The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 300

Chapter 300

Cynthia's POV

I woke up feeling like someone had wrung me out and left me to dry.

Every muscle in my body ached with exhaustion that had nothing to do with physical exertion and everything to do with emotional depletion.

Yesterday had been... too much.

The lead on Pascal that had sent my hopes soaring.

Bryan's strange, withdrawn reaction when I'd told him the news.

Nikolai's insistence on taking me out, the expensive necklace I'd refused, the uncomfortable weight of his expectations pressing down on me.

And then Nathaniel.

The fight we'd had about Julian replayed in my mind, making my stomach clench with guilt and residual anger.

The things I'd said. The way I'd challenged him. The look on his face when I'd walked out.

I'd meant every word.

But that didn't make it hurt any less.

I rolled over in bed, grabbing my phone from the nightstand.

Six-thirty in the morning.

Too early to be awake, but my brain was already racing, refusing to let me fall back asleep.

I had to call Julian.

Had to warn him before he walked into a situation he wasn't prepared for.

Because if Nathaniel was serious about telling our mother—and knowing Nathaniel, he absolutely was—then Julian needed to be ready.

I pulled up Julian's contact and hit call, pressing the phone to my ear.

It rang three times before he picked up.

"Cici?" Julian's voice was warm and slightly sleepy. "Hey, sorry I haven't called you back. Things have been crazy at the hospital and I…."

"Julian," I interrupted gently. "We need to talk."

The tone of my voice must have conveyed the seriousness, because Julian's casual warmth immediately shifted into concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Is it Ethan? Did they find him?"

"No," I said. "It's not about Ethan. It's about you."

Silence on the other end.

Then, carefully, "What about me?"

I took a breath.

"Nathaniel knows," I said quietly.

Another beat of silence.

"Knows what?" Julian asked, but his voice had gone tight, defensive.

He knew exactly what I meant.

"About you," I said. "About... about your relationship. About Tony."

I heard Julian's sharp intake of breath.

"How?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"A friend of his saw you two at a restaurant downtown," I explained. "Together. And it was apparently obvious enough that the friend felt the need to mention it to Nathaniel."

"Fuck," Julian muttered.

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