Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 831

James’s hand stilled for a second.

He thought she was just grieving for his grandmother.

He leaned in close, his hand warm and gentle as he brushed her sweaty hair off her forehead. His voice was low and rough, but there was something calming about it.

“Stop thinking about it,” he murmured. “Grandma wouldn’t want you to tear yourself apart like this because of her.”

He pressed his cheek to hers, checking her temperature.

“You’re still burning up,” he said quietly. “Let me tell you something that might cheer you up. I’ve already taken care of everything. Star Jewel, the island Grandma left you—it’s officially yours now.”

“When the babies are born, I’ll take you to see it.”

Emmy’s mind started to clear, and suddenly, everything made sense.

She finally understood why her grandmother had given her an island with enough power to rival the entire Nelson family. It wasn’t generosity. It was responsibility. A weight she could feel pressing down on her shoulders.

She let out a long sigh in her heart.

Grandma, you really have left me with a huge mess.

But when she looked at James, saw the exhaustion etched deep in his eyes, she decided to just let it go for now. She’d get through this one step at a time.

It took all the strength she had to scoot over a little, shifting away from the heat of her fever. She patted the empty space on the bed next to her.

“Come on. You should get some sleep too.”

James shook his head. “Let me wipe you down again. I can’t relax until your fever comes down.”

Emmy gave up arguing and let him fuss over her. He wiped her down twice, taking his time, making sure he didn’t miss a spot. Maybe it was the comfort of having him so close, or maybe his care really was that thorough, but her fever started to drop.

Just to be sure, James checked her temperature with the thermometer. When he finally saw the numbers were back to normal, he let out a deep breath, shrugged off his jacket, and climbed into bed.

He was exhausted, she could tell. The moment he lay down, he wrapped his arm around her, pulled her into his chest, and was out like a light.

Emmy stayed awake, just watching him.

Asleep, he looked softer, all the sharp edges gone from his face. The tiredness, though, was still plain to see. She watched him for a long time, but he didn’t even stir.

Eventually, her stomach started to rumble.

But she knew that if she moved, James would wake up, and she didn’t want that. So she just lay there, torn between her hunger and not wanting to disturb him. Honestly, it felt almost as hard as the choice her grandma had left her.

She held on as long as she could, then finally gave in, slipping out from under the blanket.

Of course, the second she moved, James woke up.

His eyes snapped open, sharp and alert, even though his voice was still thick with sleep.

“Are you okay? I felt you moving around.”

Emmy winced. “Go back to sleep. I just need to run to the bathroom,” she whispered.

But James was already sitting up. “I’ll help you.”

Once they got back in bed, James had only slept a little over an hour, but now he couldn’t seem to fall asleep again. He pulled Emmy close, tucked her under his chin, and stayed silent for a long time.

The whole room was quiet, just the sound of their breathing filling the space.

Emmy thought he’d finally drifted off, but then his voice came out of nowhere, deep and steady above her head.

“I heard Cadence gave you a letter from Grandma,” he said softly. “What did she write?”