Reclaimed By My Ex-husband-Chapter 289: You are my savior

Chapter 289: You are my savior
Nathaniel smiled as though he didn’t notice the anger in her eyes. "I’m here to take you home."
"Home?" Zara let out a sharp laugh. "I am home. Where else would I go?"
His smile wavered. "Yes... This is your house too. But your real home is with me. Come on, let’s go."
He reached for her hand.
Zara instantly stepped back, refusing to let him touch her. "Mr. Grant seems to be forgetting something. We are divorced, remember? Your place stopped being my home the day we signed those papers."
Nathaniel felt his heartbeat spike, cold sweat gathering on his skin. "I know you are angry. But I need to tell you something important. That divorce was fake. It was a setup to make Riya think I had abandoned you. It was to keep you safe."
"Fake?" Zara repeated in disbelief. "Those papers had official stamps. They came from your lawyer. How could they possibly be fake?"
"I know how it looks, but it’s true. They were never filed. Our divorce isn’t real." He moved closer, desperate, trying to make her understand.
But Zara’s resolve had hardened. She shifted back again, batting his hand away.
"I tried to talk to you," she said, her voice turning colder with hurt. "I asked if something was wrong, if someone was forcing you into anything. You denied everything."
"I wanted you far away until it was over," he insisted. "I didn’t want Riya or Zachary targeting you."
"You could have told me," Zara continued, refusing to listen to his explanation. "But you didn’t. You chose to keep me in the dark. I trusted you to be honest with me. Instead, you hid the truth, threw cruel words at me, and questioned my feelings. You shattered my heart."
"No... I only said those things because—"
"Because that’s what you truly believed," Zara cut him off sharply, her frustration boiling over. "You never cared about how I felt. That’s why saying all that was so easy for you, even though you knew it would crush me. And you didn’t stop there. You almost destroyed my career. Was it necessary?"
"That’s not true," he protested quickly. "It was part of the plan—"
"Exactly. Your plan," she snapped. "Always your plan. Always more important than my feelings. Do you have any idea what I went through? How much it hurt? I cried for nights. I acted strong on the outside, but I was falling apart inside."
Her breaths grew uneven, her chest rising and falling too fast. She felt a tightness wrapping around her lungs, squeezing the air out of her. Her face flushed as she struggled to breathe.
Nathaniel’s eyes widened in alarm as he sensed her condition was worsening. "Stop... stop talking. You are still not well." He stepped forward and took her arms, trying to pull her into an embrace.
But before he could, Zara shoved him back hard.
The unexpected force made him stumble, nearly losing his balance. He stared at her, stunned. He had assumed she would calm down once he explained everything, that she would understand him. But her anger only burned hotter, and she showed no sign of softening.
For the first time, Nathaniel fully grasped how deeply he had wounded her and how terrible his mistake had been.
"I know I was wrong," he said quickly. "I admit it. But I did it only to bring Zachary and Riya down. I never wanted to hurt you."
"But you did hurt me," Zara breathed shakily. "I lost Nicole’s contract because of you. My business nearly collapsed because of you. My entire team suffered—all because of your choices. And you still insist you didn’t intend to hurt me?"
Nathaniel shook his head, but she didn’t give him the chance to speak.
"If you had truly cared about me, about what I felt, you never would have left me in the dark," she hurled at him. "But you didn’t care."
"I do care." Nathaniel gripped her shoulders. "Why can’t you see that? I cared so much that I forced myself to push you away, even though it tore me apart. Your safety mattered more to me than anything."
"Really?" Zara let out a bitter laugh. "Your so-called protection nearly got me killed. Riya never stopped coming after me. She almost murdered me."
He had no response. His mouth opened, but no words came.
"If you had trusted me, if you had told me what you were planning, I would have stood with you." Her shoulders trembled as she fought back tears. "I would have been careful. But instead, you shut me out completely. As your wife, I expected honesty. But you treated me like I was insignificant. You broke every expectation I had."
