The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 146

Chapter 146

Ethan’s POV

The moment I ended the call with child services and sent them the address, my hands were shaking so badly I almost dropped my phone.

I stood there for a second in the dim hallway outside Anna’s apartment, breathing hard, trying to slow my racing thoughts. My chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped a steel band around my ribs and kept tightening it with every new revelation.

None of this made sense, and yet all of it did.

I walked out of the building in a daze, the cold air hitting my damp skin like a slap. I hadn’t even realized how soaked my shirt was from pulling Anna out of the tub and performing CPR. My shoes squelched slightly as I crossed the pavement toward my car.

I opened the driver’s door and slid inside, shutting it with more force than necessary. The familiar scent of leather and cologne should have grounded me, but it didn’t. My pulse was still pounding violently, my mind replaying Hayden’s small body hitting the floor, the dull sound it made, the way she’d swallowed her cry like she was used to pain.

While I was yet trying to control my thought, I noticed a movement through the side mirror.

At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. Stress hallucinations, exhaustion, paranoia—any of those would have been easier to accept than the truth.

But no.

There he was.

Standing a short distance away, partially concealed by the shadow of the building next door. A dark face cap pulled low over his head, obscuring most of his features. His posture was casual, almost lazy, but his attention was locked entirely on me.

Watching.

My stomach dropped.

I knew that man.

I’d seen him months ago, lingering too long in the hallway of Anna’s apartment complex. Back then, I’d brushed it off as coincidence, as nothing worth noting. Then I’d seen him again, near Missford University. Watching Cynthia.

My hand tightened around the steering wheel.

“What the fuck…” I muttered under my breath.

Anger surged through me, sharp and blinding, overriding the fear. Before I could think better of it, I shoved the car door open and stepped out.

“Hey!” I barked. “You!”

The man stiffened.

For half a second, our eyes met.

Then he turned and ran.

“Son of a…” I took off after him, my heart slamming against my ribs as I sprinted across the lot. “Stop!”

“We have a situation,” she said quickly. “Actually…we have multiple situations. Investors are pulling out with actual withdrawal notices.”

My blood ran cold. “What?”

“Three board members just called emergency meetings,” she continued, words tumbling over each other. “Legal is swamped. PR is on fire. Our stock value is fluctuating wildly, and…, someone leaked internal documents.”

I closed my eyes briefly.

“I’m on my way,” I replied immediately. “Lock everything down. Freeze access. No one releases a statement without my approval.”

“I already did,” she said. “But you need to come.”

“I will,” I said, and ended the call.

I sat there for half a second longer, my thoughts racing, then started the engine.

As I pulled out of the lot, my foot slammed down on the accelerator harder than necessary, the engine roaring in response.

This is definitely not a coincidence and it is far beyond the scandal online. This is something way bigger and I must get to the root of it.

What has Anna been up to in this company and in my life?