The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 159: Apologies

But it was too late, Ethan knew there was something. The past was coming for her. And Ethan wasn’t letting go without a war.

Ethan lay still for a moment, quiet, calculating. His body was still warm, flushed with the residue of whatever Caleb injected into him, but the fog was lifting. His wrists strained against the ties, cheap leather, decorative. Not meant to hold someone like him.

He flexed, twisted, and snapped one loose. Lucy gasped.

"Ethan—wait—"

His hand shot out, gripping her by the wrist before she could step back. Not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to remind her she won’t get away with what she had done.

"You thought this would make me see you less than what you are?" he said, voice like ice. "You think drugging me and making me watch you screw another man would make me want you?"

Lucy’s breath hitched. For a second, she saw it—not the Ethan who once cared about her, he was completely disgusted, she knew that, but seeing him act out the way he did made it even more obvious and humiliating.. The Ethan who could kill her.

"This wasn’t about Andrew," she said quietly. "This was about your rejection. About everything you never did."

"Oh, we’ll say it," he replied, pushing himself upright. "And when I’m done, I’ll be the one setting you up?"

He let go of her wrist, slowly.

Lucy stood frozen.

Caleb didn’t move, he was watching as his jaw tightened. He knew what was shifting in the air. Ethan wasn’t the victim anymore. He was hunting.

"You’re not the only one who can play dirty," Ethan added, walking to the door, shirt half-buttoned, eyes deadly calm.

"I’ll see you both soon."

And then he was gone.

—

When Ethan gripped Lucy’s wrist, he wasn’t just reclaiming power; he was planning.

His fingers brushed her hairline, almost too gently. She flinched. And when he pulled back, she didn’t even notice the strand of hair tangled between his fingers.

She would. But not yet. Outside, Ethan made one call.

"Steph. I need a rush DNA panel run. One hair sample. Full maternity comparison to Andrew’s record. Keep it quiet." "Whose hair?" Steph asked.

Ethan paused. His jaw tightened. "The woman claiming to be his mother."

A beat of silence. Then Steph’s voice hardened. "Copy that. You think Lucy’s lying?"

"I know someone is."

Hanging up the call, Ethan drove to his house. The drugs Caleb used were still humming low in his blood, sharpening some things, dulling others. But it didn’t matter. He had clarity.

Ethan stood under the freezing water, letting it run over him like punishment. Minutes passed. Maybe more. He barely noticed the cold anymore; he needed it. To think. To breathe. To feel something other than this ache clawing at his chest.

He didn’t want anyone else. Not now. Not ever. If it wasn’t Mara, then what was the point? He had betrayed her once. And he swore on everything he had left that he would never do it again. Not even with his thoughts. Not even with his touch.

They might be divorced now, on paper, in name. But in his heart, she was still his wife.

And his body... still belonged to her. He wished she knew that. Really knew. But then came the thought that twisted the knife deeper, Rafael.

What if she had given herself to him? After a year together, what were the chances she hadn’t? The idea made him go mad inside. He pressed his hands against the cold tile, jaw clenched, chest heaving.

But this-this was the price he had to pay. For the lies. The distance.The pain he caused her. So he took it. Silently. He stepped out, towelled off with numb fingers, and dressed with precision. Crisp black shirt. Sharp black suit. Each piece is like armor.

He glanced once in the mirror, expression unreadable, eyes hollowed by regret, then turned away.

Valerie was waiting on the stairs, phone to her ear, brows furrowed. When she saw Ethan, she stiffened.

"Looking good, where to?" She asked

"To the Shepherds, Visiting baby Audrey," Ethan replied, brushing past her.

He paused for a moment, the drug was not completely gone. Valerie followed, lowering her voice. "You don’t look okay, Ethan."

"Yes, just enough to be honest," Ethan said dryly. "Caleb drugged me. He has been Lucy’s accomplice all this time. And now I need to know what else they’ve done."

Valerie nodded slowly. "You still think Andrew is yours?"

"I know he is," Ethan said. "But now I’m questioning who his mother really is."

