The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 260

Chapter 260

Cynthia's POV

Anna had finished untying me.

My wrists were free, the ropes falling away, blood rushing back into my hands with painful pins and needles.

I could hear the car engine getting closer, the footsteps approaching, and I saw the exact moment Anna's resolve started to crumble.

Her eyes went wide with fear, her hands dropping away from me, her entire body tensing like she was about to run.

"Anna…" I started.

But I didn't have time to finish.

Because I wasn't about to stay in this warehouse for one second longer than I had to.

I scrambled out of the chair, my legs nearly giving out beneath me after being in the same position for so long, and lunged toward Ethan.

"Cynthia, what are you…" Ethan started.

"Shut up," I said, my fingers already working at the ropes binding his wrists. "I'm getting you out of here."

"You need to run," Ethan said urgently. "Right now. While you still can."

"Not without you," I shot back, pulling at the knots.

They were tight—so tight—and my hands were shaking, making it harder to grip.

But I kept working, kept pulling, kept trying.

"Cynthia, please," Ethan said, his voice breaking. "You have to go. I'm too hurt. I can't run. I'll just slow you down."

I ignored him, finally getting one of the knots loose.

"I'm not leaving you," I said firmly.

"I can barely stand," Ethan continued desperately. "I'm still sick from the hospital. I won't make it, Cynthia. But you can."

The second rope came free.

Ethan's hands were loose now.

But when he tried to stand, he immediately swayed, his face going white with pain, his hand clutching his ribs.

"See?" he said, his voice strained. "I can't—"

"Then I'll help you," I said, moving to his side, trying to support his weight.

But he was right.

He could barely stand, let alone run.

And there was only one way out of this warehouse.

The same door Grace and Pascal were about to walk through.

"Cynthia, listen to me," Ethan said, grabbing my face with both hands, forcing me to look at him. "You need to leave. Right now. Run. Get help. Come back for me."

"No," I said, tears streaming down my face. "I'm not leaving you here with them."

"You have to," Ethan said, his own eyes glistening. "You're fast. You're strong. You can make it. But only if you go now."

"Ethan…"

"I love you," he interrupted, his voice fierce. "I love you, Cynthia. And I need you to survive this. For Amber. For your family. For us."

He pulled me closer, pressing his forehead against mine.

"I'll be waiting for you," he whispered. "I promise. Just go. Please."

Then he kissed me.

Hard and desperate and full of everything we'd never said, everything we'd wasted years not saying.

And when he pulled back, I was crying so hard I could barely see.

"I love you," I choked out.

"I know," Ethan said, a faint, sad smile crossing his battered face. "Now run."

The front door of the warehouse burst open.

Grace and Pascal appeared in the doorway, their expressions shifting from confident to shocked in an instant as they saw us — untied, standing, free.

"What the—" Grace started.

Pascal didn't wait.

He charged at us immediately, his face twisted with rage, his fists already clenched.

Everything happened in slow motion.

But the shock only lasted a second.

Because Pascal was already moving, already rolling onto his side, already starting to push himself up.

And I didn't have time to process, didn't have time to think.

I just had to run.

I turned and sprinted toward the door.

Grace moved to block me, her arms outstretched, her face twisted with fury.

"You're not going anywhere, you little…"

I didn't slow down.

I just lowered my shoulder and shoved her.

Hard.

Grace stumbled backward, her balance failing, and she fell against the wall with a sharp cry.

And then I was through the door.

Outside.

In the cold, gray morning light.

Running.

Running as fast as I'd ever run in my life.

And with every step, my heart screamed at me to turn back.

But I didn't because Ethan had asked me not to.

And I had to trust that he knew what he was doing.

I had to trust that I could find help.

That I could save him.

That we'd survive this.

Together.