The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 208

Chapter 208

Cynthia's POV

I pulled out my phone with trembling fingers, my heart still racing from the relief of having Amber safe in my arms.

Ethan needed to know.

No matter how angry I was at him—and God, I was furious—he was still Amber's father. He deserved to know that our son was safe.

He was probably losing his mind right now, just like I had been.

I scrolled to his contact and pressed call, lifting the phone to my ear.

It rang once.

Twice.

Three times.

Four.

Then voicemail.

My brows furrowed in confusion.

I ended the call and tried again immediately.

Same thing.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Voicemail.

Heat flushed through my chest.

He had the nerve.

The absolute nerve to ignore my call right now.

After everything that had happened tonight. After he was the reason Amber went missing in the first place. After he had dragged our son to that event without telling me, without thinking about the consequences, without caring about anything except his own jealous obsession with monitoring my every move.

And now he couldn't even pick up his phone?

I lowered it slowly, staring at the screen in disbelief.

Amber was settled comfortably on one of the plush sofas in the Laurent sitting room, a blanket draped over his shoulders, Helen fussing over him with maternal efficiency. She'd brought him hot chocolate, more cookies, and was now debating whether he needed a second blanket.

He looked… fine.

Remarkably fine, considering everything he'd been through.

But children were resilient like that.

"Mommy," Amber said suddenly, looking up at me with wide, earnest eyes. "I want to see Daddy."

My chest tightened.

"Amber…" I started gently.

"Please?" he pressed. "I want to tell him I'm okay. He's probably really worried."

He should be worried, I thought bitterly. He should be devastated. He should be on his knees begging for forgiveness.

But I didn't say any of that.

Instead, I crouched down beside the sofa and brushed Amber's hair back from his forehead.

"Baby," I said softly. "I don't think that's a good idea right now."

His face fell. "Why not?"

"Because…" I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "Because it's late. And you've had a really long night. And I think it's better if you stay here with me tonight. Just so I can make sure you're really okay."

The truth was, I didn't want Amber anywhere near the Walker mansion right now.

I didn't want him out of my sight for even a second.

Not after what had just happened.

Not after how close I'd come to losing him.

And I definitely didn't want to take him back to Ethan—not when I was this angry, not when I could barely think about the man without wanting to scream.

Amber's lower lip trembled slightly. "But Daddy will be sad if he doesn't see me."

My heart twisted painfully.

"I know, sweetheart," I whispered. "But I promise we'll call him tomorrow, okay? First thing in the morning."

Amber looked unconvinced, but he nodded slowly.

I kissed his forehead and stood up, my chest still tight with conflicting emotions.

That's when I noticed Bryan.

He was still standing near the entrance to the sitting room, his hands in his pockets, his posture stiff and uncertain.

He looked… out of place.

Uncomfortable.

Like he didn't know whether he should stay or leave, whether he was welcome or intruding.

And despite everything, I felt a pang of sympathy for him.

He had helped tonight.

"Goodnight."

I ended the call and lowered the phone slowly, taking a breath to steady myself.

That's when I heard Bryan's voice.

I turned back toward him and saw that his phone was now pressed to his ear, his expression tense.

"Yeah," Bryan was saying. "We found him. He took the taxi to Cynthia's place."

My stomach tightened.

Ethan.

Bryan was talking to Ethan.

I moved closer, trying to hear both sides of the conversation, but I could only make out Bryan's responses.

"Yeah, he's fine. He's safe," Bryan continued.

A pause.

"Ethan, he's okay. You don't need to…"

But before he could finish, Bryan's expression shifted.

Confusion. Then irritation.

He lowered the phone slowly, staring at it.

"What happened?" I asked immediately. "What did he say?"

Bryan looked up at me, his jaw tight. "He just… hung up."

My anger flared again, hot and sharp.

Before I could say anything else, my phone started ringing again.

I looked down.

Ethan.

My heart pounded as I stared at the screen.

For a brief second, I considered ignoring it.

Letting it ring and ring and ring the way he'd done to me earlier.

But I couldn't.

Because no matter how angry I was, no matter how much I wanted to scream at him, Amber deserved to know that his father knew he was safe.