The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 294

Chapter 294

Cynthia's POV

Amber had finally fallen asleep.

After all the tears, after all the promises I'd made that I desperately hoped I could keep, after holding him close and feeling his small body shake with sobs, he'd exhausted himself into sleep.

I'd stayed with him for a while longer, watching his chest rise and fall, his face peaceful in a way it so rarely was when he was awake.

I'm going to fix this, I'd promised silently, brushing his hair back from his forehead. I'm going to bring your father home.

Finally, I'd slipped out of his room, closing the door quietly behind me.

Helen had been in the hallway, her expression sympathetic.

"He's been asking about Ethan more lately," she'd said softly. "I think seeing the news coverage... it's making it harder for him to pretend everything's okay."

"I know," I'd said. "But we're close now. The police have real leads. We're going to find him."

Helen had nodded, but I could see the doubt in her eyes.

The same doubt everyone seemed to carry.

Everyone except me.

I'd thanked her for taking care of Amber and headed downstairs, intending to go back to the Laurent mansion and try to get some sleep before tomorrow's inevitable developments with the Pascal situation.

But I'd barely made it halfway down the staircase when Nathaniel appeared at the bottom.

"Cici," he said, his voice tight.

"Hey," I said carefully, continuing down the stairs. "I thought you'd be in bed by now."

Nathaniel didn't answer.

He just pulled me into a hug the moment I reached the bottom step.

A tight, almost desperate hug that spoke of worry and stress and too many things weighing on him.

I hugged him back, surprised by the intensity.

"Are you okay?" I asked when he finally pulled away.

"I should be asking you that," Nathaniel said. "How are you holding up? With everything happening with the investigation?"

"I'm hopeful," I said honestly. "And I'm fine. Better than I've been in months, actually. I can feel it, Nathaniel. I can feel in my bones that Ethan is still alive."

Nathaniel's expression shifted slightly—that familiar look of concern mixed with skepticism that I'd been seeing on everyone's faces lately.

"Cici…" he started.

"Don't do that" I interrupted, holding up a hand. "Don't try to preach to me about the impossibilities of him surviving a gunshot wound and six months of being missing. I don't want to hear it. I know he's alive. I can feel it."

Nathaniel studied my face for a long moment.

Then he sighed.

"That's not what I was going to say," he said quietly.

I blinked. "It's not?"

"No," Nathaniel said. "I actually need to talk to you about something else. Something... strange."

My stomach tightened with new anxiety.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Is it Mom? Kevin? Is someone…"

"It's Julian," Nathaniel interrupted.

I froze.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify