The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 170

Chapter 170

Cynthia’s POV

I ran away from Ethan and Bryan, trying to erase whatever I’d just heard. There was no way he meant what he said. Bryan had hated me right with Ethan three years ago.

I didn’t want to be caught in the middle of whatever fight—or another stretch of unspoken tension—was brewing between them.

I went back into the hospital in a secluded spot and called Amber.

I needed to hear Amber’s voice. I needed that small reminder that at least one thing in this entire mess was safe, warm, and untouched by secrets and blood and betrayal.

“Mom!” Amber’s voice burst through the line, bright and excited, so full of life it made my chest ache. “Mom, guess what!”

I smiled despite myself, moving toward a quieter corner of the corridor. “Hi, baby. Guess what?”

“I’m in a very huggeeee mansion!” he practically shouted. “It’s so big, Mom. Like… really big. Bigger than Dad’s house. Uncle Kevin says the land has been used to be their family home for generations.”

I leaned against the wall, my exhaustion momentarily forgotten. “Is that so?”

“Yes! And Mom,” he lowered his voice dramatically, like he was about to tell me the most important secret in the world, “I’m confused.”

“About what?”

He hesitated for a second, then rushed out his words. “That older woman back at the house… is she really my grandma?”

My heart squeezed painfully. “Yes, Amber. She is.”

“And the three uncles?” he continued quickly, clearly afraid I might interrupt him. “The tall one who smiles a lot, the quiet one, and the one that laughs too much… are they really my uncles?”

I laughed softly. “Yes. They’re my brothers. So that makes them your uncles.”

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. “Whoa.”

“And the little girl?” he asked again, his curiosity clearly nowhere near satisfied. “She’s about Hayden’s age. She keeps following me around, I think her name is Lily. Is she really my cousin?”

“Yes,” I said, warmth flooding my chest. “She is.”

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then Amber whispered, awed, “I didn’t know I had so many people.”

The words hit me harder than I expected.

“I didn’t know families could be like this,” he continued, his voice softer now, more thoughtful. “They keep asking me if I’m hungry. Grandma keeps touching my hair. Uncle Julian says he’ll teach me how to fence. Uncle Kevin says I can call this place home whenever I want.”

My eyes burned, and I blinked rapidly, refusing to let tears fall in a hospital hallway. “I’m glad you’re having fun.”

“I want to stay here forever,” he said simply. “I never knew I had amazing uncles. And a grandma. And a cousin. Mom… can I stay here for the Christmas holiday?”

The innocence of the question almost broke me.

“For now,” I said gently. “Yes. You can stay for now. But you have to keep something a secret, okay?”

“A secret?” His voice brightened instantly.

“Yes. For now, you can’t tell anyone about who they really are to you. Like your uncles and grandma.”

“Like a spy mission?” he asked eagerly.

I smiled. “Exactly like a spy mission.”

“I promise,” he said solemnly. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay! Mom?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” I replied softly.

The line shifted, and a moment later Kevin’s voice came through.

“This is it?” I asked quietly.

He nodded once.

We moved back toward the waiting area and sat down side by side.

Ethan placed the envelope on his lap but didn’t open it immediately.

Seconds stretched.

“Do you want me to…” I started.

“No,” he interrupted softly. “I’ll do it.”

He slid a finger beneath the flap and pulled out the documents inside. His movements were slow, deliberate, like he was afraid that rushing would somehow make the words inside worse.

I leaned closer without thinking.

“What does it say?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes scanned the page.

The color drained from his face.

His brows knit together, confusion flickering across his features before being replaced by something far more unsettling. Pure, unfiltered shock.

The paper trembled slightly in his hands.

“Ethan?” I said carefully.

His gaze was locked on the document, his breathing shallow, his entire body suddenly very still, like he was afraid that moving might make the truth real.

“Ethan,” I repeated, my heart pounding now. “What does it say?”

He finally looked up at me.