His Secret Baby: Six Months After Divorce (Mia and Ethan) novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6

By 7 PM, the massive Hale Manor was glowing against the dark winter sky.

Mia steppe

le, armed with treats from a historic bakery the grandparents loved. But the moment she crossed the threshold, the grandmother’s furious roar echoed through the grand foyer.

“That ungrateful brat! He had a perfect, beautiful wife right in front of him, and he throws her away! Let’s see how Ethan survives the rest of his life alone!”

Even after the divorce, Mrs. Hale Sr. still blamed Ethan entirely.

Hearing the elderly woman defend her made Mia’s stomach churn with guilt. She set the boxes down and hurried into the living room. “Grandma, please. I was the one who asked for the divorce. It wasn’t him.”

Miranda, Ethan’s snobbish mother, was lounging on the velvet sofa. At nearly fifty, she kept herself looking thirty, wrapped in an expensive red shawl. She shot Mia a look of pure, unadulterated disgust, pretending she didn’t even exist.

Mr. Hale Sr. quickly stepped in to break the tension. “Mia, dear, come sit. How are things at the branch office? Are you eating well? You look terribly thin.”

“I’m doing just fine, Grandpa,” Mia said, taking a seat on the edge of the sofa. The cushion felt like it was stuffed with needles.

Mrs. Hale Sr. grabbed Mia’s hand, her eyes full of worry. “If the work is too much, just cut your hours! Honestly, child, why didn’t you take half his fortune when you left him? You deserve every penny!”

To an outsider, the old woman looked more like Mia’s biological grandmother.

Half of Ethan’s net worth would have made Mia a billionaire overnight. But Mia had left with exactly what she came with: nothing.

For the next hour, the grandparents kept the conversation warm, asking about Mia’s new life. The tension in Mia’s shoulders finally began to ease. She allowed herself to relax, soaking in this final dose of family warmth before she vanished.

Just as a rare, genuine smile touched Mia’s lips-

VROOOOM.

The deafening roar of a sports car engine tore through the quiet courtyard outside.

Mia’s blood ran cold. She slowly turned her head toward the massive floor–to–ceiling windows.

A familiar black Bugatti slid into the driveway.

Before anyone could react, the front doors opened. The blinding headlights cut out, and the biting winter wind swept into the warm manor.

Ethan had returned from his trip early.

And he wasn’t alone.

Miranda leaped off the sofa, her cold demeanor vanishing instantly. She rushed toward the foyer, beaming like a lottery winner.

“Chloe, darling! You’re back!” Miranda gushed, pulling the younger woman into a tight hug.

Ethan walked in behind them, his tall frame dominating the space. He casually carried a stack of designer shopping bags waiting patiently for the two women to finish their reunion. He actually looked… relaxed. Happy.

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