Reclaimed By My Ex-husband-Chapter 57: Seed of doubt

Zara’s scowl only deepened as she watched Isaac approach her.

"I’ve been waiting for you," he said with a faint smile. "Come on. Get in the car. I came to take you home."

Zara took a step back, her expression cold. "I’m not going anywhere with you. I told you already—I have plans tonight. I’ll have dinner with you some other day."

Isaac nodded as if understanding her. "Alright, fine. Another day for dinner. I won’t push. But I do want to talk. Let’s grab a coffee somewhere close."

Zara almost laughed. Her father, asking her out for coffee like things had been normal between them.

She couldn’t even remember the last time he had spoken to her kindly. That version of him had vanished the moment Lina and Jaxon entered their lives. From that point on, she and Nora had been invisible, treated like leftovers from a life he no longer valued.

And now?

He was polite, almost pleasant. But she knew better. Isaac was acting nicely for his selfish reasons.

"Whatever you want to say, say it here," she replied flatly. "There is no need for coffee."

Isaac’s face twitched, annoyed. "What? Are you afraid of me now?" he asked, his tone sharp. "I’m your father. I’m not going to hurt you."

Zara sighed, already exhausted from the day and him. "Don’t twist my words. I’m not afraid of you. I just don’t have time for this. I promised my son I’d be home early. I’m not going to a café just to listen to more excuses."

Zara turned her back on him and made her way toward the curb.

The sky was dimming, dusk descending upon the city. It wasn’t fully dark yet. The streetlights hadn’t flickered on, but the emptiness around her was frustrating. Not a single cab in sight.

She scanned the road, growing more anxious with every step she took ahead.

Behind her, Isaac watched, his restlessness mounting. He couldn’t let her go, not when everything depended on this. If he failed, those men would come for Jaxon again, and this time, they might not spare him.

Panic twisted in his gut. He couldn’t afford to lose this chance.

Driven by desperation, he rushed forward, his eyes wild with determination. He raised his hand and brought it down sharply, striking the back of Zara’s neck.

She froze, her steps halting mid-stride. Slowly, she began to turn, confusion and pain flickering across her face. But before she could see who had hit her, she felt a sudden, sharp sting in her neck, like a needle sliding under her skin.

Her vision blurred. Her limbs turned heavy. And then she collapsed.

Isaac caught her just in time, struggling slightly under her weight. "I’m sorry," he murmured, breathless. "I didn’t want to do this... but I have no choice. You are the only way I can fix this mess." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

With one last glance around the quiet street, he dragged her to his car and put her into the backseat, shutting the door quickly. Making sure no one had seen him, he slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and disappeared down the road.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was still dark when Nathaniel’s plane touched down. He didn’t bother dropping off his luggage at his villa. He headed straight to the mansion, eager to surprise Zara and Zane.

But the surprise turned out to be his.

Zara wasn’t home.

"The young madam didn’t come back last night," Helga informed him as soon as he asked about Zara.

"What?" Nathaniel’s brows drew together. "She didn’t come home?"

Helga nodded solemnly. "Master Zane waited for her all night. He said she had promised to take him out to dinner. She never came... and she didn’t call, either."

Her voice faltered, disappointment etched across her face. But what no one in the house realized was that Zara was in danger.

"Did anyone call her?" Nathaniel asked, his tone growing tense.

"I—"

"Why should we be the ones to call her?" a harsh voice cut in before Helga could finish.

Nathaniel turned sharply to see Gracie descending the stairs, her face tight with displeasure.

"She didn’t even think to check on Zane," Gracie snapped. "What kind of mother makes promises and doesn’t bother keeping them? If she couldn’t follow through, she should’ve kept her mouth shut."

Nathaniel stood still, thoughts racing.

Zara? Neglect Zane?

Impossible.

For the past five years, she had been the one constant in Zane’s life—always present, always keeping her word, even when Nathaniel hadn’t. She never once let that boy down. And now, she had vanished without a word? Break a promise to Zane?

No.

Something was wrong.

’Zara would never do this,’ he thought grimly.

A knot tightened in his chest.

’What if she is hurt again?’ The thought refused to leave him.

His mind went back to the last time Zara had twisted her leg and ended up in the hospital, and no one had told him. He hadn’t been there.

What if something like that had happened again?

"Zara would never leave Zane hanging like that," he said firmly. "Something is wrong. She is injured. You all knew that. Someone should have at least called her to check if she was okay."

Gracie’s stern expression faltered slightly, a flicker of doubt slipping into her eyes.

But before she could respond, Riya appeared and jumped in to defend her mother.

"She is just being dramatic," Riya said. "I honestly don’t know what’s going on with her. I offered to take her to the hospital, but she refused and left with her friend instead. I assumed she was going to get checked, but she never did. She mentioned something about indigestion and even threw up in the morning. But when I insisted on helping, she clearly avoided me. She acted like she didn’t want me around, like she was hiding something."

There was a subtle gleam in her eyes. Her words were calculated and deliberate. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for, to quietly plant suspicion, especially in Nathaniel’s mind.

"Hiding what?" Gracie asked suspiciously.

"I don’t know," Riya replied with an exaggerated shrug. "It’s just my feeling. I mean, she vomited, right? Refused to see Dr. Eugen. Wouldn’t go to the hospital. She was clearly avoiding me. All I’m saying is, it felt like she didn’t want me to find out something."

Gracie’s expression turned somber as the pieces clicked together in her mind. Zara’s visit to the gynaecologist. The nausea.

’Is she really pregnant?’

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