The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 173: God, Ethan!

"Ethan, you need to relax," Steph said quietly, stepping closer, his words heavy in the frozen air. "That was bad timing. You saw everything Mara’s been through, the least you could’ve done was wait before bringing up splitting the twins."

"I was just... thinking," Ethan muttered, running a hand through his hair, frustration carved into every line of his face.

"Yeah? And what exactly were you thinking?" Steph asked, raising a brow. "That she’d say, ’Okay, Ethan, you take Andrew, I’ll bring Audrey, and we’ll play happy family again because I can’t live without my baby boy.’ Is that it?"

Ethan’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing, anger flashing. That was exactly what he’d been hoping, that Andrew would be the string to pull Mara back into the home they once shared. But hearing it out loud like that, from Steph, made his stomach twist.

"Well, newsflash," Steph sighed, folding his arms. "That’s not how this works. And if you can’t see that, you’re just proving what Mara’s been saying this whole time: you only ever think about yourself."

"Will you stop?" Ethan snapped, his voice fraying. "Sometimes I wonder whose side you’re even on."

"I’m on Andrew’s side," Steph shot back. "And Mara’s. And Audrey’s. And maybe even yours, when you’re not being a selfish bastard."

Ethan opened his mouth, but no words came out. The night felt heavier now, pressing down on him like a weight he couldn’t shake.

"I love my son," he said quietly, the fight draining from him. "I don’t want to be apart from him... do you hear me?"

Steph just shook his head, his expression sad. "She’s not a damsel in distress anymore, Ethan. You and the others came here to rescue the princess. But turns out, the princess is a queen now."

And queens don’t need rescuing.

"Make sure you keep a tail on Lucy," Ethan ordered, his voice sharp as a blade. "She can’t escape. My mother’ll be back in time to testify, and when she does, it’s over for Lucy."

The words hung in the cold night as Ethan and Steph drove in silence, wrestling his ghosts.

—

The Shepherd Mansion loomed ahead, lights spilling softly through its windows like a light in the darkness. Mara cradled Andrew close, watching the steady rise and fall of his tiny chest. He was fast asleep, his face a perfect, fragile reflection of the baby she lost and the boy she never stopped fighting for.

It had been a long, brutal night. But for the first time in months... she had him. She had him.

Her brothers said nothing as they followed her inside, their footsteps silent out of respect. They didn’t need to speak. This wasn’t their moment, it was hers.

Mara pushed open the nursery door, the faint scent of lavender and baby powder clinging to the air. Audrey was there, curled peacefully in her crib, tiny fists balled up by her face. Mara’s heart clenched.

She crossed the room and gently laid Andrew down beside his sister, their little hands almost brushing. The sight undid her.

Tears blurred her vision as she gripped the edge of the crib, her shoulders shaking. This... this was how it was supposed to be from the very beginning. Her twins, together. Safe. Whole.

She hadn’t dared to dream it. Hadn’t allowed herself to hope. But life, cruel as it could be, had finally smiled on her.

"My babies," Mara choked out, voice breaking as she clung to the crib rail. She stared at them as if she blinked, the universe might steal them away again.

The room was still, save for the steady, perfect breaths of the two tiny hearts that anchored her to this world.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, Mara cried, not for grief, not for rage, but for joy.

Outside the nursery, under the cold wash of moonlight, Rafael leaned against the hood of his car. The Shepherd brothers circled around him, Steve, Stanley, Stanford, and Stefan, the weight of the night heavy on all of them.

"Why didn’t you tell us?" Steve was the first to break the silence, his voice low but sharp. "About your suspicions... about Andrew."

"Yeah," Stanford added, his jaw clenched. "When did you even start thinking it was possible?"

Rafael sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "We ran into them at the mall," he admitted. "Stef saw Andrew and... something just hit her. Like a gut punch. She felt it deep. But she didn’t say anything to you guys because... she was scared you’d think she was being emotional. Or paranoid."

The brothers went quiet.

And truth be told, they had thought that way before. Thought Mara was seeing ghosts in shadows, chasing grief in circles. And now, standing here, it settled in their chests like a cold stone, guilt, sharp and unyielding.

They should’ve been her safe place. But instead, she doubted them. And that realization hurt more than any wound Lucy or Ethan could’ve given.

"We failed her," Stefan muttered, voice thick. "Again."

No one argued.

Rafael looked toward the house, his jaw tightening. "I’m more worried about Ethan," he said after a beat. "That sudden talk about keeping Andrew with him... since Stef has Audrey. It’s not over. Not by a long shot."

Stanley huffed. "You think he’s gonna push it?"

"Yeah," Rafael nodded. Not tonight. It’s been a long one. That fight’s for another day. He thought.

And with that, the five men stood in silence under the night sky, their regrets unspoken but felt by every last one of them.

Ethan stormed into the house, slamming the door behind him. The anger clung to him like a second skin. Steph was gone. Good. He didn’t have it in him for another lecture.

Valerie was in the living room, a cup of tea in her hand, her brows lifting the moment she saw him.

"What happened?" she asked cautiously.

Ethan didn’t answer.

"I spoke to Mom," Valerie went on, filling the silence. "Her treatment’s going well. She said she’ll be back to her old self in no time."

"Yes," Ethan muttered, the word tasting like ash.

Valerie set her cup down. "I know you, Ethan. Something’s eating you up. What happened?"

He exhaled, scrubbing a hand down his face. "Andrew’s with Mara now. She... she took him from Lucy." freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Valerie blinked, then smiled softly. "Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? Finally, after everything that poor girl’s been through... she gets to hold her son again. Lucy’s a monster, Ethan."

Ethan’s jaw clenched. "What about me?" he snapped, voice raw. "Andrew’s been with me this whole year. What’s so wrong if I wanted him to stay? Mara already has Audrey, why can’t I have Andrew?"

Valerie stared at him like he’d lost his mind. "You didn’t."

"I just... suggested it," he muttered.