The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 275

Chapter 275

Cynthia's POV

About twenty minutes passed.

Twenty agonizing, endless minutes.

The tactical team surrounded the warehouse, weapons raised, calling out commands, demanding surrender.

But there was no response, no movement inside, no sound.

Nothing.

Detective Susan's voice came over the radio again, sharp and decisive.

"We're going in. All units, breach on my mark."

I watched, my hands pressed against the car window, my breath fogging the glass, as the officers moved in synchronized formation toward the warehouse entrance.

"Three... two... one... breach."

The door burst open.

Officers flooded inside, their flashlights cutting through the darkness, their voices echoing through the vast space.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"No movement!"

"Building is empty!"

The words hit me like a physical blow.

Empty.

"No," I whispered.

Nathaniel's hand gripped my shoulder tightly.

"Stay here," he said firmly.

But I was already moving out of the car.

Already running toward the warehouse.

"Cynthia, wait…" Nathaniel called after me, but I didn't stop.

I couldn't stop.

I had to see for myself.

I burst through the entrance, officers shouting at me to stay back, but I pushed past them.

And I saw the chairs.

The ones Ethan and I had been tied to.

Knocked over now.

Empty.

Ropes still attached, cut hastily, left discarded on the concrete floor.

And blood, so much blood.

Dark pools of it, dried and crusted, scattered across the warehouse floor.

I felt the air leave my lungs.

"No," I said again, louder this time. "No, no, no…"

My legs gave out.

I sank to my knees, staring at the blood, my entire body shaking.

"Cynthia…" Nathaniel was beside me now, pulling me to my feet, wrapping his arms around me as I fell apart completely.

"Where is he?" I sobbed into Nathaniel's chest. "Where did they take him?"

"We'll find him," Nathaniel said, his voice tight. "We'll find him, Cici. I promise."

I hoped and prayed it was not his blood. How could he have survived losing this much blood?

Detective Susan was speaking urgently into her radio, calling for forensics, for search teams, for backup.

"I want every road out of this area monitored," she was saying. "Check hospitals, clinics, anywhere they might have taken him. And get me a timeline… how long ago were they here?"

One of the forensic techs knelt beside the blood pools, carefully collecting samples.

"This is recent," he said. "Within the last few hours, I'd estimate."

While mine felt like it was ending.

By the time we pulled up to the Laurent mansion, it was fully dark.

The house was lit up, warm and welcoming, but I felt none of that warmth.

The front door opened before we even parked. Amber, Helen and Lily came out and seeing Amber made my heart waver the more, his small face lit up with relief and joy and anger all at once.

I barely made it out of the car before he was running toward me.

"MOMMY!"

I dropped to my knees and caught him, pulling him into my arms so tightly I was afraid I might hurt him.

"I'm here, baby," I whispered into his hair. "I'm here."

Amber pulled back, his face streaked with tears, his expression fierce.

"I'm mad at you," he said. "You didn't spend Christmas with me. You promised."

"I know," I said, my own tears falling freely now. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to. I didn't…"

"Where were you?" Amber demanded.

I opened my mouth to answer, but the words stuck in my throat.

How did I explain this to an eleven-year-old?

How did I tell him his grandmother — not his real grandmother, but the woman who'd raised his father — had kidnapped us?

Amber's expression shifted then, his anger fading into something more uncertain.

More scared.

"Mommy," he said quietly. "Where's Daddy?"

The question hung in the air.

I looked up and saw the entire family standing there.

Victoria. Julian. Kevin. Helen. Lily. Nathaniel.

All of them watching me.

Waiting for an answer.