Meanwhile, Zara finally reached home. The moment she stepped inside, a wave of weakness washed over her. Her chest throbbed painfully, her breath came shallow, and soon she was coughing hard.
"Sit down," Bree said, helping her onto the sofa with deep worry etched across her face. "Look at you—so pale. You should’ve stayed in the hospital until you fully recovered."
Zara leaned back, struggling to steady her breathing.
"You are only making things harder for yourself and for the baby," Bree scolded, clearly upset. "Just to avoid Nathaniel, you rushed out of the hospital. Why put yourself through this? Is he even worth it?"
"Calm down, Bree," Zara whispered. "I’m okay. Really. Just tired. I’ll be fine after some rest."
Bree slumped into the sofa beside her, exasperated. "You always do whatever you want. How can I ever win an argument with you?" she muttered, pouting.
Zara forced a small smile. "Bree talks more than anyone. How could I ever win against you?"
Bree stared at her, scandalized. "Are you teasing me?"
Zara shook her head weakly. "No, I wouldn’t dare. I’m just speaking the truth. You are gifted—you can charm anyone with your smooth talking. I’ve seen you win over every customer with your sweet words."
Bree narrowed her eyes, unsure whether Zara was complimenting her or making fun of her. "Is that... really true?"
"Of course," Zara replied. "Now, can you get me some juice?"
Bree’s expression softened. "I’ll bring you a fresh glass right away." She stood and headed toward the kitchen.
She pulled a few oranges from the refrigerator and began squeezing them. Halfway through, her phone buzzed. One of her colleagues was calling.
"Hello?" Bree answered.
"We just heard from an old client," the woman on the line said. "She wants to restart her contract with us."
"Really?" Bree froze, stunned.
"Yes. She needs wedding gowns for her boutique. It’s a massive order. But we are stuck. We don’t even have a workspace anymore."
"I..." Bree faltered, at a loss. "Alright, calm down. I’ll figure something out."
She hung up and went back to squeezing the juice.
"What happened?" Zara asked from the sofa. She had overheard the anxious tone in Bree’s voice. "You sounded worried. Is everything alright?"
Bree gave a halfhearted shrug and explained the situation.
"Honestly, I think we should reject the order," she concluded. "Without a place to work, there is no way we can handle something this big."
Zara didn’t answer right away. It was a real problem. Without a proper workspace, they couldn’t begin production. But cancelling the order wasn’t possible either.
Ever since Nicole had pulled out of their contract, their business had been struggling, and the recent fire at the office had crushed whatever hope they had left.
Still, Zara refused to give up. This new order felt like a blessing, a chance to rebuild everything from scratch. She couldn’t afford to lose it.
Liam had offered his office space, but setting everything up there would take time. And the time they simply didn’t have. They needed to begin immediately.
There was only one practical solution.
"We don’t have to cancel anything," Zara said firmly. "The mansion is big enough. We can use it as our temporary workspace."
A hopeful grin broke across Bree’s face. "That’s perfect. Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll tell the team to move everything here. We can start right away."
Zara nodded, a spark of excitement replacing her earlier fatigue. "Let’s do it."
"I’ll make the call." Bree dialed her colleague again.
As soon as the call connected, she said eagerly, "Problem solved. Bring everyone to the Moore mansion. We’ll work from here."
"That’s great news. I’ll inform the team. But Bree... we need you here for some paperwork. Can you come over?"
"I’m coming," Bree replied before hanging up.
She turned to Zara. "I have to step out for a bit. I’ll be back with everyone soon."
Zara nodded understandingly.
"You should rest," Bree cautioned her. "Don’t start working, okay?"
"Yes, boss, I understand," Zara chuckled.
Bree laughed at her sarcasm. "Alright, I’m leaving now. Remember to finish your juice." Grabbing her bag, she left.
After closing the door, Zara settled onto the sofa and took a sip of the orange juice. Just then, the doorbell rang.
Assuming Bree had returned for something she forgot, Zara got up again and headed to the door. But the moment she opened it, she froze.
Standing there was Nathaniel.
Her shoulders stiffened instantly. "What are you doing here?"