I Divorced Him, Now He's Begging Me Back!

Chapter 5

With that, Ethan guided Vanessa past Sienna without another glance.

From the shelter of his arms, Vanessa looked up at Sienna, a smug, contemptuous smile curving her lips.

It was a silent declaration of victory!

There was not the slightest trace of drunkenness in her face!

Sienna clenched her fists but made no move to stop them. Ethan believed she didn't need him.

And he was right. She had stopped needing him long ago!

Soon he would disappear from her life completely. She was the one walking away from Ethan now!

Sienna called a rideshare and went home.

A storm rolled in after midnight. Zoey was frightened of thunder, so Sienna stayed beside her all night and didn't fall asleep until dawn.

The next morning, the nanny woke her and said Ethan was downstairs waiting for her and Zoey.

Sienna frowned instinctively. "Did something happen?"

Before the nanny could answer, a young boy's voice sounded outside the room.

It was strangely familiar.

'Vanessa's son!'

Ethan had actually brought that vicious-tongued child into their home!

Apparently, favoring Vanessa the night before had not been enough. Now he had brought her son here too, even though Sienna had explicitly told him that Milo had hurt Zoey and that Zoey didn't like him!

Disgust rose instinctively within her. Ignoring the nanny's reminder, she took her time helping Zoey wash and dress.

More than ten minutes later, she finally brought Zoey downstairs for breakfast.

As they passed through the living room, Ethan was handling business while Milo sat playing near his feet.

Sienna had no intention of acknowledging either of them.

She had not forgotten the cruel things the boy had said to Zoey at the funeral.

Milo spotted them immediately. "Zoey, you're awake!"

His voice sounded perfectly friendly, but it sent a chill through Sienna.

The boy was frighteningly good at switching between two completely different attitudes.

'Like mother, like son!'

Ethan looked at Sienna in displeasure. "Zoey has been awake for a while, hasn't she? Why did it take you so long to come downstairs?"

Her face remained expressionless. "What do you want?"

Ethan frowned at her tone. "Milo has been waiting for ages. He wants to play with Zoey!"

Sienna refused without ceremony. "No. Zoey doesn't like playing with strangers."

His dissatisfaction deepened. "The doctor said spending time with children her own age would help her recover. Milo came here specifically to keep her company. Why are you bullying a child?"

Every word of his accusation left Sienna more disappointed in him.

He had never shown much concern for Zoey as her father.

If he was suddenly interested now, it was only because he wanted to satisfy Milo. It had nothing to do with genuine concern for Zoey.

Sienna ignored them and took Zoey to breakfast. Milo put on a show of patience and announced that he could wait.

After breakfast, Sienna planned to take Zoey to the amusement park, but Milo blocked their way again. "Zoey, you're finally done! Come look! I asked Ethan to buy all of this based on what you like. You're going to love it..."

Milo was almost aggressively enthusiastic.

Sienna regarded him with a cool expression.

Zoey merely buried her face in her mother's arms and refused to respond.

Seeing that, Ethan turned his anger on Sienna. "Is this how you teach your daughter to behave?"

Sienna met his gaze with icy calm. "I teach Zoey to keep her distance from people who mean her harm. What is wrong with that? She has the right to choose her own friends. What gives you the right to force her to play with someone?"

Ethan looked furious. "Do you really have to be so hostile toward a little boy?"

Sienna opened her mouth, then decided an explanation was pointless.

He would not believe her anyway.

Milo's attack at the funeral was still vivid in her mind, and she had no desire to invite more humiliation.

All she could do was protect Zoey and keep the boy away from her.

With that thought, Sienna said nothing more. She picked Zoey up and returned to her room.

Behind her, Ethan shouted angrily. "Sienna, stop!"

She didn't even look back.

In the bedroom, she sat down to build blocks with Zoey. The little girl stared at them unhappily. "Mommy, I want to go to my playroom..."

Her grandma, Evelyn Hawthorne, had built the children's playroom especially for Zoey before she died, and spending time there often helped stabilize the child's condition.

Sienna was about to promise they could go after Milo left when a tremendous crash sounded outside.

She rushed out to investigate!

Milo was destroying Zoey's playroom. He had trampled the carefully decorated Christmas tree, and dolls lay scattered everywhere!

Sienna's temper exploded. "What are you doing? Who gave you permission to come in here?"

Milo looked completely unconcerned. "Ethan said I could. You can't tell me what to do! This place is going to be mine sooner or later anyway!"

Sienna stared at him in disbelief, then said sharply, "Get out! Get out right now, and never go near Zoey again!"

The moment she raised her voice, tears began streaming down Milo's cheeks.

Ethan emerged from his study at the commotion. The sight of Milo crying immediately softened him.

"Have you lost your mind, Sienna? He's a child. Boys are naturally mischievous. Why are you making such a scene?"

The words struck Sienna like a blow, leaving a dull ache in her chest.

Her disappointment in him was absolute. "Ethan, don't you understand Zoey's condition? Don't you know what this playroom means to her? Whenever she has an episode, spending time here helps her recover. That boy destroyed it, and you're still defending him?"

She shouted. "Which one is your child, Ethan, Zoey or Milo? How can you be this biased? That boy destroyed it, and you're still defending him?"

Sienna had endured every cold, heartless thing he had done to her.

But Zoey was his own daughter, and he could be just as unfeeling toward her.

Ethan faltered under the barrage of questions. Then he pulled Milo firmly behind him, shielding the boy with his body.

Barely containing his anger, he said, "You're being completely unreasonable! It's only a playroom. Why are you turning it into some moral outrage?"

Sienna closed her eyes. She had no desire to say another word. "There's no reasoning with someone like you. Take him out of here right now, and never let him near my daughter again. Zoey doesn't need a friend like him!"

Ethan's face darkened. Deeply dissatisfied with her attitude, he started to argue again.

But Sienna turned her back and went straight into the bedroom.

Zoey didn't know what had happened outside. When her mother returned, she held out a paper flower she had folded. "For Mommy..."

The sight of her sweet daughter brought a little warmth back to Sienna's frozen heart.

But she knew her distress showed on her face, and she didn't want Zoey to notice. She stepped onto the balcony for some air.

A moment later, she saw Ethan and Milo preparing to leave below.

The same man who had stared coldly at her moments earlier now wore a gentle expression as he helped Vanessa's son into the back seat.

On the other side of the car lay a bouquet of brilliant red roses.

Faintly, she heard Milo ask, "Those flowers are beautiful. Are they for Mommy?"

"Yes," Ethan answered.

A numb glitter settled over Sienna's eyes.

In four years of marriage, he had never once given her a gift.

Whatever hope she had left in him died completely.

From now on, she would devote herself to building a future for Zoey and herself!

Her thoughts returned to the divorce papers.

Ethan had changed his clothes, which meant he must have gone into the bedroom. Why had he still said nothing about it?

Could he truly have missed it?

If he had seen the agreement, he couldn't possibly have had no reaction at all!

Troubled by the question, Sienna went to the primary bedroom to look for it.

The nightstand was empty!