CHAPTER 267: NATHANIEL RUINED ZARA

Just then, the door burst open and Zara strode in, her face flushed with anger and hurt. Both men turned toward her in surprise. Sensing the tension, Ian quietly excused himself, leaving the two of them alone.

Nathaniel’s first instinct was to rush to her, to pull her into his arms and tell her everything, but he forced himself to stay still. He couldn’t reveal the truth yet. The only way to keep her safe was to push her away. If she stayed away from him and his family, Riya wouldn’t see her as a threat.

"I thought you trusted me," Zara said, her voice trembling with emotion. "But instead, you believed them. You know I would never lie about Mom’s condition. She is in danger, Nathaniel. Still, you doubted me. You let Riya’s lies get to you, risking her life. And now..."

She marched up to the desk and slammed a stack of papers onto it. "Your lawyer gave me this," she said bitterly. "I thought you were at the hospital all night, but instead, you were busy drafting a divorce agreement."

Her eyes glistened, but she held back her tears. "Is this really what you want? Do you truly want to divorce me?"

Nathaniel’s gaze dropped to the papers. The document meant nothing — it was just for show. He would never leave her. But right now, silence was the only way to protect her.

"Yes," he said coldly. "Sign it and leave my house."

He told himself she would understand once everything was over, once he could finally explain the truth.

Zara’s heart shattered at his words. Deep down, she thought he might be acting under pressure. Maybe Riya had forced him to do so. But instead of explaining, he was telling her to leave him.

"Why?" she demanded. "Tell me the reason. Why are you divorcing me all of a sudden?"

"It’s not sudden," Nathaniel replied, his tone cold and detached. "I’ve been planning to end this marriage for a while now. I thought you’d beg me to stay, but instead, you surprised me. You were so eager to walk away. It felt like a challenge, and I wanted to see you yield to me again, to see that obedient side of you. And I succeeded."

His chest tightened as he caught the anguish in her eyes, but he forced himself to go on. "It was amusing to watch you submit, play the role of the perfect wife. But now it’s boring. There is no thrill left in it. I can’t go on living like this. So just leave. I’ll make sure you are financially secure. You won’t have to struggle."

Zara’s composure broke. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "So all this time, you were just toying with me? Everything — your love, your tenderness — it was all a lie?"

Nathaniel nodded stiffly. "This marriage was a mistake from the start. It was bound to end one day. I just wanted it to happen on my terms. I could’ve pretended to be the loving husband a little longer, but you made that impossible. You caused a scene at the hospital, embarrassed the family, and now I can’t let you harass Riya any further."

Her voice trembled with disbelief. "You think I bullied Riya?"

"Enough," Nathaniel cut her off sharply, raising a hand. "I don’t have time to argue. I have more important matters to handle. Just sign the papers and leave."

Zara couldn’t bear it any longer. If he were so desperate to end their marriage, she would give him exactly what he wanted. Grabbing the pen, she signed her name with a firm stroke.

Though he knew the divorce was fake, Nathaniel’s heart twisted painfully as he watched her sign. When she turned to leave, it felt as if the ground beneath him was falling away. He wanted to stop her, to make her stay just a little longer — even if it meant enduring her anger, her accusations.

"You can visit Zane anytime you wish."

Zara blinked away her tears, her throat tightening. Parting from Zane would be the hardest thing of all. No matter what had gone wrong between her and Nathaniel, she could never abandon the boy.

"Yes," she said softly. "Whatever happens between us shouldn’t affect him. I’ll come to see him, and he can visit me whenever he wants."

She strode toward the door.

"Meet me at the Civil Affairs Bureau the day after tomorrow," Nathaniel said, rising to his feet.

Without looking back, Zara nodded. "I’ll be there." Then she walked out.

"Zara," Nathaniel called after her, but she was already gone.

He sank back into his chair, his expression clouded with helpless sorrow. "Please wait for me," he whispered. "I’ll bring you back."

He hoped that Ian would soon uncover the truth about the poison and find the antidote. Once his parents were safe, he would make everyone who hurt his family pay.

