The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 136: One missing

Ethan rushed to her side, grabbing her hand, eyes wide with terror and awe.

"I’m here, I’ve got you. Mara, I’m here. We will find him."

Stefan didn’t even think. He rolled up his sleeves. "Bring me fresh towels and hot water."

"Hurry," Ethan snapped, panic trembling in his voice. Mara let out a sob and screamed again. This time, she wasn’t alone.

Stefan moved fast.

His hands were steady despite the storm raging in his chest. He gave Ethan a quick nod, and Ethan helped Mara shift into a safer position. The bed was soaked in blood, sweat, and pain, but none of it mattered now. Only her. Only the baby.

"You’re doing so good, Stef," Stefan whispered, brushing damp strands from her face. "One more push. Just one more."

Mara gritted her teeth. Her body was shaking. Her strength had long since left her. But something deeper kept her going—a mother’s instinct, a warrior’s fire.

She bore down with every last ounce of strength in her.

And then—

A cry.

Sharp. Beautiful. Alive.

Stefan caught the baby in his arms, his hands trembling as he lifted the tiny girl, wrapped her in a nearby towel, and placed her gently on Mara’s chest.

"A girl," he whispered. "She’s perfect."

Mara’s sobs shook her entire body as she cradled her daughter. She kissed her forehead, her lips barely brushing the soft skin.

"I’ve got you," she whispered through her tears. "I’ve got you."

But even as she held one child, her soul reached for the other.

Her voice broke as she looked up at Ethan, at Stefan, at the door where her other brothers had just stormed in.

Steve.

Stanley.

Stanford.

Their faces were pale. Shocked. Silent.

She looked at them, pleading.

"The other one," she gasped. "The nurse... she took my baby... please, please find my baby!"

"Mara—" Ethan reached for her.

"Promise me!" she cried, clutching her daughter tighter, her body beginning to slump. "Bring my baby back to me..."

Then her eyes rolled back.

"Stefania?" Stefan called, panicking. "Stef! Stay with me!"

The monitors, brought in during the chaos, started to beep erratically.

Ethan grabbed her hand, squeezing it. "No...Mara, please. Stay. You did it. You did it. Stay with us."

But Mara slipped into unconsciousness, her grip going limp.

The room froze.

Steve stood by the door, jaw clenched so tight his teeth ached. Stanley’s fists were shaking. Stanford had to turn away, blinking furiously to fight the tears burning in his eyes.

Despite the guards.

Despite the security.

Despite everything—

This still happened.

"We failed her," Steve murmured. "No," Stanley snapped through gritted teeth. "We’re going to make this right. We will find her baby."

Ethan looked down at the newborn girl in Mara’s arms, his own eyes full of tears. And in that moment, rage replaced fear.

"I will find our baby," he said. "I promise."

The trees were tall and silent, their shadows dancing under the faint silver of the moon. Fog crept along the forest floor like a warning, like the land itself wanted to hold its breath.

A car engine hummed softly in the distance before it stopped.

Sandra stepped out, cradling a bundled infant tight to her chest. The baby was quiet, tired from the trauma, unaware of the wickedness that surrounded his first moments in the world.

She walked with careful steps, her heart thudding louder with every rustle of leaves. There, by the old twisted tree, stood him.

Philip.

And beside him, Lucy.

Lucy’s face lit up with twisted joy the moment she saw Sandra carrying the child. She rushed forward, arms outstretched, tears in her eyes.

"My baby," she whispered, taking the little boy and cradling him like he was always meant to be hers. "He’s mine now. Ethan will come back to me—he will have to. He’ll never forgive Mara for losing him."

Philip said nothing.

Sandra cleared her throat, her hands shaking. "I... I did everything you said. Everything. No one saw me leave. They’re all asleep, and by the time they wake up, I’ll be long gone. I need the rest of my payment and—"

She never finished the sentence.

With one swift, silent motion, Philip pulled a knife from his coat and plunged it into Sandra’s side.

She gasped, her mouth open in shock as she stumbled back, clutching her abdomen.

"I don’t leave loose ends," Philip said coldly. "You were never here."

Sandra dropped to her knees and then collapsed beside the roots of the old tree.

Lucy flinched, holding the baby tighter, her wide eyes flicking from the corpse to Philip.

"You didn’t have to—"

"I did," he interrupted. "Now listen. You go back to Alcester tonight. I’ve arranged everything papers, a hospital, a new identity. You’ll register the baby as yours. Keep your story clean, don’t slip up."