Her throat tightened until she could barely speak, tears spilling despite her effort to hold them back.
Nathaniel’s chest twisted painfully as he watched her cry. He had been so sure she would understand once he explained. He never imagined it would be this hard to reach her.
"I’m sorry," he whispered, apology being all he had left. "I didn’t think it through. I didn’t realize how deeply I was hurting you. Please... forgive me." He reached out, trying to pull her into his arms.
"You never thought..." Zara stumbled back, shoving his hand off her. "Do you know why? Because you never really saw me. You expected to find me always in the corner, waiting for you. You assumed I’d forgive you no matter what. You never believed I could be this angry."
Nathaniel had nothing to say. It was true. He had never imagined Zara would be so angry that she wouldn’t even give him a chance to explain.
"Then tell me, what do you want me to do?" he asked softly, desperation threading his words. "How can I earn your forgiveness?"
Zara turned her face away, unable to meet his eyes. Her lips trembled as she fought to hold herself together.
"Zara... I know I messed up," he admitted. "I regret everything. I should never have left you in the dark. Please..."
He reached for her, taking her arm gently and guiding her to face him again. "Don’t turn away from me. I can’t bear it. It’s killing me inside."
"Is it?" she cried out. "Now you understand what it felt like. When you shoved me aside, when you handed me those divorce papers, it tore me apart. I cried myself to sleep for nights. Do you have any idea what that pain was like?"
Nathaniel’s throat tightened. The heaviness of remorse settled over him, suffocating and inescapable.
"You never considered what I went through," Zara exclaimed. "To you, I was just convenient. When you needed comfort, you came to me. When you didn’t, you pushed me aside. I never mattered, did I? Tell me the truth..."
She tilted her head. "If it were Nora, would you have treated her the way you treated me? Would you have tossed her aside so easily?"
Nathaniel shook his head quickly, panic rising in his eyes. "Just listen. There is something important I need to tell you." He reached for her hands, clinging desperately.
"I’m done listening," she spat, yanking herself free. "Get out."
"I’ll go," he said stubbornly. "But if you won’t come with me, then I’m staying right here with you."
"Do whatever you want," she muttered and turned to walk away.
Before she could move, Nathaniel’s arms wrapped tightly around her from behind. "Please, Zara... don’t shut me out. I can’t bear it."
Zara struggled against his grip. "Let go of me."
He only held her tighter. "I know the truth now. I know it was you..."
She stilled, confusion clouding her face.
"You were the one who saved me that day," he said quietly. "You pulled me from the water."
Zara’s breath caught.
"I mistook Nora for you," he continued. "I thought she was the one who saved me. That’s why I stayed close to her. But the truth is..."
He turned her to face him fully. "I always loved the person who saved my life. That means... my love was always meant for you. I had misidentified my savior. It was never Nora—it was you."
Zara’s heartbeat kicked up sharply. She had carried that truth for years, burying it to protect her sister. Only she and Nora knew what truly happened that day. How could he possibly have uncovered it?
"You tried to tell me once," Nathaniel said, guilt clouding his eyes. "But I ignored you. I was an idiot, thinking you were just being jealous of Nora. All this time, the person who saved my life was right in front of me, and I failed to recognize her. I should have thanked you, cherished you, loved you wholeheartedly, but instead, I hurt you. I’m truly sorry."
His remorse only reignited Zara’s anger. "So now you regret loving Nora?" she shot back. "Are you saying your feelings for her were a mistake?"
"No—no, that’s not it," Nathaniel said quickly, panic rising. "My feelings for her were real. I did care for her. What I mean is... that love should have belonged to you. It should have been yours from the beginning. I didn’t know she lied. I asked her directly if she was the one who rescued me, and she said yes. And you... you never told me the truth either. If I had known it was you who saved me, I would have chosen you. I would have married you, not Nora."
"So now it’s suddenly our fault?" Zara snapped. "Are you blaming us?"