Chapter 15: The princess of the Grant family
Zara studied Riya carefully. It struck her again how blind she had been in the past five years, how Riya’s disdain had always lurked just beneath the surface. She had never noticed it until that night when everything had changed. That brutal experience had opened her eyes, peeled away the mask Riya wore so well.
Now, she could see her for what she truly was.
Zara tilted her head slightly. "Why do I smell jealousy? Do you have feelings for Nathaniel?"
Riya’s face drained of color in an instant. For someone who had spent years burying her feelings under a polished smile and perfect manners, Zara’s sharp words hit like a sledgehammer. Her love for Nathaniel had been her most carefully guarded secret, something she never dared to say aloud. To confess it would risk everything: her standing in the family, her closeness to him, the carefully constructed image she had maintained for years.
"How dare you accuse me of something like that?" Riya snapped. "That’s slander. I care about this family, and I care about Nathaniel. That’s all."
But the way her voice cracked betrayed her. Zara caught that flicker of panic behind the indignation.
Zara let out a cold sneer. In her past life, she might’ve believed Riya’s lies and ignored the signs. But that night had shown her Riya’s true nature.
Zara hadn’t come back to pick fights. She didn’t want to be entangled in drama again. All she wanted was peace for herself and the baby in her womb. But if Riya insisted on provoking her, she was more than capable of defending herself.
"Isn’t it obvious?" Zara said coolly. "You are the only one so desperate to see me gone. No one else in this family is pushing for a divorce. So it makes me wonder — why are you in such a hurry to get me out of the picture?"