Zara stormed out of the building, brushing away her tears. "Nathaniel, you bastard," she yelled. "Even if you beg, I’ll never forgive you."

Zara slid into her car, ready to start the engine, when her phone rang. It was Bree.

Taking a steadying breath, she answered. "Hello?"

"Zara, can you come to the office right now?" Bree’s voice trembled with panic. "Something has gone wrong. I just got a call from Nicole’s assistant. They are cancelling our contract."

"What?" Zara froze, disbelief washing over her. "That can’t be right. I just submitted the new design drafts she requested. Why would they cancel now?"

"I have no idea," Bree said, almost on the verge of tears. "Everyone is in shock. And that’s not all. We’ve lost all our other contracts as well. The dealers are refusing to accept the finished products. You need to come quickly and take charge before things get worse."

"I’m on my way." Zara hung up and sped toward the office.

Within minutes, she arrived to find Bree anxiously pacing in front of her desk.

"Bree," Zara called, rushing over.

"Thank God you are here," Bree said, clasping her hands. "I don’t know what to do anymore. This is a disaster. The products are piling up in the warehouse, and none of the dealers are willing to take them. How are we going to fix this?"

Zara’s expression darkened. Her mind went blank. Not a single solution came to her.

"We’ve poured so much money into production," Bree went on desperately. "If we can’t find new dealers soon, we’ll go bankrupt."

Zara shook her head in disbelief. "No... this can’t be happening," she whispered.

She had built this company from scratch, with her sweat and sleepless nights. She couldn’t stand by and watch it crumble.

"I’ll talk to the dealers myself," Zara said firmly. "I’ll fix this." She strode toward her desk with determination, and Bree quickly followed behind her.

Zara began dialing the dealers one after another, but the calls went unanswered. The few who did pick up turned her down flatly.

Her hands trembled as reality sank in. The same dealers who once scrambled to stock her designs now wanted nothing to do with her. It wasn’t her talent they had valued. It was Nicole’s name attached to the products. Without that, she was nothing to them.

With a frustrated sigh, Zara dropped her phone onto the desk.

"What happened? Did anyone agree to take the orders?" Bree asked anxiously, searching Zara’s face.

Zara shook her head with bitterness. "No one. They never really cared about my designs. They only worked with me because of Nicole. Now that she has cut ties, they have all turned their backs."

"Zara, calm down," Bree said gently, her tone softening at the sight of Zara’s distress. "We’ll get through this together. We’ve faced worse before, remember? We didn’t give up then, and we won’t give up now."

Zara leaned forward, resting her elbow on the desk and pressing her fingers to her forehead. "I don’t know, Bree. I really don’t know what to do anymore..."

A voice came from the doorway. "Does someone here need help?"

Both women turned toward it and froze. Riya stood there, a faint smirk on her lips.

Zara’s entire body stiffened. ’What is she doing here?’

Before Zara could speak, Bree snapped, "We don’t need your help. Why are you even here?"

Riya sauntered into the office with an air of confidence, as if she owned the place. "I heard Nicole cancelled her contract with you. That must be rough. I thought I’d drop by to check on you. Maybe I can help you." She pulled out a chair and sat down casually across from Zara.

"Drop the act," Zara hissed. "I know you so well. A person like you can only make trouble for others. Expecting help from you is foolishness. Even if you offer me any help, I won’t take it. So don’t waste my time. Leave right away."

But Riya didn’t make a move to leave. She remained seated in her place as if she had no intention of leaving any time soon.

"This time, I didn’t do anything to trouble you," she said. "It’s Nathaniel. He called Nicole and told her to cancel the contract with you. And you know they are good friends. Why would Nicole not listen to him?"

Zara froze, her breath catching. So that was the reason behind Nicole’s sudden withdrawal. Nathaniel had orchestrated it.

Pain shot through her chest. The man she had loved with all her heart hadn’t just broken her emotionally, he had destroyed her career, too. Because of him, everything she had worked so hard for was collapsing.

Regret flooded her. If only she had never met him, never fallen for him... maybe her life wouldn’t be in shambles now.