Valerie blinked. "You think Lucy—"

"I think grandfather knew something," Ethan interrupted. "And that’s why he ended up in the grave."

He kissed Andrew’s forehead as he took him from a waiting nanny.

Ethan’s eyes darkened. "All of this will end soon, I am positive the DNA will confirm everything," Valerie could only hope so. "And Lucy?"

"She won’t know when. She won’t know how. But she’ll feel it," he said, tugging baby Andrew into the back seat of the car. He waves at his sister and drives away.

—

The sleek black SUV rolled through the wrought iron gates of the Shepherd mansion, the wheels crunching softly over the gravel. The house stood tall and elegant, its walls familiar yet heavy with memories for Mara. Rafael glanced at her, his fingers brushing lightly against hers on the center console. She didn’t pull away.

As the car came to a stop, the front doors burst open, and Steve, Stanley, Stefan, and Stanford came out one by one, each wearing different shades of surprise and relief on their faces.

"There she is!" Stefan called, jogging down the steps. "Took you long enough,"

"You guys couldn’t wait inside like normal people?" Mara teased as she stepped out with baby Audrey in her arms.

"Not when our favorite girl is back in town," Stanford added, stepping forward to kiss Audrey on the forehead. "And apparently growing a little attitude, too."

The brothers all gathered around, playfully arguing over who gets to carry Audrey. Rafael lingered back for a moment, watching the reunion unfold, a little unsure of where he fit in, though he had spent the past year right beside her.

Mara turned, catching the hesitation on his face, and reached out. "Hey," she said. "You’re family too."

That invitation, spoken so simply, grounded him. He stepped forward, and Stanford clapped him on the back.

"About time this guy showed up. If we knew you’d keep our sister safe like that, we’d have shipped her to Salvador sooner."

"I did my best," Rafael said with a quiet smile, his eyes flicking to Mara.

They all went inside together, familiar laughter echoing through the grand halls. As they entered the cozy living room, the warmth of home wrapped around them.

But even in that joy, Mara’s eyes drifted toward Audrey, then the empty space beside her. Her heart stirred, because she wasn’t home completely... not yet.

Mara moved through the house slowly, quietly. Each step was careful, deliberate—like she was trying not to disturb something fragile inside her. She told herself she was only preparing for the baby. For that sweet, wide-eyed boy she couldn’t stop thinking about.

It wasn’t about Ethan. Of course not. She straightened the pillows, adjusted the lighting, and even opened the windows to let in the early evening breeze. But the knot in her chest refused to loosen.

She wanted to call. Just to ask if he was still coming. To know for sure. But her pride... It held her back like a hand around her throat. She didn’t want to give Ethan the satisfaction of thinking she wanted to see him. The silence wrapped around her like a second skin. Until Rafael spoke, breaking through it with a voice too calm to be unaffected.

"He’ll come." He looked at her gently, a quiet confidence in his eyes. "He won’t miss a chance to see you." Mara looked at him, and for a moment, she saw it. The flicker of something raw behind his calm face. He knew.

He knew what it meant for her to see Ethan. What it could stir up.

What could reopen? But Rafael... he didn’t stop her. Didn’t try to guilt her.

Because he was willing to do anything for Mara. Even if it hurt. Even if it meant watching her heart wander somewhere he couldn’t follow, as long as it made her smile.

Mara nodded slowly, unable to speak. She didn’t thank him. She didn’t need to. The weight of everything hung in the air. The past. The tension. The boy.

—

A gentle knock echoed through the grand hallway of the Shepherd mansion. Steve, closest to the door, opened it, revealing Ethan standing there, baby Andrew asleep against his chest in a soft sling. The nanny stood quietly beside him, holding a small diaper bag.

Ethan’s eyes scanned the room just beyond Steve, searching. For her. "Hey," he said simply.

Steve didn’t respond immediately. He took in the sight of Ethan holding the child, the soft, almost anxious tension behind his eyes. Then, he stepped aside.

"Come in."