Reclaimed By My Ex-husband-Chapter 292: Gracie scolded Nathaniel

Chapter 292: Gracie scolded Nathaniel
When she turned back to Gracie, Zara offered a gentle smile. "Thank you, Mom. Hearing you say that is enough for me. But I want you to recover completely before the baby is born, so please don’t worry about me. I’ll manage."
Gracie let out a soft sigh, assuming Zara still hadn’t fully forgiven her. "I understand," she said quietly, sadness threading through her voice. "I’d be happiest if you stayed at the mansion and let me look after you. But I won’t force you. I respect your choice and will give you the space you need. Just remember—call me anytime if you need anything. I’ll always be here."
Zara smiled faintly. At last, Gracie had truly accepted her, valuing her presence as part of the family. This was what she had longed for all along. It should have made her happy, yet her heart felt strangely heavy.
"Thank you, Mom," she said softly. "I’ll call you."
Gracie nodded. "Get some rest now. I’ll be in the next room. Zane, come with me. Let Mommy rest."
She wheeled herself out, Zane trailing behind her.
Once alone, Zara reached for her phone and called Bree. After a brief wait, the call connected.
"Bree, what’s the situation? Did you move everything to the mansion? Has the work started?" she asked.
"Don’t worry, sweetheart," Bree replied reassuringly. "Everything has been moved already. We’ll start working from tomorrow."
Zara released a quiet breath of relief.
"I’m overseeing everything," Bree added. "We’ll finish the order on time, I promise."
"I know," Zara murmured gratefully. "I’ll join you as soon as I’m discharged."
"No, absolutely not," Bree said firmly. "You are not working. I won’t allow it—you need rest."
"I’m fine, really," Zara insisted eagerly. "I want to work. It’ll help keep my mind occupied."
"You are not working in this condition," Nathaniel’s voice rang out inside the room.
Startled, Zara nearly dropped her phone. She looked up to see his tall figure filling the doorway and quickly ended the call.
"You need rest," he said firmly. "You are still weak, and the baby is delicate. The baby’s safety comes first. If you want, you can go and check on the progress, but that’s it. I won’t allow you to work."
"And who are you to stop me?" Zara shot back.
Nathaniel’s expression darkened. "I’m your husband."
A bitter smile curved her lips. "I signed the divorce papers."
"Zara, stop," he said, his patience wearing thin. "I’ve already explained everything. Why do you keep bringing up the divorce?"
She turned her face away, refusing to look at him.
Nathaniel exhaled slowly, forcing himself to stay calm. He knew upsetting her would only make things worse. "I spoke to the doctor," he said, softening his tone. "You can go home, but she strictly instructed that you rest. I’m taking you to the mansion. Everyone’s there to look after you."
"I’m not going," Zara said flatly, meeting his gaze again. "I want a divorce."
For a moment, Nathaniel felt as though his heart had stopped. Divorce? he would never agree to that.
"Alright... fine," he said after a pause. "If you don’t want to go to the mansion, then don’t. Stay wherever you want. But don’t talk about divorce, okay?"
He sat down beside her on the bed. "I know you are angry with me. Scold me, yell at me—I won’t complain. But I can’t divorce you. I can endure any punishment, but I can’t live without you."
He reached for her hand.
Zara pulled away. "I’m tired. I want to rest."
Nathaniel sighed softly and nodded. "Rest for now. We’ll leave later today."
He stood up and walked out of the room.
Nathaniel stepped into the next room and found Zane sitting on the sofa, playing with his toys while chatting with Gracie. Their conversation stopped the moment he entered.
Gracie looked at her grandson. "Go on and play," she said gently. "I need to talk to your daddy."
Zane nodded and returned his attention to his toys.
Gracie rolled her wheelchair toward Nathaniel, worry evident in her eyes. "Did you speak to Zara?" she asked softly. "She doesn’t want to come back to the mansion. She even refused to let me take care of her. I think she is upset with me."
"Mom," Nathaniel said, crouching in front of her and taking her hands, "don’t overthink it. She is not angry with you. She is upset with me. I kept her in the dark. I didn’t tell her about my plan to take Zachary down."
Lowering his head, he explained everything that had happened, including the so-called fake divorce. He didn’t hide anything.
"What?" Gracie pushed his hands away and glared at him. "You handed her divorce papers?"
"It was fake," he hurried to explain. "Just to make Riya and Zachary believe that I had cut ties with her. I kept her away from the family, and me to protect her, so they wouldn’t target her."
"You idiot," Gracie snapped angrily. "It may be fake to you, but she wouldn’t know that. Why would you do something so foolish? I thought you were sensible, someone who handled matters carefully. But you made such a huge mistake. Now I understand why she doesn’t want to step into the mansion—it’s because of you. Your stupidity pushed her away."
Nathaniel stared at her, speechless. Even his mother was blaming him now. Didn’t she understand why he had done all this?
"Riya threatened to hurt her," he said at last, trying to explain. "Once I found out she was connected to someone as dangerous as Zachary, what else was I supposed to do?"
"I know you were worried," Gracie cut in calmly. "You acted to protect her. But you should have told her the truth. Why did you keep her in the dark? That’s what hurt her the most."
Nathaniel let out a heavy sigh. "I didn’t think things through back then," he admitted. "I wanted everything to look real so they wouldn’t grow suspicious. I believed Zara would understand once I explained it to her later. But she won’t listen to me. She thinks I was trying to destroy her career, which isn’t true."
He paused, then continued, "Riya forced Nicole to cancel Zara’s contract. And yes, I did what she demanded—I told Nicole to terminate it. But at the same time, I asked Liam to help Zara. Using his influence, Liam secured her a partnership with her idol, Shay Walsh."
Nathaniel still didn’t know that Liam himself was the renowned designer Shay Walsh. Losing the contract with Nicole had been a heavy blow, costing Zara her clients, but in return, she gained the opportunity to work with Shay Walsh—something that could elevate her career to an entirely new level.