Reclaimed By My Ex-husband-Chapter 55: The rising suspicion

Outside the school gates, Zara stood still, watching Zane enter the building. She gave him a wave, which he returned with his usual cheerful energy before darting off through the doors. Her hand dropped slowly, but her eyes remained fixed on the spot where she last saw him, reluctant to look away.

Behind her, Riya’s voice cut through the quiet. "How long are you planning to stand here?" she snapped, clearly annoyed. "Just get in the car. I have better things to do than babysit you on your hospital trip."

But Zara didn’t budge. She stayed rooted to the spot, not even glancing at Riya. "Then go," she said flatly. "Don’t waste your time. I can handle it myself."

Riya sneered. It was obvious—Zara was stalling, trying to ditch her. She knew exactly why. Zara didn’t want her tagging along because it would be harder to hide the truth, especially if that truth was a pregnancy.

"You are forgetting something," Riya said with smugness lacing in her tone. "Mom sent me with you and instructed me to take you to the hospital. She is worried and wants to make sure you are alright. What do you expect me to tell her? That I just let you walk off alone? She’ll be furious, and I’m not about to get scolded." freёnovelkiss-com

Her chin lifted as she crossed her arms. "So no, I’m not leaving. Whether you like it or not, you are coming with me."

Zara rolled her eyes, easily seeing through Riya’s thin veil of concern. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag as her thoughts spun anxiously.

’Where is Bree?’ she thought, growing more agitated by the second. ’I told her to meet me here. What’s taking her so long?’

The pressure was mounting. She couldn’t go with Riya. But she also couldn’t afford to say anything that would make Riya more suspicious. She needed to find an excuse.

"I didn’t forget anything," Zara snapped, irritation sharpening her tone. "You are the one who keeps talking about how busy you are. I was trying not to be a burden, which is why I told you to go. And honestly," she added with a glare, "you drive like a maniac. I don’t feel safe with you. I’ll take a taxi instead."

She turned abruptly toward the road, scanning for a cab.

Riya’s face twisted in frustration. "You are unbelievable," she hissed, grabbing Zara’s arm. "You are just trying to make trouble for me. Last night, you humiliated me in front of Grandma, and now you are trying to turn my mother against me. What’s your problem?"

Zara’s patience snapped. "I made things difficult for you?" she fired back. "You are the one who—"

Beep-beep.

A sharp honk cut through the rising tension. Both women turned. A car rolled to a stop at the curb, and the door swung open.

Bree stepped out, cheerful and unbothered, waving at her friend. "Zara..."

Relief washed over Zara in an instant. Her shoulders eased, and she couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips.

"Hey." She waved back at her with a smile.

Riya stood there, her jaw tight, eyes narrowing at Bree.

Bree crossed the street with a casual, breezy air. "I was on my way to the office," she said as if she hadn’t just coordinated the whole thing with Zara over the phone. "I spotted you and told the driver to pull over."

Her eyes flicked briefly toward the school building, then back to Zara. "You dropped Zane off?"

Zara smiled subtly, impressed with Bree’s seamless performance. She had explained everything earlier—how she needed to get away without drawing suspicion. Bree was executing the plan flawlessly.

"Yes," Zara replied smoothly. "And since you are heading to the office, I’ll tag along." She turned to Riya with an air of indifference. "My friend is here. I’ll go with her."

Riya stepped forward, blocking Zara’s path. "No. You are not going anywhere except the hospital with me," she said firmly, grabbing Zara’s wrist. "You are the one complaining about stomach bugs. If you don’t get it checked, it’ll get worse. You are not going to work. You are coming with me."

Zara yanked her hand free. "I don’t need you making decisions for me," she retorted vehemently. "And I already told you—I don’t feel safe riding with you. I’d rather not risk my life. Learn to drive before lecturing me."

She turned, preparing to walk away with Bree, but Riya wasn’t ready to let her off so easily.

"Why are you so desperate to get away from me?" she barked, reaching out and yanking Zara back by the arm.

Zara stumbled, nearly losing her balance, but Bree caught her just in time, steadying her before she could fall. Her leg ached faintly, but luckily, there was no serious harm.

Fury flashed in Zara’s eyes as she opened her mouth to fire back, but Riya cut in first.

"Why does it feel like you are avoiding the hospital on purpose? What exactly are you hiding?"

A cold shiver ran down Zara’s spine. Despite all her efforts to stay under the radar, especially when it came to Riya, her plan wasn’t working. She had counted on slipping away quietly with Bree, which was the whole reason she had called her. But even now, Riya’s suspicion hadn’t eased. If anything, it had only grown sharper.

Before Zara could find the words to respond, Bree stepped in, standing between the two women. "Even if she is keeping something to herself, that’s her choice," she said, throwing Riya a cutting glare. "If she is not telling you something, I’m sure she has a valid reason. Maybe it’s something she only wants to share with her husband or the people who actually matter to her. And from what I know, you are not one of them."

Riya’s eyes blazed. "You—"

"We have wasted enough time here," Bree snapped, cutting her off with a dismissive tone. "Come on, Zara. Let’s go. We are running late for work."

She took Zara by the arm and guided her toward the waiting car across the street. Zara didn’t look back.

Riya remained frozen on the sidewalk, her hands clenched at her sides, fury boiling beneath the surface. Her eyes followed them as they walked away.

"You think you are clever, don’t you?" she hissed under her breath. "But you just made it worse for yourself. Keep your secrets. You’ll see—I’ll use this to turn Nathaniel against you. Just wait until he comes back."

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