Lucy nodded silently, stunned, overwhelmed but still clinging to the fantasy in her head.

Philip leaned in, his voice low, icy.

"Wait a month. Then contact Ethan. He’ll be searching, yes—but desperate. Broken. You show up, with the baby in your arms, and the grief in his heart will bring him back to you."

He straightened his coat.

"And if you say a word about me, if you slip once, there won’t be a forest deep enough to hide in. Understand?"

Lucy nodded again, more slowly this time, fear seeping in.

Philip handed her the documents. "Go. Now."

She disappeared into the fog-covered path, the baby boy sleeping soundly in her arms, unaware he’d been torn from the mother who fought like a lioness to bring him into this world.

Philip stood alone among the trees for a moment longer.

Then he smiled.

"A war is coming," he whispered to himself. "And it begins with this."

–

The once-grand halls now felt cold. Broken. The lights were too bright, the silence too loud.

Mara lay unconscious in her hospital-grade bed, pale and still, machines quietly beeping around her. Stefan hadn’t left her side. Her daughter—tiny and swaddled—lay in the clear bassinet nearby, being monitored, sleeping peacefully despite the storm outside her little world.

Downstairs, chaos ruled.

Steve stood at the center of the living room, surrounded by uniformed police officers, nurses, and the head of security—everyone lined up, being questioned one by one.

"Start from the top," Steve ordered his voice low but laced with fury. "I want to know who was scheduled. Who came? Who left? Every step, every shadow. Everything."

Stanford stood at the door, arms crossed, scanning every face like he could burn guilt out of them with his stare alone.

Stanley paced like a caged lion, barely holding it together. His voice was cold steel when he spoke.

"She was in our home. Surrounded by guards. Family. Security. And still someone drugged them all and stole her child." He turned to the head of security. "How did this happen?"

"I—I don’t know, sir," the man stammered. "Sandra showed up with clearance—her ID checked out. She said there was a nurse rotation change and—"

"And you didn’t verify it with us?" Steve snapped, stepping forward. "You just let her in?"

"I thought—"

"Don’t. Think. Just do your job."

Outside, police officers were moving in and out of the gates, combing every inch of the grounds. Drones were launched into the sky. The whole property had become a crime scene.

Inside, Ethan stood frozen at the base of the stairs, fists clenched, his breathing shallow.

He had failed her.

He should have stayed.

He should have known something was off.

The image of Mara screaming, then going limp, it haunted him.

Valerie burst through the door next, Vera and Bella right behind her.

"What happened?" she cried, eyes immediately landing on Steve. "Where is she? Where’s Mara?"

"In a coma," Stefan said from the stairs, appearing like a ghost. "She lost a lot of blood. But she’s stable—for now. The baby girl’s okay too."

Valerie clutched her chest. "Twins? Oh my God..." Vera looked around sharply. "Where’s the other baby?" Everyone went silent. Ethan’s jaw tightened. "Gone."

Vera’s hands flew to her mouth.

Steve finally looked toward the police. "We need facial recognition on every frame of footage. From the gate to the road. From the house to the perimeter. She couldn’t have gotten far."

Stanford picked up his phone. "I’m calling in federal security. Private forces. I want every exit and border on lockdown within the hour."

Just then, a young officer approached.

"Sir," he said carefully. "We found a body. In the forest. A woman—nurse’s uniform. We believe it may be Sandra."

Steve’s face went completely still.

"Get forensics on-site now. Check her prints, ID, everything."

Stanley’s voice cut in like thunder. "He’s cleaning house. Whoever this is—they’ve done this before. And they’ve just started."

In the background, baby cries echoed softly from upstairs.

And on the monitor beside Mara’s bed, a gentle beep... beep... beep... held steady.

–

Dalia sat on one of the long couches in the living room, her face pale, hands shaking as she clutched a cup of tea she hadn’t touched. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying. Steve, Stanley, Stefan, Stanford, Ethan, Valerie, and Vera all stood before her, silent, waiting.

She finally spoke, her voice trembling.

"I know her..." she said, eyes lowered. "Sandra. We studied nursing together, the same class. We even worked in the same clinic once, before she got fired for tampering with medication charts. I hadn’t seen her in years until today. I didn’t know she was hired. I swear to you, I didn’t know." freewebnoveℓ.com

"Then what happened?" Steve asked, trying to remain calm.