Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 905

James froze mid-motion as he reached for more firewood.

He looked up fast, surprise lighting up his eyes. His voice came out shaky. “You remember me?”

Emmy felt scorched by the intensity of his gaze. She instinctively pulled back, shaking her head, her eyes darting with uncertainty and fear. “No… I just guessed.”

The hope in James’s eyes faded right away, leaving only a bitter little smile on his lips.

“Yeah. That’s me.”

He didn’t bother denying it.

Emmy’s grip on her cookie slipped. She tensed up, every muscle tightening, her eyes wide with panic. She even raised her arms a little, like she was ready to protect herself.

“So… you know who I am?”

James saw how defensive she was and felt a sharp ache deep in his chest. He nodded. “Yeah.”

All the color drained from Emmy’s face. “Then are you… are you going to kill me?”

James’s eyebrows drew together. “Why would I do that?”

Emmy set her cookie down, hand sneaking behind her for a sharp rock.

She swallowed hard, then forced herself to speak.

“I heard… Dean killed your wife.”

“So you’re here for revenge, aren’t you?”

James caught her movement and felt a pang of pain, but he was too stunned to react.

After a moment, he let out a quiet, cold laugh.

“Dean told you that?”

“What else did he say?”

Emmy shrank back, too intimidated to answer, and just shook her head.

James took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger churning inside him.

He threw the stick he was holding into the fire, making sparks shoot up.

“He did take my wife,” James said, his voice rough. “And yeah, I came here for revenge.”

“But…”

He looked at Emmy, his eyes suddenly soft and full of longing.

“I’ve already found her.”

“Okay,” Emmy said softly. “I’ll go with you.”

James’s eyes lingered on her, taking in every detail.

The girl who was once so pampered and delicate now wore torn, filthy clothes. The jacket she had on was ragged, the shirt underneath no better.

Her face was smudged with dirt, streaked with little cuts from the woods.

Her hair, once long and silky, had been chopped short and uneven, hanging in messy clumps by her ears.

She looked completely worn out.

James’s brows pulled tight. His gaze drifted to her hands, where she was poking at the fire with a stick.

In the glow, he could see the small scrapes and nicks all over her fingers.

There were even calluses on her fingertips and palm, the kind you only got from hard work.

His heart ached for her.

His voice came out rough. “You haven’t been with Dean this whole time?”

Emmy shook her head, staring into the fire. “No.”

James leaned forward, his voice gentle but insistent. “Why not?”