Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 813

James brushed his nose against hers, his voice dropping to that low, irresistible tone that always made her weak. “Just one more kiss, then I’ll go.”

Emmy pushed him gently, her eyes suddenly clear and resolute again. “I’ve found out everything about Claudia. I’m getting ready to hand all the evidence over to Mr. Sparrow. If nothing goes wrong, she’ll be divorced and probably looking at jail time within the week.”

“She’s not the type who’d ever sit quietly in a cell. She’s going to try to reach out to someone overseas or just run for it. The military will need to keep a closer watch on her.”

James studied her, his gaze so deep and full of tenderness it almost hurt. He just said, “Alright.”

Then he leaned in and kissed her again.

When James finally left, it felt like all the warmth in the room left with him. The heat still lingered in the sheets, but Emmy’s heart felt strangely empty. She ran her hand over her rounded belly, feeling the little kicks from the life inside. Maybe only when their baby was born, safe and sound, would she and James finally be able to be together without having to look over their shoulders.

She let that thought hang in her mind for a second before pushing it aside. Picking up her phone, she scrolled quickly through her contacts, found Ben’s number, and started typing.

[Mr. Sparrow, do you have time this weekend? I’d like to meet you at Whispering Pavilion. There’s something I want to give you in person.]

…

Ben didn’t see her message until late at night. He had just wrapped up a video meeting with the cabinet and was rubbing his temples, exhausted. Emmy’s message was unexpected. She wanted to meet, and right in the middle of the fiercest political struggles he’d faced since joining the cabinet.

He stared at the message for a moment, then replied with a single word.

[Okay.]

He’d barely set his phone down when the study door opened. Claudia walked in, wrapped in a silk robe and carrying a cup of tea. She looked so soft and elegant in the dim light.

“Ben, are you still working? I made you some tea to help you unwind.”

“Ben, what do you really want? Are you really okay spending your future under people like Jared? Did you forget?”

Her voice cracked, and her eyes shone with unshed tears.

“Who was it that snuck you bread when you were starving? Who stayed up all night by your side when you had a fever and everyone thought you’d die? Who ran so hard to help you escape that she lost her shoes and tore her feet to pieces?”

His hands, which had started to push her away, slowed and finally rested on her waist. Ben’s heart softened, just like it always did.

She really had done all those things for him.

He thought back to those harsh years after he was taken as a child. Maybe those memories had been softened by time and longing. Every time Claudia brought them up, he felt that old guilt, that deep debt he could never repay. No matter how far she went, no matter what trouble she caused, he always found it in himself to forgive her. All because of the past they shared.