CHAPTER 278: THE TRUTH SURFACED FINALLY

The smile on Nathaniel’s face vanished, a shocked look crossing his face. ’What are you talking about? I think you are mistaken. It’s Nora who saved me.’

The old man shook his head and said confidently, ’It’s her sister who jumped into the water and pulled you out. If she hadn’t acted quickly, you wouldn’t have survived.’

’No,’ Nathaniel couldn’t believe it. The woman he despised, whom he thought had replaced Nora in his life, was actually his savior. ’This can’t be true. You are certainly mistaken. It’s Nora...I remember...’

His hand shook a little as he showed him the photograph of Nora. ’This is Nora. She saved me.’

The old man adjusted his glasses and looked at the photo. ’I know it’s Nora madam...She came to me, asking for help. It’s her sister, Zara Madam, who saved you.’ He looked into Nathaniel’s eyes. ’I never knew you had mistakenly thought it was Nora who saved you back then.’

Nathaniel staggered, his head buzzing. He had always treated Zara coldly. If she were his actual savior, he would die in shame. The woman who should have been loved and cherished had been humiliated and neglected in every turn. With resentful words, he had always hurt her.

’I thought you loved Nora and that was why you married her,’ the old man said. ’But I didn’t know you mistook her for your savior.’

’No...’ His heart was torn apart at the thought of Zara hating him now. ’I fell in love with Nora because I thought she was my savior, but it was Zara. She was right there beside me, watching me silently. I kept ignoring her. Why didn’t she say a thing to me? Why didn’t she tell me she saved me?’

Then he recalled her mentioning that she was his savior, but he had dismissed it, believing she was trying to compare herself with Nora out of jealousy.

Regret twisted his heart. ’I need to talk to you. I have to...’

He ran away. His phone buzzed in his pocket. ’It must be Zara,’ he murmured, reaching for his phone. ’She always calls to check on me.’

To his disappointment, the name flashing on the screen wasn’t hers. It’s Roberto.

As he answered the call, he heard his panicked tone, ’Sir, it’s bad...Madam...Madam...’

’What happened?’ Nathaniel snapped impatiently. ’What happened to Zara?’

’She...met with an accident and died on the spot.’

Nathaniel froze in his tracks, the phone shaking in his hand.

’She was eight weeks pregnant.’

’No, no...’

With a gasp, Nathaniel opened his eyes, his chest heaving, forehead drenched in sweat. He now remembered everything. That dream wasn’t a dream. It was the incidents he had lived – his past life.

The news of Zara’s death had saddened him so much that he had a heart attack and died right there. He couldn’t even have the time to say goodbye to her. But now that he had been given a chance, he wouldn’t repeat the mistake.

’Why didn’t I remember all this sooner?’ he thought, lamenting. ’I already hurt her so much. I need to go back to her.’

Without checking where he was and what condition he was in, he swung his legs down and stood up frantically. The surroundings spun, making him stagger. His whole body sagged back into the bed, and a sharp pain in his head followed.

"My head," he groaned, holding his head. It was only at that point that he felt the gauze. He touched the fabric, his expression pinching.

"What happened to me? Where am I?" He looked around.

It was a small room with only one yellow bulb lighting up the space. The walls were worn out, paint coming out. The bed was small with a thin mattress. On the side, there was a nightstand, where a first aid box was kept.

Nathaniel gradually recalled going to meet Zachary. But a car had followed him recklessly, causing the accident.

"That black car," he muttered. "It’s all because of that. Maybe that guy had kidnapped me."

His gaze moved to the closed door, his mouth twisting. "But I can’t stay here. I need to go back to Zara. I have to talk to her."

Ignoring the ache in his head, he pushed himself up and marched toward the door. He twisted the knob, and it opened easily, which surprised him. He thought the kidnapper might have locked him up, but he was wrong.

’He might be thinking I’m still unconscious.’

Just as he stepped out of the room, a figure appeared. Nathaniel froze, a wave of shock hitting him.

"Roberto?"

Nathaniel couldn’t believe he was seeing him. His gaze roved over the man in front of him, checking if he wasn’t dreaming.

