Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1316

The cold tip of a dagger pressed into Sylvia’s lower back. She didn’t fight back. All she could do was let the madman wind the bomb again and again around her body, each loop tightening her fear. The red countdown timer blinked on her chest, a deadly promise ticking closer.

In despair, Sylvia turned her head. Through the thick ICU glass, she could see Steve. He’d woken up two days ago, but he was still so badly hurt, tangled in tubes and wires, completely trapped in that bed. Even now, his eyes were open, bloodshot and desperate, locked on her from across the glass. His hand clutched the bed rail so hard that every vein stood out, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t sit up. He was just too weak. The only thing he managed was setting off another wave of blaring alarms from the heart monitor.

Gritting his teeth, Steve tore the oxygen mask off his face and, using what little strength he had left, yelled through the glass, voice raw and broken. “Run… Sylvia! Get out of here!” She couldn’t hear him, but she’d known him for so long she could read his lips.

Sylvia met his eyes for a moment, tears stinging, and shook her head. Hopelessness washed over her. There was no way out. She realized this really might be the end for both of them, dying side by side in a foreign country. She almost wanted to laugh at the irony. She’d always hated Steve the most, and now, it seemed she was destined to die with him.

The tension in the hallway built and built, everything about to crack wide open. Suddenly, a voice thundered down the corridor, filled with fury and command. “Let her go!” The words hit like lightning, making everyone flinch.

Sylvia turned, startled. That voice belonged to James. He marched toward them, dressed head to toe in black tactical gear, looking absolutely lethal. For one wild second, Sylvia thought he was their savior. Then dread dug in deeper and she wanted to scream. If he made a wrong move, he’d just end up trapped here with them.

Her voice rose, cracking with fear. “Don’t come any closer! Please! He’s got explosives all over him!” She was yelling so loud it almost hurt, but she didn’t care if she sounded desperate.

The attacker’s gaze snapped to James, his eyes shifting restlessly, wild and terrified. Even caught like this, he looked like he wanted to survive. He wrenched Sylvia closer, squeezing her neck. His other hand gripped the detonator’s fuse, fingers shaking as he screamed, “Drop your guns! No one moves! I swear, if anybody takes a step, I’ll pull this wire and blow us all up!”

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