บททั้งหมดของ The reluctant vow: บทที่ 271 - บทที่ 280

The following morning, the mansion buzzed quietly with its usual rhythm — the gentle cry of one of the twins, the soft chatter between the maids, and the faint hum of gospel music playing from the kitchen where Mrs. Tunde prepared breakfast. Yet, in Zara’s room, the air was heavy with something else — anticipation.Zara sat on the bed, nervously tapping her fingers on her phone screen. Her mind replayed last night’s conversation with her mother like a film she couldn’t pause. The shock in her mum’s eyes, the tears, the confession about Chief Kareem — everything lingered.Kemi walked in wearing one of Zara’s oversized T-shirts, her hair tied up in a bun. “You’ve been quiet all morning,” she said, sitting beside her friend. “What’s wrong? You look like someone who hasn’t slept.”Zara sighed. “I told my mum last night.”Kemi blinked. “Told her what?”“That Zainab is alive.”The words hit Kemi like a wave. “Wait… you actually told her?”Zara nodded. “She cried, Kemi. She said they thought

The air was thick with emotions when Zainab finally decided it was time to go. The reunion had drained everyone — tears shed, truths confessed, and promises whispered in the shadows. Mrs. Tunde still held her daughter’s hand tightly, unwilling to let go, as though one blink could make her disappear again.Zainab smiled softly and said, “Mama, I’ll come back. I promise. But it’s safer if I leave before anyone else notices.”Mrs. Tunde nodded reluctantly, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She reached up to adjust Zainab’s hijab, her hands trembling. “Please, my child, be careful. That man must never know you’re here.”“I know,” Zainab whispered. “He won’t.”Zara stepped closer, her heart pounding. “I’ll walk you to the back gate. The security there won’t question me.”Kemi, who had been silent for a while, exhaled shakily. “This is too risky. If anyone sees her—”“They won’t,” Zainab cut in, her tone calm but firm. “I’ve lived in worse danger before. This is nothing.”They moved qui

The silence that followed Regan’s shout was sharp enough to cut through the night air.Zainab had already disappeared beyond the gate, swallowed by the shadows, but the echo of her name — “Zay!” — still hung thickly in the corridor like a ghost refusing to fade.For a few seconds, no one moved. Mrs. Tunde’s hands flew to her chest. Kemi’s eyes darted from Zara to the door, her pulse racing. And Zara— she just stood there, frozen in place, her heart pounding so fast she could barely breathe.Then Regan turned. His eyes, wide with disbelief and confusion, locked on Zara. The soft, loving man she knew was gone — replaced by someone she hadn’t seen in months. Someone whose anger was quiet but dangerous.“Zara,” he said slowly, his voice low but vibrating with tension. “Upstairs. Now.”The authority in his tone made even Kemi step back.“Regan, please,” Mrs. Tunde said quickly, stepping forward, trying to calm him. Her voice trembled slightly — she knew the kind of storm that could follow

The moment Zara stepped into their room, she could already feel it — the storm brewing inside Regan.He stood near the edge of the bed, his hands clenched tightly, chest rising and falling with sharp breaths. The veins in his neck pulsed beneath his skin, and his eyes—dark, fiery, unreadable—locked on her the second she closed the door.Zara hesitated near the door, her fingers gripping the doorknob as if it were the only thing keeping her upright.“Regan…” she started softly, her voice breaking slightly.He turned sharply, his eyes burning with disbelief. “Who was that?” he demanded, his voice low but shaking. “Tell me I didn’t just see who I think I saw.”His tone wasn’t loud—but it carried more weight than any shout could. The fury behind it was contained, controlled, dangerous.Zara’s lips trembled. She swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling with each uneven breath. “You saw right,” she whispered finally. “That was Zainab.”“Since when, Zara?” His voice was cold, shaking wit

The drive to the Tunde residence was quiet, almost painfully so. The hum of the car engine was the only sound breaking through the heavy silence that hung between the three women. Zara sat in the backseat, cradling one of the twins against her chest, while Kemi gently rocked the other. Her eyes were red and swollen, her breath shaky. Each passing streetlight illuminated her face—tired, bruised by emotion, but determined.When the car finally turned into the familiar driveway of her parents’ home, Zara exhaled a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. The sprawling compound that once felt too quiet now felt like sanctuary. Home.Mrs. Tunde hurried out of the car first, her wrapper slightly loose, her face lined with worry. “Come down, my daughter,” she said softly, helping Zara step out. “You’re safe now.”Zara nodded faintly, clutching her sleeping child tighter. The front door creaked open as they entered, and the faint scent of lemon polish and her father’s favorite cologne wr