Roberto’s appearance had changed. He had grown a long beard. With shoulder-length hair and the deep cut on the side of his forehead made him almost unrecognizable. His hair was messy and brittle. It seemed as if the comb had not touched his hair for ages.

He had become leaner. His skin looked dull with freckles marring his face. He didn’t look like the man Nathaniel used to know – smart, immaculate, sophisticated.

The guy in front of him looked rougher and tougher, as if struggles of survival had made him a different person altogether. Yet, Nathaniel didn’t fail to recognize him.

"It’s really you!" He was still dazed. "But why didn’t you call me if you were alive? I’ve been looking for you."

"I’m aware," Roberto said.

"Aware?" Nathaniel pinched his brow, confused. "Why didn’t you reach out to me?"

"Because of safety issues," replied Roberto. "My life was threatened. I thought I would stay underground for the time being and let people assume I was dead. But I never expected you wouldn’t give up and would keep looking for me."

Nathaniel nodded slowly. "Everyone believed you were dead. Even the cops said there was no chance of survival. But deep down, I knew you would have survived."

A shadow crossed over Roberto’s face as he recalled the day of the accident. "I found something about Zachary," he recounted, his voice dreamy, "something very dangerous. He had links to the underworld don, a powerful one – even the authorities won’t touch him. But his men spotted my informer, captured him."

He paused as he recalled the call of the informer that night. "He called me, asking me to help him. But I immediately guessed it was a trap. So I left, hoping to stay underground for sometimes. But those people followed me. To escape them, I caused the accident deliberately."

When he drove the car right through the cliff, he jumped out. He touched the scar on his forehead.

"I sustained some injuries, bone fractures, but I survived," Roberto added. "Sadly, all the evidence I gathered against Zachary was destroyed in the accident."

After a moment of pause, he added, "A kind passerby helped me and let me stay at his place until I fully recovered."

A hint of empathy crossed Nathaniel’s eyes as he wondered what else Roberto had faced all those days.

"When I came back after a few months," Roberto continued, "I saw you already had someone as your assistant."

"I-I needed someone reliable to help me," Nathaniel felt a little guilty as he heard those words from his mouth. He thought Roberto might be disappointed with him. But his next words eased him.

"I completely understand," Roberto said. "Of course, you needed someone to help you. But I didn’t expect it to be Ian."

"Why? Do you know him?" Nathaniel grew curious.

Roberto shook his head. "I don’t know him personally. But my informer once showed me Ian’s photo, claiming he had nothing him sneaking around Zachary. Initially, I thought Ian might be a spy for the enemy gang, tracking Zachary’s movement. But when I started following him, I spotted him with Kelvin. That’s when I realized you might have hired him because of Kelvin."

"Yes," Nathaniel said. "Kelvin said I couldn’t trust anyone; Zachary had planted his spies everywhere around me. So, I have no choice but to rely on him. Initially, I didn’t like Ian, but now I know he is quite capable."

"That’s why I didn’t contact you, believing you were with the right man," Roberto said. "Instead, I started following Zachary. I stayed outside his penthouse office, pretending to be a homeless man, and checked who else came to meet him. I found many secrets about this man. He has a hand in smuggling, arms dealing, human trafficking, illegal gambling, and many more. His company is not doing well, but he earned a lot through that illegal business. And to cover up his illegal deeds, he needed a well-established Grant family business, under which he could continue his dark business freely."

"Oh, that’s what he is planning," Nathaniel muttered. "I’ll never let that happen."

"There is no end to his greed," Roberto continued. "He wants to rise in power, to become one of the topmost players in the underworld. Currently, he is working with the enemy gang leader, planning to take down the don."

"Is it that easy?" Nathaniel scoffed.

"There are moles everywhere," Roberto replied. "It’s seemed tough, but not impossible. I have proof of Zachary working with the enemy gang leader. If we can hand it over to the don, Zachary will be gone for good."

"That’s fantastic," Nathaniel’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Why are we waiting for? Let’s do it. I’ll call Ian right away. He and Kelvin will help us."

He looked around for his phone. "Where is my phone?"

"Sir, calm down. You can’t call Ian yet."

Nathaniel looked up at him with a frown, befuddled. "Why?"

"Because we can’t trust them anymore," said Roberto with a chilling tone. "Kelvin has been compromised."