The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 184

Chapter 184

Ethan’s POV

When I drove back into the Walker estate, the sun was already dipping low, painting the sky in streaks of orange and bruised purple that usually brought a sense of calm. Tonight, it did nothing. Everything inside me was restless, wired, unsettled, like my nerves had been stripped bare and left exposed.

Mr. Lan was waiting by the gate, his posture unusually stiff, his expression carefully neutral in a way that immediately put me on edge.

“Mr. Walker,” he said, bowing slightly. “Mr. Ferdinand arrived a while ago. He said he was here to see you.”

My hands tightened around the steering wheel.

Bryan.

What the hell was he doing here?

I drove in slowly, my jaw clenched, already spotting his car parked beside the fountain like it belonged there. Of course it did. Bryan had always treated my house like his second home, at least before everything went to hell between us over Cynthia. Tonight, him showing up unannounced felt like an invasion, like he was stepping into territory he no longer had any right to.

The same Bryan who had looked at my wife like she was something he wanted.

The same Bryan who had crossed a line and admitted feelings he should have buried.

I parked and stepped out, shutting the car door harder than necessary, the sound echoing across the drive.

Get it together, I told myself. You just found out the woman who raised you is not your mother. You do not need to take this out on Bryan.

I walked inside and headed straight for the bar, needing something strong before I said or did something I could not take back.

And there he was.

Bryan stood with his back to me, swirling a glass of wine as if he had all the time in the world, dressed casually but still looking annoyingly put together. Like his life had no cracks, no fractures threatening to split it open.

I cleared my throat.

“To what do I owe this visit?” I asked flatly.

He turned, his eyes immediately assessing me, taking in my expression, my posture, the tension I was barely holding together.

“Wow,” he said softly. “You look like hell.”

“Funny,” I replied. “I was just thinking the same about you.”

He did not rise to the bait. He took another slow sip of wine, studying me over the rim of the glass.

“I came to check on you,” Bryan said. “You just found out the woman you called mother your entire life is not actually your mother. That’s not exactly light news.”

I laughed, but there was no humor in it, just something sharp and brittle.

“Don’t insult my intelligence,” I said. “You did not drive all the way here out of concern for me.”

Bryan’s jaw tightened slightly, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. “You really think that little of me?”

“I think,” I snapped, “that you came here for Cynthia.”

His eyes flickered for just a second, a fraction of a moment, and that was all the confirmation I needed.

“She left,” I continued bitterly. “After a very heartwarming moment in my bed. And yes, before you ask, she went back to Kevin. Back to her little perfect nest. You don’t stand a chance with her Bryan”

I watched his face closely, waiting for something. Surprise. Pain. Satisfaction.

He gave me none of it.

Bryan studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

“Have you ever gone through his things?” he asked.

“My father’s?” I frowned. “Why?”

“Because men like him keep records,” Bryan said. “Letters. Documents. Secrets. If anyone knew the truth, it was Harold Walker.”

Something inside me shifted, a slow, creeping realization taking hold.

“Go through his things,” I repeated quietly.

“That’s right,” Bryan said. “His study. His private files. You might find something.”

I stared at him, the idea settling into place with unsettling clarity.

That was actually brilliant.

For a moment, I almost forgot I was supposed to be angry with him, almost forgot all the reasons I did not trust him.

“Good thought,” I said curtly.

Then I turned on my heel and headed toward my father’s old study, my mind already racing.

I did not thank Bryan because he was still the man who wanted my wife.

And I did not trust him.

But he followed me anyway.