The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 236: Final Goodbye

Ethan ran a hand through his hair, his breath ragged as he stepped into the cool air outside the courthouse.

"We need to go to the hospital," he said, turning toward the parking lot. But Rafael stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Not yet," Rafael said, his eyes sharp. "Who is Maria really... to Mara? And why the hell did you hide that from me?"

Ethan’s jaw clenched. "You want to do this now? Here? With Mara at the hospital, holding a child who just lost her mother?"

"I’m not moving," Rafael replied coldly. "She’s my girlfriend. She needs me — not you. Don’t get it twisted."

Ethan stared at him, silent for a long beat, then walked around and got into the driver’s seat. Rafael hesitated, cursed under his breath, then climbed in beside him.

As the engine roared to life and the tires rolled out of the courthouse gates, Rafael turned sharply toward him.

"Now speak," he said, his voice low and hard. "All of it." Ethan’s hands gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"Before Mara found her family, she was living in Eldorado. She was just ten when she was placed with that... family — the ones you heard about. They were cruel to her. Treated her like she didn’t matter. But then she met Maria Isabel."

He swallowed thickly.

"They became inseparable. Sisters in every way but blood. Mara moved in with Maria’s family unofficially. They were happier then."

Rafael listened, silently piecing together the puzzle.

"When Maria got married," Ethan continued, "things changed. Mara warned her about Daniel, but Maria didn’t listen. Eventually, Mara left for Salvador, and they lost touch. Months later, we crossed paths again... Maria had suffered for months by then. You already knew the abuse she endured."

"So... you and Mara helped her escape?" Rafael asked, his voice tight.

"Yes." Rafael looked at him, and his voice dropped to something darker. "And?"

Ethan nodded slowly. "Maria and I... we shared a couple of kisses. That’s it. No sex. Nothing more. One night Mara saw us. I was in a dark place. She was too. One thing led to another —"

Rafael slammed his palm against the dashboard. "Stop making excuses, man."

The car went quiet.

"It doesn’t matter now," Rafael said, staring out the window. "Mara’s entire world just shattered again,"

His voice softened, but the edge never left. "Maria wasn’t just a friend. She was home. A part of Mara’s soul."

Ethan said nothing, his knuckles white on the wheel. The rest of the drive was silent — the kind of silence that says more than words ever could. The hospital lights came into view, glowing like a lighthouse through the fog. They weren’t sure if they were arriving too late to help...

–

The sirens wailed through the city like a grieving cry, carving a path through traffic as the ambulance sped toward the hospital. Inside, Mara sat in stillness, her body swaying with every sharp turn, her hand locked tightly around Isabella’s tiny fingers.

The little girl was still — sedated now, her chest rising and falling beneath a pale blanket. Her small body looked even smaller on the stretcher, her face pale and still damp with tears. Electrodes were stuck to her skin, an IV threaded into her arm, a heart monitor beeping steadily — each beat a cruel reminder of Maria’s silence.

Mara’s eyes never left her. She didn’t speak. She didn’t cry anymore.

There were no tears left — only the deep, echoing ache of something broken that couldn’t be repaired. Her free hand rested lightly over Isabella’s chest, as if her touch alone could protect her now.

When they arrived at the hospital, nurses moved quickly, taking Isabella to pediatric emergency care. Mara followed closely, refusing to be separated. The staff hesitated at first — protocol, questions, forms — but one look at Mara’s tear-streaked face, the fierce protectiveness in her voice, and they let her through.

"She’s my family," Mara said simply. And it was the truth.

They placed Isabella in a private observation room once the seizures stopped. A doctor came in, calm but firm, explaining she would need to be monitored overnight. Stress. Shock. Exhaustion. Her little body had been through more than it should have ever known.

Mara nodded, barely registering the words. She just kept brushing Isabella’s hair back, whispering softly to her in broken phrases.

Hours passed.

Mara sat by the hospital bed, her hand still wrapped around Isabella’s. The room was dimly lit, soft monitors beeping like distant lullabies. And though there were no cameras here, no flashing lights or reporters, Mara still felt exposed — as if her grief sat bare on her skin, unable to be hidden.

She closed her eyes, and all she could see was Maria. Her smile. Her anger. Her betrayal. Her apology. Her death.

It all blurred into one unbearable truth — that Maria was gone, and Mara hadn’t said goodbye. Not properly. Not as she wanted to.

The door creaked open quietly. A nurse stepped in, and behind her, Ethan — holding a small brown envelope in his hand.

"She asked me to give you this," he said gently. "Before she—"

Mara held up a hand, silencing him without looking. Her voice was rough.

"Later." Ethan paused, then nodded, slipping the envelope into her bag.

"I’ll be outside if you need anything," he said softly, and stepped back out.

Mara stayed still for a long while. Then, finally, she turned her head and looked at her bag.

The letter sat in there like a heartbeat waiting to be heard. But she wasn’t ready.

Not yet.

She leaned closer to Isabella instead, pressing her forehead gently to her daughter’s — yes, her daughter’s now — and whispered a promise Maria would never hear:

"I’ll love her enough for both of us."

–

The hospital corridors were quiet, the world outside still lost in the storm of headlines and rumors. But inside the cold, sterile walls of the morgue, time felt suspended.

Mara stood just outside the doors, frozen.

"She doesn’t deserve to be alone," Rafael said gently. "You should say goodbye... one last time."

"I can’t." Mara shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don’t want to see her like that. If I do... I’ll never forget it. That’ll be the only image in my head."

Ethan stepped closer, his voice steady but soft. "You’ll remember her laugh. Her voice. Her letters. Not this moment. But if you don’t go in there now, Mara... you’ll carry this regret forever."

Mara stared ahead, tears filling her eyes. "I don’t want to believe she’s gone..."

Rafael reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "She wouldn’t want you to remember her like this. But she would want you to remember that she loved you, even if she said it too late."

There was a long silence. Mara’s body trembled, her shoulders stiff from carrying too much pain. Then she nodded once, slowly.

"I’ll go," she whispered. "Just... don’t come in with me. I need to be alone."

Rafael stepped aside.

Inside, the room was still. Too still.

Maria lay beneath a white hospital sheet, her face pale, lips nearly colorless. The weight of the finality hit Mara like a wave, knocking the breath from her lungs. She stepped closer, her hand reaching out in hesitation, then settling gently on Maria’s cold forehead.

"You look like you’re sleeping," she said, her voice cracking. "You always slept with your mouth slightly open, remember?"

A sob escaped her lips.

"I hated you," she confessed. "God, I hated you so much for what you did to me... but I loved you more. I loved you more than anyone."

She sank down beside the metal table, her hand still resting on Maria’s. "You were my sister. And I should have said it back when we had time. I forgive you. You hear me, Maria? I forgive you. I know you were hurting. I know you lost yourself. But I never stopped loving you."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her sobs were soft, trembling, but deep enough to shake the walls of her chest.

"I’ll raise Isabella. I promise. She won’t grow up wondering if she’s wanted. She’ll never feel alone. I’ll do it for you."

When the nurse entered the room gently, her eyes filled with compassion, Mara didn’t move. She only stood when the stretcher was wheeled forward. Even then, Rafael had to come in and help her take one final step back.

He practically carried her out as she cried into his chest, her strength spent, her soul fractured again.

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