Reclaimed By My Ex-husband-Chapter 295: Stay away from me

Chapter 295: Stay away from me
Liam helped her settle onto the bed, his eyes scanning her face with concern. "Are you feeling better now?" he asked softly. "Do you need anything? Water? I can peel some oranges for you."
Zara smiled at his attentiveness, warmth spreading through her chest. "Thank you, Liam—for taking me out, for everything. I don’t need anything. I just want to rest."
He nodded. "Alright. Get some sleep. And if you need anything, call me. You know I’m always here for you."
"I will," Zara replied.
Liam lingered for a brief moment before turning to leave. The instant he rounded the corner, Nathaniel stormed toward him, grabbing his collar and slamming him against the wall.
"What the hell?" Liam snapped, startled by the sudden attack. "Let go of me." He struggled to shove Nathaniel away but barely made him budge. A frown creased his forehead. "What’s your problem?"
"Your nerve," Nathaniel snarled. "Flirting with my wife—and then you dare ask what’s wrong with me?" He pressed a firm hand against Liam’s chest. "Consider this a warning. Stay away from her. Don’t try to get close. Or I won’t care about our friendship or our years of business partnership."
Liam scoffed and knocked his hand aside. "Give me a break, Nathaniel. Your controlling attitude is suffocating. And you know what? It’s exactly why Zara is drifting away from you. If you truly want her back, learn to control that temper, or you’ll lose her for good."
But Nathaniel was far too enraged to absorb a word. In his mind, Liam was no longer a friend—only an intruder, a threat standing between him and his wife, trying to steal her away.
"I know exactly how to behave. I don’t need your advice," Nathaniel snapped. "Just stay away from her."
"No." Liam was just as unyielding. He lifted his chin, meeting Nathaniel’s glare head-on. "I won’t."
His open defiance only stoked Nathaniel’s rage.
"She is my friend," Liam continued firmly. "She needs me. I promised I’d be there for her, and I’m not breaking that promise just because you say so."
"You—" Nathaniel drew back his fist, ready to strike. It stopped mere inches from Liam’s face. Every instinct urged him to smash that defiant expression, yet something deep within restrained him. Deep down in his heart, gratitude lingered. Liam had helped him as a true friend. He had never turned away when Nathaniel had needed him the most.
He had also done so much for Zara. No matter how angry he was, Nathaniel couldn’t deny that. He lowered his fist, but he gripped his collar. The resentment still burned, impossible to suppress.
"You call yourself her friend," Nathaniel scoffed coldly. "But I know what’s in your heart. You still have feelings for her. And now you are exploiting the rift between us to get close to her. I can see exactly what you are trying to do."
Liam met his gaze with icy calm. The truth was, he still loved Zara. He wished he could marry her, wipe away every painful memory, and give her a life filled only with happiness. He wanted to marry her, make her his. Yet he had never voiced those feelings, because he knew her heart did not belong to him.
Zara’s love for Nathaniel was etched too deeply into her soul. She would choose loneliness over offering another man a place in her life. She was just angry with Nathaniel for keeping her in the dark. But that wound would heal eventually. She would soften, forgive him, and get back to him.
Liam had never intended to come between them, and he never would.
He chuckled, shaking his head. "This jealousy, this possessiveness...You should know by now—I’m not the reason you are losing her. It’s you, Nathaniel. Because you don’t understand what real love is."
"Oh, is that so?" Nathaniel sneered, resentment flaring hot in his chest. "I don’t know what love means? And someone like you, a playboy who treats relationships like a game, who flirts with every woman he meets, thinks he has the right to teach me how to love my wife? How laughable."
Liam’s expression hardened. "If you truly loved her, you wouldn’t have hurt her," he shot back, his patience wearing thin. "You would have cared about nothing except her happiness. I could have confessed my feelings to her long ago. I had the means to take her far away, somewhere you’d never be able to find her. But I didn’t. Do you know why? Because her happiness matters more to me than my own."
He tapped his chest. "My love isn’t selfish. It hurts that I could never make her mine. But when I see her smiling, living well, that pain fades. All I’ve ever wanted is for her to be happy." His gaze sharpened. "But you—"
He jabbed a finger into Nathaniel’s chest. "You are selfish. You treat her like something you own. The moment you sensed you were losing control, you panicked. That isn’t love. That’s control."
"Shut up," Nathaniel roared, shoving him back once more.
"The truth hurts," Liam went on, unfazed by the outburst. "But you need to face it. If you love her, stay calm. She is emotionally unstable right now. And the child in her womb is still vulnerable. Don’t do something you’ll regret later."
Liam exhaled slowly, forcing himself to steady his tone. "I know you are hurting. You want to fix everything with her immediately. I understand that. But trust me, brother, don’t rush it. Don’t force yourself on her. She isn’t in good condition. If you push her too hard, she could lose the baby again."
At that, Nathaniel’s chest tightened, the air draining from his lungs.
"She needs time," Liam said, his voice softening. "Let her recover. She’ll come back to you. And if she doesn’t, respect her choice and allow her to live her life freely."
"Impossible..." Nathaniel snapped. The very thought of losing Zara was unbearable. "You want me to step aside so you can have your chance? Keep dreaming. As long as I’m alive, you won’t have one. She is my wife—mine. And I trust myself and my love for her. I will never lose her."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Liam remained rooted to the spot, watching him disappear down the corridor. After a long moment, he shook his head slowly. "Don’t make the wrong move. Or you’ll lose her."
Nathaniel pushed into the room. But the moment he saw Zara asleep, his steps slowed. The tension drained from his body, the anger ebbing away. He approached the bed carefully, not wanting to disturb her. But it was too late.
Zara’s eyes fluttered open and met his. Her expression hardened instantly. She sat upright.
"Why are you here?" she asked coldly.
The detachment in her voice pierced his chest. The warmth he once saw in her eyes was gone. He remembered her gentleness, her care, and it hurt to realize how unwelcome his presence had become.
"I came to see you. I want to stay with you, to be by your side." The desperation was unmistakable in his gaze. He stepped even closer. "Let me stay."
"I don’t need you here." She turned her face away. "Leave. I need to rest."
"Zara, please..." He sat beside her, reaching for her hand. "Don’t shut me out. Let me stay. I swear I won’t bother you."
She pulled her hand away at once. "Your presence is what disturbs me. How am I supposed to rest when you’re here? Being near you only drags up all the pain I’m trying to forget."
Nathaniel refused to give in. Ignoring her words, he pleaded softly, "Don’t do this. I can’t be away from you. I want to be with you—with our baby. Please... you know how deeply I love you."
"Do you?" Zara turned to him, unyielding. "Then why did you keep me in the dark if you loved me? How could you make me sign those divorce papers? Even if it was all an act, you still put my name on them. You chose to lie to me, to push me away, rather than tell me the truth."
She tilted her head slightly. "Tell me—if I had done the same to you, would you have forgiven me?"
Nathaniel found himself unable to speak. He had never considered that possibility before. But as her words sank in, he realized he wouldn’t have endured it either. The realization deepened the ache in his chest. Guilt pressed heavier as he grasped the magnitude of his mistake.
Some mistakes were too devastating to undo. He lowered his head, consumed by regret. If only he could turn back time and rewrite everything...But that would never happen.
He knew his mistake was grave, yet giving up was not an option. He would do whatever it took to set things right.
The resolve hardened within him.
"Then tell me what I should do," he pleaded desperately. "How can I earn your forgiveness? I’ll do anything. Just tell me how to make this better."
Zara met his gaze, forcing her heart to turn cold. "Stay away from me," she said flatly.