Reclaimed By My Ex-husband
Chapter 36: The embarrassing moment

Chapter 36: The embarrassing moment

Mrs. Jules tensed. She had promised the old matriarch she’d stay silent, that no matter what happened, she wouldn’t let Nathaniel find out he was being watched.

But now, facing his wrath, the truth clawed at her throat. Keeping the secret was getting difficult.

"I don’t know what you are talking about," Mrs. Jules said quietly. She kept her eyes down, unwilling to betray the secret she swore to protect. "I told you the truth. No one instructed me."

She took a small breath, then added, "I’ve watched Madam Zara closely for five years. I’ve seen how she cared for you, for Zane—how she put her whole self into this family. Someone doesn’t give that much of themselves unless they are in love."

Nathaniel froze.

Love?

The word hit him like a jolt.

He had always believed their marriage was a duty, an arrangement. He had never considered the possibility that Zara might’ve actually loved him. Behind her quiet patience, her smiles, her silence, there had been real, aching devotion.

Mrs. Jules’s voice softened. "She waited for you every night, no matter how late. She never took a bite until she was sure you were home. She kept smiling through your silence, held onto hope even when you offered her nothing in return."

Nathaniel’s heart shook. A flicker of guilt crept into his expression.

"To you, this marriage might have been a promise," she continued. "But to her, it was so much more. This was her love. Her life."

She looked up at him finally, eyes filled with sadness and quiet defiance. "I just couldn’t sit back and watch all her sacrifices be ignored. So yes, I made a mistake... but I only wanted to bring you closer. I just wanted you to see her, value her."

~~~~~~~~~~

Several minutes later...

Wrapped in a towel, Zara stepped out of the bathroom. Her hair was still damp, water dripping slowly down her neck. As she reached for the dresser, her phone buzzed on the nightstand.

She glanced at the screen.

Bree.

With a sigh, she picked it up. "Hello?"

"Zara! Are you okay?" Bree’s voice burst through, sharp and anxious. "Is that bastard giving you any trouble?"

Zara immediately remembered how he had abandoned her after igniting desire within her. The sting in her chest returned with full force.

But she forced a smile, keeping her tone light. "No, he is not. Let’s not talk about him. I want to focus on the upcoming event. I’m thinking of coming in today."

"You sure? What about your leg?"

Zara looked down at her leg. It still throbbed faintly, but the worst of the pain had passed. "It’s manageable now. Besides, I’ll go crazy if I stay here all day doing nothing. I’d rather be at the office."

"Alright," Bree said. "I actually already sent your car. It should be outside by now."

"Thanks, Bree. I’ll see you soon."

She hung up, but her expression lingered in a mix of resolve and heartache. Zara turned away from the bed, gripping her crutch as she made her way toward the closet.

Her focus was fixed on choosing clothes, and she didn’t hear the quiet footsteps behind her.

"Let me help you," Nathaniel said, suddenly close.

His voice startled her. She spun around too quickly, and in a split second, the crutch slipped from her hand, and worse, so did the towel.

"Ah—" she gasped, stumbling.

Nathaniel caught her in his arms, pulling her close. Their eyes met, breath catching between them.

Then his gaze dropped and froze.

Her bare skin pressed against him, and his eyes momentarily locked on her boobs. Her pink nipples were drawn tight from the chill, and the sight made his throat constrict. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple visibly bobbing.

Zara followed his gaze, realizing in horror that she was completely naked in his arms.

"Don’t look," she blurted, flustered, and immediately clamped her hands over his eyes.

"What?" he muttered in confusion.

"Just don’t open your eyes," she snapped with a mix of panic and embarrassment. She pressed her palms harder against his face.

"If I can’t open my eyes, how am I supposed to help you?" he asked, amused.

"I don’t need your help. Just—don’t look," she insisted.

Nathaniel sighed. "Fine. I won’t open my eyes."

Zara hesitated, then slowly eased her hands away. He kept his eyes shut like he promised, but his arms were still locked around her securely.

"I need to pick up my towel," she said cautiously, "and I can’t do that with you holding me."

"I’m not letting go," he replied. "You dropped your crutch. If I let you go now, you might fall. I’m not taking that risk."

Zara flushed, caught in a strangely intimate standoff—naked, blushing, and held protectively in the arms of the man who had once felt a million miles away.

"So what now? Are we just supposed to stand here like this forever?" She rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated.

The closeness of her bare skin against him was already messing with Nathaniel’s self-control, and her question made it worse. His body responded before his mind could shut it down.

"Not a bad idea. If you are fine with it, I could hold you like this all day."

"You..." she started, stunned.

Before she could finish, he moved.

In one swift motion, he scooped her up again, ignoring her protests. Zara gasped as he carried her out of the closet like she weighed nothing.

By the time she found her voice, she was already lowered on the bed.

Flustered, she yanked the blanket over herself, her cheeks burning. Furious, she grabbed a pillow and hurled it straight at him. It smacked him squarely on the head before landing on the floor.

She glared at him, pressing the blanket against her chest.

Nathaniel blinked, momentarily stunned. He looked from the pillow on the ground back to her. "What was that for?"

"You promised you wouldn’t open your eyes," she snapped, her voice rising.

"I never made a promise." He frowned.

"You said you wouldn’t..."

He pictured himself throwing up his arms, maybe shouting. ’Are you serious, Zara? I just helped you, and now you are acting like I’ve committed a crime?’

But he didn’t. He bit it back. He kept his composure, reminding himself to stay level-headed. Knowing now that Zara had feelings for him was enough to melt away all his earlier frustration.

Instead of getting defensive, he smirked, stepping toward the bed with a teasing glint in his eyes. "Is this really about me opening my eyes, or are you mad because I didn’t do anything?"

Zara leaned back, clutching the blanket tighter.

"You wanted to stay in my arms, didn’t you?" he added, that lazy grin tugging at his lips.