Dear ex-Wife please be mine again

Chapter 180

Christiana’s POV.

The couch wasn’t comfortable. My neck ached, and my legs were stiff as I blinked awake, groaning softly. My body felt like it had been glued to the cushions. Every muscle protested as I shifted, trying to sit up. My hand automatically went to rub my neck, which felt like I had slept in the wrong position for years.

The clock on the wall caught my eye–7:12 a.m. The sun was already up, streaming through the curtains I hadn’t bothered to close last night. A twinge of guilt hit ine. I had promised myself keep an eye on the kids, but exhaustion had won.

My first thought was the kids. I sat up straighter, scanning the room with bleary eyes.

“Ethan? Emma?” My voice sounded raspy and dry, almost foreign to my own cars. I cleared my throat and called again. “Ethan? Emma?”

My heart skipped a beat as I realized the blankets I had spread over them last night were gone. The cushions were bare, with no trace of the little bodies that had been curled up there. I stood up quickly, ignoring the ache in my legs. Maybe they went to their room? That had to be it.

I hurried down the hallway, my steps quicker than they should have been. My pulse raced as I pushed open their door, half expecting to see their sleepy faces. Empty beds greeted me instead. The sheets were still tucked neatly, untouched since I made them yesterday. Toys were scattered on the floor, but they looked like they hadn’t been played with.

“Emma? Ethan?” My voice got louder, tinged with panic now.

Where could they have gone? My chest tightened as I turned around, my eyes scanning every corner. I moved faster, checking the bathrooms, the playroom, even the hallway near the servants‘ quarters. Nothing. No giggles, no footsteps, no sign of them.

My mind spiraled into worst–case scenarios. What if they had wandered outside? What if someone had-

That was when I heard it–the sound of laughter. Soft and sweet like a burst of sunshine on a cloudy day.

I froze, straining to hear it again. It was faint but unmistakable, coming from the direction of the dining room. Relief mixed with confusion as I followed the sound, my heart pounding in my chest.

I ran, my slippers sliding slightly on the floor as I turned the corner and skidded to a stop at the doorway.

Ethan and Emma were sitting at the dining table, giggling with forks in hand. Plates of pancakes were in front of them, topped with syrup, fruit, and whipped cream. It looked like a breakfast spread straight out of a magazine.

And there, standing by the stove in his white shirt sleeves, flipping another pancake with practiced ease, was Alex.

I froze, staring at the scene. Relief hit me so hard I almost stumbled.

“Mommy!” Emma’s voice broke my trance. She waved her fork in the air, syrup dripping dangerously close to her lap.

Ethan turned to look at me too, grinning like he’d just discovered the best secret in the world. “Mom, Alex is making pancakes! They’re so good!”

-Alex turned his head, calm as ever, like this was the most normal thing in the world. “Morning,” he said, as though he hadn’t just given me the fright of my life.

Morning? That was it? He wasn’t even going to explain himself?

I stepped into the room, still staring at the scene like I couldn’t quite believe it. “What’s going on?”

174

Chapter 180

with

made us wash our hands

please,” Ethan

eyebrow. “They’re surprisingly good at manners when

to hold onto my frustration, but it waslipping through my fingers. “I thought you weren’t

late,” he said, setting the pan down and grabbing

said something,” I said, my

plate to Ethan, who cheered like he’d just won a prize. “I figured you could use the rest,” Alex said, his tone casual but his eyes

happily devouring their pancakes, then back at him.

eat,” he added,

my heart starting to calm. I watched as he moved around the kitchen like he did this every day. Ethan was asking for

a moment,

plate toward me, her smile so bright it made my chest

took a bite, nodding.

smirked, leaning against the counter.

filling the room. I looked at them at Alex, at the pancakes. Everything seemed fine, but my mind couldn’t stop replaying the past

the hallway, needing a moment. Alex followed, leaning against

“You’re quiet,” he said.

glanced at him. “I was scared this morning. When

never alone,” he said, his voice steady. “Not for a

it’s hard to turn that off, you know?

“It doesn’t go away. You just

hard to speak. “Thank you. For

eyes told me it wasn’t.

sounds of the kids laughing in the dining room behind

he said finally, his tone softer

“Yeah?”

“You’re doing great.”

2/4

Chapter 150

see

words hit me harder the I expected. I looked at him,

hk my

استیل

Thanks. My voice

when Ilm this

“Come on. The

dining room, where Ethan and Emina were alrealy trying

the first time in

wiped on napkins.

then, the knock

through the easy morning like a knife. My head snapped