Reclaimed By My Ex-husband-Chapter 66: You killed my baby again.

Zara slowly drifted back into consciousness, her eyelids fluttering open as a dull ache throbbed through her body. Her back was stiff, her jaw sore, and her head pounded with every breath. She winced, lifting a trembling hand to her forehead, her eyes shutting again, overwhelmed by the pain.

As the fog in her mind began to clear, the memories hit her like a wave—the abduction, the violence, the chair she had been tied to, the blood seeping between her legs.

Panic surged through her as her eyes flew open. She scanned her surroundings. All she could see were the sterile white walls and an IV line in her arm. This was a hospital. She was no longer in that grimy, suffocating room.

’Who brought me here?’ she wondered in her mind.

She remembered the faint sound of sirens right before she blacked out. ’The police... they must’ve rescued me.’

But how? How did they even know where she was?

Her thoughts jumped to Nathaniel.

’Did he call them?’

But then she remembered his cold, clipped voice during the ransom call. He hadn’t believed she was in danger. Besides, he was still out of town, wasn’t he?

"Stop lying to yourself, Zara," she whispered bitterly.

Her hand drifted down to her stomach. And then she froze.

Her heart dropped as flashes of pain and the blood she had seen returned to her.

"My baby," she breathed. Her skin turned pale.

Just then, a nurse entered the room. Zara’s eyes snapped to her. freёnovelkiss.com

"Sister," she called out, her voice laced with urgency.

The nurse gave a warm smile. "You are awake. That’s good." She walked over to check Zara’s vitals.

Zara grabbed her wrist, eyes wide and pleading. "Is my baby okay?"

The nurse hesitated. She looked at Zara with quiet sympathy. "You are still young. You’ll be able to have children again."

Silence fell in the room as her world cracked open.

Tears welled up in Zara’s eyes, blurring the surroundings. Her worst fear had come true. She had lost the baby.

"No," she whispered, her voice cracking as sobs overtook her. "No, this can’t be real."

"Please, try to stay calm," the nurse said, placing a hand on Zara’s shoulder. "You need to be strong. You can still conceive again."

But the words barely registered. Zara was lost in the heartbreak, the crushing weight of guilt pressing down on her chest.

"My baby..." she choked out. "I’m so sorry... I couldn’t protect you."

The nurse gave her a sympathetic look before stepping back. "I’ll call the doctor." She slipped out of the room.

The moment the door clicked shut, another figure entered.

Riya.

With a smug look stitched across her face, Riya strolled up to the bedside, her tone laced with fake concern. "Such a tragedy. Losing the baby like that."

Zara’s crying halted for a moment. Her red-rimmed eyes lifted to Riya’s face, twisting with disgust.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped.

Riya feigned innocence. "Zara, don’t be like that. We are family. I came to support you. You should be grateful."

Zara turned her face away, wiping her tears. "I don’t need your sympathy. Just leave."

Riya didn’t budge. If anything, she looked more pleased, feeding off Zara’s grief.

"I understand," Riya said, voice sickeningly sweet. "It’s hard. You lost a child. But Nathaniel had no choice, you know. He chose to let the baby go."

Zara’s body stiffened, a cold shiver rippling down her spine. The pain in her chest twisted into confusion, disbelief, and a deeper ache. "What... what did you just say? The baby was aborted?"

She had thought she had miscarried. But it was an abortion, and Nathaniel let it happen. The truth hit harder than anything else that had happened to her.

Her fingers twisted into the bedsheet, her knuckles turning white. Anger surged through her like fire.

When had he come back? And why would he let them take her baby?

Riya, seeing the impact of her words, smiled with wicked satisfaction. "Yes, Nathaniel signed the consent form himself. He looked shocked when he found out you were pregnant."

Zara’s eyes blazed.

"Seriously, Zara... why did you keep it a secret?" Riya asked, her tone sharp beneath the faux concern. "Were you hiding something?"

Zara’s face contorted with rage, lips trembling, but she didn’t speak. She couldn’t. The betrayal was too heavy.

Riya leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "What is it? Were you cheating on Nathaniel? Is that why you didn’t tell him? Because the baby wasn’t his?"

Zara’s face went red with fury.

Riya smirked. "Well, I wouldn’t blame him for being disappointed. See, he is not even here."

Zara’s voice came out in a low, guttural growl. "Is that what he thinks?" Her teeth ground together.

Riya only shrugged with exaggerated innocence. "Why ask me? Perhaps you should have considered that before keeping it a secret. The whole family was worried when you were throwing up that morning. Grandma almost called Dr. Eugen. But you stopped her. Mom sent me to take you to the hospital, but you tricked me and disappeared. What were we supposed to think?"

She crossed her arms smugly, clearly enjoying every second of Zara’s breakdown.

But Zara had had enough. Her glare could cut steel.

"Get. Out," she shouted.

Riya’s face twisted with irritation. "You are so ungrateful. I stayed here worrying about you, and this is the thanks I get?"

"Get out," Zara screamed, her voice shaking the room.

The door swung open just then. Nathaniel stepped in, his eyes flicking between the two women, clearly sensing the tension in the air.

"What’s going on here?" he asked, brows furrowed.

Riya rushed to his side, latching onto his arm with a wounded look. "Nathaniel...I’ve been here for her the whole time. But now that she is awake, she is screaming at me like I’m the enemy. I don’t know why she hates me so much."

Fake tears brimmed in her eyes, clearly to gain his sympathy.

Zara rolled her head to the side. She was done with the lies, done with the performance. She didn’t even want to look at either of them.

Nathaniel glanced at Zara, noticing the tightness in her posture, the cold wall she had put up.

"You should go," he said firmly to Riya.

"But—" Riya started, ready to push her luck.

"I’m here now," he interrupted. "I’ll take care of her."

Riya looked back at Zara one last time. There was a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes. Her job was done. She had already turned Zara against Nathaniel.

"Alright," she said, nodding with false humility. "I’ll go."

Once the door was closed behind Riya, Nathaniel approached the bed. He hesitated for a moment, guilt twisting in his chest. He could tell Zara had already found out about the baby.

He reached out, hand hovering just above her shoulder. But he couldn’t bring himself to touch her. He pulled his hand back, slipping it into his pocket instead.

"What’s done is done," he said quietly, trying to keep his tone even. "You should try to stop dwelling on it. Just focus on recovering."

Zara’s head snapped toward him, her eyes sharp and burning.

"That was my baby," she spat. "And you killed it. You killed my baby again. Why?"

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