Lahat ng Kabanata ng The reluctant vow: Kabanata 181 - Kabanata 190

ZARA’S ROOM – NIGHTZara sat on the bed, curled up with her knees drawn to her chest. The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the AC and the faint rustle of the trees outside the window. Her phone rested beside her, screen still lit with a message from a gossip blog: “BREAKING: Nathan confirmed as biological father. Dr. Hakeem confesses. Imani exposed.”Her fingers hovered over the screen, trembling slightly. Not from fear or shock—those emotions had already burned through her like wildfire. What lingered now was the smoke… the exhaustion that came after surviving a storm that tried to swallow her whole.She exhaled and finally tapped the call button.The dial tone rang once… twice…KEMI (V.O.)(playful, but cautious)Look who finally remembered she has a best friend.Zara let out a tired, quiet laugh. Just hearing Kemi’s voice was a balm.ZARAHey, babe.KEMIYou alright?Zara hesitated. The question was simple. The answer? Complicated.ZARAI don’t even know how to answer that

Study Room: Curiosity ReturnsLater that afternoon, the house had fallen into a sleepy hush. Sunlight filtered in through the high windows, spilling shadows across the marbled floors. Somewhere distant, a door closed gently. Regan’s voice had echoed down the hall earlier — something about needing to step into a call with an investor. Zara had nodded absently from the top of the staircase, her thoughts already drifting elsewhere.She found herself walking again — aimlessly at first, trailing her fingers along the smooth walls of the Kareem mansion. But as her bare feet padded toward the east wing, her steps slowed. The door to the study stood slightly ajar, like it had been waiting for her.Something pulled her — not loudly, not urgently. Just a whisper of unfinished business.Zara pushed the door open with her fingertips.The scent of aged leather and paper greeted her. The same stack of books that had fallen earlier remained slightly off-kilter on the floor near the shelf. A half-fin

The office was unusually loud that afternoon — phones ringing, printers whirring, and the low hum of chatter. Imani sat at her desk, fingers drumming against her phone instead of typing. She had been staring at Nathan’s name in her contact list for almost ten minutes. The urge to hear his voice was almost physical. Finally, she inhaled deeply and pressed “call.” The dial tone stretched in her ear. Once. Twice. On the fourth ring, his voice came through, flat and cautious. “Imani.” She closed her eyes, savoring just hearing him. “Nathan… please don’t hang up.” “I’m listening,” he said, but there was no warmth. Her throat tightened. “I made a mistake. I—I let anger and pride ruin everything. I should’ve trusted you, stood by you… but I didn’t. I pushed you away when you needed me most, and now I just—” her voice cracked, “I just want us back.” Silence. When he spoke again, his tone was firm. “Us? Imani, there is no us. You made your choice. You made it more than once.”

The sky blushed in shades of gold and rose as the sun dipped low, painting the Kareem mansion’s garden in a gentle, amber light. The air smelled faintly of jasmine, and the gravel crunched softly beneath their steps as Regan and Zara strolled side by side, fingers loosely entwined.Neither spoke for a while, letting the evening’s calm settle over them like a warm blanket. The last few weeks had been a storm; now, this moment felt like the eye — still, fragile, and precious.“I can’t wait to see their face for the first time,” Zara murmured, her free hand resting protectively over her belly.Regan glanced down at her, his expression softening. “I’ve been thinking about… after. Once the baby is here, maybe we could spend a few months somewhere quiet. No noise, no trouble — just us.”Zara’s lips curved into a smile. “Somewhere peaceful sounds perfect.”They spoke of little things — a nursery painted in warm creams and gold, family dinners, the way they would balance their dreams with par

The morning light spilled lazily through the curtains, painting the bedroom in soft gold. Zara lay on her side, pretending to scroll on her phone, though her mind was already working. Regan had mentioned earlier in the week that he needed to go into the office, but she hadn’t heard him bring it up again. If today was going to work, she needed him out—completely out.She shifted on the bed, her tone casual, almost teasing.“Didn’t you say you had some office work to handle this week? Why not just go today?”Regan, still in his T-shirt and lounging against the headboard, glanced at her with mild disinterest.“I’ll go later. I’m not in the mood to drive right now.”Zara smiled faintly, leaning closer as if suggesting something sweet rather than plotting something calculated.“But if you go now, you’ll be back earlier… and then we can actually have the evening together. No work calls, no emails. Just us.”He studied her for a moment, then gave a small shrug.“You always find a way to get