Reclaimed By My Ex-husband-Chapter 72: The new beginning.

Nathaniel’s chest tightened, a sinking feeling settling deep in his gut. Her words rang like a warning bell. His mind jumped to the worst: ’Is she going to bring up the divorce? Is she really leaving me?’

He couldn’t face that.

"We can talk later. Just get some rest." Without even glancing back at her, he walked out in a hurry.

Zara stared at the empty doorway, irritation flickering across her face.

"Nathaniel," she muttered under her breath. "Why is it so hard for you to just sit beside me, even for a moment?"

Several minutes later...

Nathaniel walked down the hallway toward Zara’s room, fresh from speaking with the doctor. The news should have brought relief—Zara was recovering well, no complications, and she’d be discharged the next day. But instead of feeling at ease, a thick knot of anxiety pulled tight in his chest.

’She said she wanted to talk,’ he thought with every step he took toward her room. ’Is she going to ask for the divorce? Has she already made up her mind?’

His legs felt heavier the closer he got. He stopped just outside the door, heart pounding. He hated this helpless feeling.

"Come on, Nathaniel... You can face this."

He squared his shoulders, pushed down the anxiety, and stepped inside.

Zara was seated on the bed, scrolling through her phone. The moment he walked in, she looked up and set it aside, her eyes meeting his.

He paused, unsure of what to say, then quietly shrugged off his suit jacket and hung it over the chair. With slow, almost deliberate movements, he began to unbutton his sleeves, rolling them up to his elbows, stalling—anything to buy a few more seconds of silence.

He could feel her eyes on him, waiting. Still, he didn’t meet her gaze. Instead, he sat down casually, pulling out his phone as if he were checking a message, trying to look composed. But inside, a storm was raging.

He hadn’t felt this nervous in years—not since the day he knelt to propose to Nora. And now, here it was again, that same storm churning in his chest. But this time, it wasn’t Nora. It was Zara—the woman he had once overlooked, the woman he had treated like an obligation rather than someone who mattered.

And now, the thought of her walking away left him deeply shaken.

Zara blinked, caught off guard by the silence. She had expected Nathaniel to speak, but instead, he was hunched over his phone, once again distracted and distant.

"Don’t you have anything to say?" she asked, unable to hide the irritation in her voice.

Nathaniel glanced up. "What? Say what?"

Her mouth fell open. ’Is he really going to pretend like there is nothing to talk about?’

"You went to speak with the doctor, right?" she pressed. "Or... you didn’t?"

"No, I did," he said quickly. "He said you’ll be discharged tomorrow."

"And?"

"And... you just need to rest. A few more days and you’ll be okay."

His eyes dropped back to his phone, though his fingers stilled. Inside, his heart was pounding. But he didn’t look up.

Zara stared at him. "That’s it?" she asked, hoping, expecting him to say more, to talk about how he had rescued her, to tell her about her father and Jaxon. Anything. But all she got was indifference.

"That’s all," he said with a shrug. "What else is there?"

She stared at him, stunned. "Nothing," she murmured, her voice hollow in disappointment.

She had worked up the courage to talk to him, to say she was willing to try, to see if there was still something left between them. But now? His detachment stung. Again.

Maybe she had misjudged things. Maybe she was wrong to even consider salvaging what they had.

Without another word, she turned away, pulled the blanket over herself, and lay down.

"I’m back," Bree announced cheerfully as she stepped into the room, her voice cutting through the silence.

But the moment she spotted Nathaniel, she paused mid-step, her smile faltering. "Uh... well. I brought lunch," she added quickly. "Hope I’m not interrupting anything."

Before anyone could respond, Nathaniel’s phone began to ring. He glanced at the screen and stood up almost immediately. "I need to take this," he said curtly, walking out of the room.

Zara muttered something under her breath, clearly annoyed, and turned her head toward the window.

Bree caught the shift in her mood instantly. She walked over and set the lunchbox on the table.

"Did he do something again?" she asked sharply.

Zara let out a frustrated breath as she sat up again. "I don’t get him. He went to such lengths to rescue me, even risking his life. And yet when I asked if he had anything to say, he said nothing. Can you believe that?"

"Oh, that’s what you are upset about?" Bree said, flopping into the chair with a dramatic roll of her eyes. "I thought he said something awful again."

She leaned back with a sigh. "You know, he actually told me about the kidnapping. Said your father was behind it, that he was going to get you out. He didn’t need to say all that to me, but he did."

Bree gave a small shrug. "And honestly? He is not that cold, stiff Nathaniel anymore. It’s strange. Makes me wonder if he has actually changed."

Zara didn’t answer right away. Her fingers twisted together in her lap as her thoughts tangled.

’Has he really changed?’ she asked herself.

Though uncertainty still lingered in her heart, Zara felt something shift. For the first time in five years of marriage, Nathaniel had done something she never imagined he would. He had fought for her, risked everything to save her.

In her past life, he hadn’t come for her when she needed him the most. But this time, things were different.

Maybe that meant something. Maybe this life offered a new beginning.

The flicker of hope she had buried deep inside, the hope for a future with him, for something real, peaceful, and lasting, hadn’t been extinguished after all. It was still there, small but alive.

"I don’t know if he has changed," Zara said quietly. "But he saved me. That counts for something. I’m willing to give him a chance. Maybe we can still fix this. Maybe this marriage still has a chance."

Bree blinked, stunned. "Wait... Are you saying you don’t want the divorce anymore?"

Zara hesitated, biting her bottom lip as her eyes dropped to her hands, fingers twisting together. "He asked me for a year, and I think I want to try."

Just outside the door, Nathaniel stood frozen in place. He had returned from his call and was about to enter when her words stopped him cold.

’She wants to give me a chance.’

His heart kicked in his chest, then surged with a rush of relief, disbelief, and joy. He stood there, completely still, a dumb smile creeping onto his face. freeweɓnøvel~com

He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little ridiculous for having run from her earlier, for jumping to conclusions, for assuming the worst.

’I won’t ignore her again. I’ll show her she made the right choice.’

Now, he was ready to let go of the past and welcome the new beginning.

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