The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 178

Chapter 178

Cynthia’s POV

“Never.”

The word left my mouth sharper than I intended, slicing clean through the air between us. It landed hard, undeniable, and the moment it was out, I knew there was no pulling it back.

Ethan froze.

The shock on his face would have been almost funny if I had not been so tired, so emotionally wrung out that even standing upright felt like work. He looked at me like he was trying to decide whether I was serious or just lashing out.

“Never?” he repeated slowly. “What do you mean, never?”

I tightened my grip on the strap of my bag, grounding myself. My heart was pounding too hard, too fast, and I hated how exposed I suddenly felt. I had not planned to say it like that. I had not planned to say anything at all. But once the word existed between us, it demanded to be explained.

“I mean… you can’t come with me,” I said. My voice came out thinner than I liked. “You can’t.”

He stared at me like I had just switched languages mid-sentence.

“Because of what?” he demanded.

In one swift movement he was off the bed, grabbing a pair of trousers and stepping into them with restless energy. The shift in him was immediate and unsettling. Gone was the man who had been holding me minutes ago. This was someone sharper, more defensive, someone who felt control slipping through his fingers.

“Because of what, Cynthia?” he pressed, dragging the trousers up and fastening them. “Say it.”

I opened my mouth.

Nothing came out.

I searched for words that would not destroy everything in their path. There was no simple explanation, other than I didn’t want him to know that I was living in the Laurent mansion, and perhaps figure out that I am a Laurent.

Ethan let out a humorless laugh and shook his head as he reached for his shirt.

“I know what this is,” he said, bitterness seeping into his voice. “You don’t want me to know where you’re living.”

I frowned. “That’s not…”

“Because you don’t want me to see your love nest with Kevin Laurent, right?” he cut in sharply, buttoning his shirt with more force than necessary. “That’s what this is about.”

My stomach dropped so hard it felt like the floor had vanished beneath my feet.

I did not stop.

I moved down the hallway with quick steps, my chest tight, my thoughts racing ahead of my body.

I could hear him behind me, finishing the buttons on his shirt, his longer strides closing the distance no matter how fast I walked.

“What does that mean?” he asked again, urgency threading through his voice. “Does that mean Kevin is not your boyfriend?”

I kept walking, my jaw clenched.

“Cynthia, answer me,” he said, frustration bleeding into every word. “Does it mean you’re not with him?”

Silence stretched between us, thick and oppressive.

Each step felt heavier than the last, like the walls themselves were resisting me, reminding me of everything I had once hoped for here and everything that had gone wrong. I could feel him watching me, waiting for me to turn around, to give him something to hold on to.

He followed me all the way, relentless, confused, unwilling to let the moment die.

“What does that mean, Cynthia?” he demanded again. “You can’t just say something like that and walk away.”