The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Return (Cynthia and Ethan) novel Chapter 88

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Cynthia’s POV

The day had finally arrived.

PTA day at Westbridge Academy.

It had been close to two dramatic months since I’d returned to Missford, and today felt like the best day in all of that chaos.

Just me, showing up for my son.

I dressed my best. Carefully selected outfit, elegant but not overdone. Hair styled to perfection. Makeup subtle but polished.

I wanted to look better than Mrs. Rasker.

The memory still stung of when Amber compared me to Lillian’s glamorous mother, wishing I could be more like her. Back then, I’d been struggling with the brain tumor, exhausted and pale, looking like death warmed over. Amber hadn’t understood. He was just a kid who wanted his mom to stand out, to be someone he could be proud of.

Well, I was definitely standing out today.

I arrived at the school gates and was adjusting my bag when a familiar figure approached.

Ethan.

He’d arrived at the same moment I did.

We stood there for an awkward beat, the weight of everything unsaid hanging between us. The divorce papers. The restaurant confrontation. His accusations about Nathaniel and Lily.

“Hi,” he said finally.

“Hi,” I responded.

Silence.

“Amber is in school, right?” I asked, more to fill the void than anything else. I wanted to confirm the surgery had healed enough

for him to attend.

“Yes, he’s fine now,” Ethan said. “The doctor cleared him.”

We walked into the school together, side by side but miles apart.

The meeting was held in the main hall, rows of chairs filled with parents of varying expressions – bored, anxious, eager. Ethan and I found seats near the middle and sat down together.

It was awkward.

But we were parents. Both here for Amber. That had to count for something.

I scanned the crowd, recognizing a few faces from years past. Some parents glanced our way with curiosity, clearly wondering about the dynamic between us. Others, the ones who remembered me were already whispering.

Including Mrs. Rasker.

She sat a few rows ahead, perfectly coiffed as always, her designer bag positioned prominently on her lap. When she spotted me, her eyes widened slightly before narrowing with recognition.

I met her gaze and didn’t look away.

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‘That’s right‘ I thought. ‘I’m back to take care of my son. And I look better than you.‘

Before the meeting started, Mrs. Sam – the headteacher – approached the front of the hall. Her eyes swept the crowd, and when they landed on me, her face lit up.

She walked over immediately, bypassing several other parents who tried to catch her attention.

“Mrs. Walker!” She took my hands warmly, her smile genuine. “I am so delighted to see you here. So delighted.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Sam,” I said, touched by her enthusiasm.

She glanced at Ethan and gave him a brief nod, polite but cool. There was a hint of disappointment in her expression that she didn’t bother to hide.

“I’ll speak with you after the general session,” she told me. “There’s much to discuss about Amber’s progress.”

She squeezed my hands once more before heading to the stage.

Around us, parents were murmuring. The newer ones looked confused, wondering who I was and why the headteacher had greeted me so warmly. The older ones, the ones who’d known me as Ethan Walker’s quiet, invisible wife were gossiping with

renewed interest. 1

Mrs. Rasker leaned over to whisper something to the woman beside her, her eyes flickering toward me.

Let them talk. I didn’t care anymore.

Mrs. Sam took the microphone and began the general announcements. School policies. Upcoming events. Academic expectations. The usual administrative matters that made up these meetings.

Then she directed parents to proceed to their children’s respective classrooms to meet with the teachers individually. The students, she explained, were in the common areas under supervision so as not to distract from the parent–teacher

conversations.

As parents began filtering out, Mrs. Sam made her way back to me.

“Come,” she said excitedly, taking my arm. “Let me show you to Amber’s teacher. Mrs. Pierre has been wanting to meet you.”

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