The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back
Chapter 183: Unkind

Chapter 183: Unkind

It spilled through her heart like an unwelcome guest, illuminating the remnants of a night that had left her hollow. Mara sat on the edge of her bed, the sheets tangled around her like the thoughts in her mind.

Ethan’s words echoed in her ears, each syllable a dagger twisting deeper into her chest. His desperation, his pleas, his tears, they haunted her.

She pressed her palms against her eyes, as if she could rub away the memories, but they clung to her like shadows.

"I love him, Ethan."

She had said it. The words had tasted like ash on her tongue, but they were true. Weren’t they?

Her heart was a battlefield, torn between the past and the present. Ethan had been her world once, the center of her universe. But that universe had collapsed, and she had built a new one from the rubble.

And yet...

She rose from the bed, her movements mechanical. In the mirror, she barely recognized the woman staring back at her. Her eyes were rimmed with red, her lips pressed into a thin line.

She traced a finger along her collarbone, remembering the way Ethan used to kiss her there, the way his touch had once ignited her soul.

But that was before. Before the lies. Before the betrayal. Before the silence that had stretched between them like a chasm.

She turned away from the mirror, unable to face the reflection of a woman who had once been whole. She thought of Rafael; this was unfair to him.

In the kitchen, the coffee was bitter, but she drank it anyway. The bitterness matched the taste in her mouth, the one that had lingered since she walked away from Ethan.

Her phone buzzed on the counter. A message from him.

"Please, Mara. Can we talk?" She stared at the screen, her thumb hovering over the reply button. But what could she say? That Rafael was her future? That she hated him? That she was lost?

Instead, she turned off the phone and stepped outside. The air was crisp, and she walked aimlessly, her feet carrying her through the garden, past where they used to sit and talk.

She found herself at the edge of the lake, the water reflecting the sky in perfect stillness. She sat on the grass, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Did you even love me while we were married?" His question echoed in her mind.

She had loved him. Fiercely. Completely. But love hadn’t been enough to save them. She closed her eyes, letting the breeze wash over her. In that moment, she allowed herself to grieve not just for Rafael, but for the woman she had been and wished he had met that woman.

When she opened her eyes, the stars were higher in the sky. She stood, brushing the grass from her jeans.

It was time to move forward with Rafael because she had to love herself more.

—

Ethan sat alone in the dim light of his office, the world outside continuing its indifferent march forward. The silence was deafening, broken only by the occasional creak of the floorboards and the distant hum of the city. The message he had sent to Mara was left unanswered. Vera had called him and told him about the twin going back to school.

He stared at the glass in his hand, the amber liquid within reflecting the flickering light. It had once been a comfort, a means to dull the edges of his reality. Now, it was just another reminder of his solitude.

"I love him, Ethan." Mara’s words echoed in his mind, each syllable a dagger to his heart. He had replayed the moment countless times, searching for a different outcome, a different truth. But the reality remained unchanged.

He rose from his seat, the weight of his sorrow pressing down on him. The office felt suffocating, each room filled with memories of a life that no longer existed.

He wandered through the streets, aimless and lost. The city lights blurred around him, mirroring the tears that threatened to fall. Every corner, every shadow, seemed to whisper her name.

He found himself at the tower where they had once shared laughter and dreams. The tower they had claimed as their own stood empty, same view, same horizon, but without her. He sat down, the cold seeping into his bones. The night air was crisp, but he barely felt it. His thoughts were consumed by her—her smile, her touch, the way she had once looked at him with love in her eyes.

"Did you even love me while we were married?"

His own question haunted him now. He had asked it in desperation, seeking validation, seeking hope. But the answer had been silence.

He closed his eyes, allowing the memories to wash over him, the good times, the bad, and the moments in between. He had loved her with everything he had, but perhaps he deserved this pain.

The first light of dawn began to break, casting a soft glow over the tower. Ethan remained seated, the world awakening around him.

—

Mara had stood in front of her mirror that morning, staring at the reflection of a woman she barely recognized. Not because of the faint purple smudges under her eyes, or the tight line of her mouth, but because there was a new resolve flickering in those dark irises. A promise. One she made to herself in the hush before dawn when the world was still asleep.

I won’t let him down. Not this time. Not ever.

She gathered the twins, their small hands warm and trusting in hers, and dressed them with care, not just clothes, but little armors of comfort. She’d braided Audrey’s hair twice before it felt just right and tied Andrews’s laces snug, tucking away stray fears with each gentle touch.

Steve and Stefan were already waiting by the door. Protective, stubborn, impossible.

"We are coming with you," Steve said, the words simple but heavy, weighted by something unsaid. His gaze lingered on Mara like he was trying to read the thoughts behind her calm expression.

Mara smiled, not brightly, but softly. A practiced, familiar kind of reassurance. "We’ll be fine," she murmured, reaching to touch his arm. "Besides, I’m just looking at a few schools. The nannies are with me, and the guards too. You’ve got enough weighing on you at the office."

Steve’s jaw twitched. "Yeah, but I want to come."

She sighed, already knowing this was a battle she wouldn’t win, and maybe didn’t want to. "Fine," she relented with a quiet laugh, the sound brittle at the edges. "I can’t argue with you."

Stefan’s phone buzzed, sharp and shrill in the quiet room. He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening. "Emergency at the hospital. I’ve gotta go," he muttered, and with a brief clasp of Mara’s shoulder, he was gone.

They were about to step out when Steve’s phone rang, too. He hesitated, glancing at the screen with a furrowed brow, then stepped aside to answer.