The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 242

Chapter 242

Cynthia's POV

I stood in the kitchen doorway for a moment, watching the scene unfold in the dining room with a mixture of disbelief and growing concern.

Nikolai sat at the head of the table — the seat usually reserved for Nathaniel as the eldest son — looking both honored and slightly overwhelmed. He was indeed honored.

And my mother, Victoria…

Victoria was fawning over him.

There was no other word for it.

She'd seated herself right beside him, her hand resting lightly on his arm as she spoke, her expression warm and animated in a way I rarely saw anymore.

"You simply must stay for Christmas," Victoria was saying, her voice filled with maternal warmth. "I know you've lost your father recently, Nikolai. And with no siblings, no other family… you shouldn't be alone on a day like this."

Nikolai smiled, clearly touched but also uncertain because of how awkward it is to spend Christmas in the Laurent mansion.

"Mrs. Laurent, that's very kind of you, but I don't want to impose…"

"Nonsense," Victoria interrupted firmly. "You're not imposing. You're family now. Or at least, we'd like you to be pretty soon." she glanced over me and winked.

My stomach dropped.

Family.

She'd said it again, what the hell is happening with everybody?

And the way she was looking at Nikolai—with approval, with hope, with clear intentions—made my chest tighten with anxiety.

This was going too far.

Way too far.

Because Nikolai was going to get the wrong idea if this continues.

He was already interested in me — he told me that and has been making that advance towards me, he'd made that abundantly clear with the flowers, with the public acknowledgment at the gala, with the way he looked at me like I was something precious.

And now my mother was all but offering me to him on a silver platter.

I needed to stop this.

Before Nikolai got his hopes up.

Before I had to have another painful conversation about why I couldn't be with him.

But I couldn't do it now so as not to make this scene more awkward than it already is. I couldn’t afford to embarrass Nikolai on Christmas day.

Not with Nikolai sitting there, looking genuinely grateful for the warmth and acceptance my mother was offering him.

So I turned away.

And I headed into the kitchen.

Because I had something more important to focus on right now.

Amber.

I moved through the kitchen with practiced efficiency, pulling ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator, setting up my workspace, my mind already running through the recipe.

Amber's chicken sauce.

His favorite dish.

The one I used to make for him when he was little, when things were simpler, when the Walker mansion still felt like home.

I hadn't made it in three years.

Three Christmases without this tradition.

Three years where Amber had woken up on Christmas morning without me.

The guilt hit me fresh and sharp, making my hands pause mid-motion.

I took a slow breath and forced myself to keep moving.

This year would be different.

This year, Amber would have the Christmas he deserved.

Even if I had to bring it to him in a hospital.

I started chopping vegetables, the rhythmic motion soothing, grounding me in the present moment.

But my mind kept drifting to Ethan's text.

I'm sorry. For everything.

Three simple words.

And yet they'd shattered something inside me.

Because Ethan didn't always apologize this easily

He was proud, stubborn, defensive to a fault.

For him to send those words…

The thought made my chest ache in a way I didn't want to examine too closely.

I forced myself to keep chopping, to focus on the task at hand.

But the heaviness in my heart wouldn't lift.

Because no matter how much Ethan claimed to want me back, no matter how many apologies he sent, no matter how broken he seemed…

Anna was still there.

In his life.

In his orbit.

A constant reminder that I would never be enough.

I set the knife down and braced my hands against the counter, closing my eyes.

Stop it, Cynthia.

I couldn't think about this right now because it is a tangled mess of emotions that threatens to drown me every time I let my guard down.

Right now, I needed to focus on Amber.

On giving my son the Christmas he'd been missing.

Everything else could wait.

I opened my eyes and got back to work.

The sauce simmered on the stove, filling the kitchen with the rich, familiar scent of garlic, tomatoes, and herbs.

And as I stirred, I made a decision.

I would make enough for Ethan too because no one—not even Ethan Walker—deserved to spend Christmas alone in a hospital room, malnourished and broken, with nothing but regret for company.

Even if he had Anna.

Even if he'd chosen her over me.

Even if my heart was still shattered from everything he'd put me through.

I would still show him kindness.

Because that's who I was.

And maybe that's who I needed to stay.

No matter how much it hurt.