The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 140

Chapter 140

Ethan's POV

I needed to talk to Anna immediately to put an end to her endless gimmicks.

I did absolutely nothing to her other than letting her know that I still loved Cynthia and I’m going to try to win Cynthia back. Is that the reason why she had to go as far as ruining it all for me?

My phone had been ringing nonstop since I left the house. Investors. Board members. Executives. Silence from Anna, but chaos everywhere else. Walker Industries was bleeding credibility by the minute, and reputations were being dragged through the mud by headlines written faster than truth could keep up.

Mr. Brown had called right after Bryan and Devian left.

He'd sounded calm.

He said he understood. Said he believed in the company. Said Walker Industries was still strong and would over come.

But I knew that tone. I'd used it myself before, with people I was already preparing to distance myself from.

And then came the unspoken fear beneath his words: Fix this. Or I won't be able to protect my own company from the fallout.

That was when I knew I couldn't wait.

I drove straight to Anna's apartment.

I parked haphazardly, not bothering to straighten the car or calm my thoughts. My pulse was pounding, every possible scenario racing through my head as I walked toward her door.

What would I even say to her?

Why are you doing this?

What do you want from me?

How did we get here?

I raised my hand to knock.

The door shifted.

Just slightly.

I frowned.

The door wasn't fully shut.

A bad feeling crept up my spine.

"Anna?" I called, pushing it open slowly. "It's me."

No answer.

The apartment was eerily quiet—too quiet for a place that was supposed to have a toddler in it. No cartoons playing. No toys scattered loudly across the floor. No hum of background music Anna always liked to keep running.

I stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind me.

"Anna," I called again, louder this time. "I'm coming in."

Still nothing.

Then I saw Hayden.

She was sitting on the floor of the living room, right in the middle of a mess that made my chest tighten instantly. A cereal box lay tipped over beside her, flakes scattered everywhere. Milk had dried into the carpet, leaving sour-smelling stains. Her small hands were grabbing at the cereal, shoving it into her mouth clumsily, like she hadn't eaten properly in a while.

Her hair was tangled. Her cheeks were streaked with dried tears. She looked… neglected.

Not just messy.

Abandoned.

"Hey," I said softly, dropping to my knees. "Hey, sweetheart…"

Her head snapped up at the sound of my voice.

Nothing.

I pushed the door open.

Steam rushed out immediately, thick and suffocating, fogging my vision. The mirror was completely clouded over.

And then I saw the bathtub.

The water was filled almost to the brim.

It was clear and Anna's body was submerged beneath it.

Her head tilted back against the tub. Her hair floated around her face like dark ribbons. Her eyes were shut. Her lips slightly parted.

She wasn't moving.

My brain refused to process what my eyes were seeing.

"No," I whispered.

"No. No, no, no—Anna!"

I dropped to my knees beside the tub, my heart slamming so violently I thought it might tear itself apart.

Her skin looked pale beneath the water.

Too pale.

Her chest wasn't rising.

I reached in without thinking, my hands shaking as I grabbed her shoulders, the cold of the water biting into my skin.

"Anna!" I shouted, pulling her upward with all the strength I had.