A Divorce He Regrets (Raina and Alexander) novel Chapter 78

RAINA

I glared at Alex, arms crossed, waiting for the nonsense he was about to spill. He leaned back slightly, as if gathering his thoughts, before finally speaking.

“You might want to keep your distance from Nathan,” he said, his tone almost casual but loaded with meaning. “You’re still a married woman, after all.”

The audacity.

I felt heat rise to my face. The sheer nerve of him, acting as if he had any right to lecture me about who I spent my time with. “Funny,” I snapped, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “because those same rules didn’t seem to apply to you when you were engaged to Eliza. Or did being married not matter then?”

That shut him up. He stared at me, his jaw tightening, but no response came. Typical Alex.

I stood, ready to leave, when his voice stopped me.

“Did you know Nathan is an orphan?” he asked. “He was in the same orphanage as you and Dominic.”

I froze mid-step, my stomach twisting uncomfortably. Slowly, I turned back to face him. “You had Nathan investigated?” I asked, my voice sharp with disbelief.

Alex shrugged, as if his blatant invasion of privacy was no big deal. “Yes. And did you know he also attended the same college as us? He studied law there before going on to law school.”

My chest tightened. No, I didn’t know that. I didn’t know any of it. The realization hit me hard—I knew next to nothing about Nathan. Sure, he was sweet, attentive, and everything I thought I needed, but Alex’s words planted a bitter seed of doubt in my mind.

“What are you getting at?” I asked, my voice colder now, my defenses firmly in place.

“Don’t you find it odd that he suddenly showed up in your life?” Alex pressed, his eyes locking onto mine. “First the orphanage, now college. Isn’t it a little too convenient?”

I wanted to scoff, to dismiss him completely, but I couldn’t. The truth was, he had a point.

How could I have been so careless? I felt a sharp sting of embarrassment and frustration at myself. Nathan could play me if he wanted to, and I wouldn’t even see it coming.

It hit me then—it was good that Nathan and I were on a break. After the divorce was finalized, I’d insist we get to know each other better before moving forward. If he was the right person for me, he’d understand.

But for now, I had no patience for Alex’s meddling.

Back at my office, Alex’s words echoed relentlessly in my mind. Nathan had been at the orphanage. The thought was unsettling, not because I doubted Nathan’s intentions—at least, not entirely—but because of the implications.

Did he know me back then? Did he know Dominic?

And then there was college. Alex mentioned that Nathan had been there too. Was he watching me during those years? Was it all coincidence, or had there been something deliberate about the way our lives had intersected?

I rubbed my temples, trying to push the spiraling questions away. Now wasn’t the time to lose myself in suspicions and what-ifs.

I needed priorities. First, I had to finalize the divorce. Then, I’d file for sole custody of Liam to ensure Alex couldn’t pull any more stunts. After that, there was Eliza, who still needed to be dealt with—her crimes against me and Liam couldn’t go unpunished.

Maybe once all of that was behind me, I’d have the energy to confront Nathan about his past.

But until then, I couldn’t afford to let my focus waver.

“Focus, Raina,” I told myself aloud, my voice cutting through the chaotic whirlwind in my head.