Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 297

Everything on the other end went dead silent.

Then, suddenly, it sounded like someone had snatched the phone away. Dean’s voice came through, thick with alcohol and stubborn desperation.

“Emmy… I’m sorry. I should’ve protected you…”

“I’ll make Claudia pay for this… You’re my girl. I won’t let anyone lay a finger on you. Not ever.”

“No one, you hear me? No one!”

—

“Mr. Sparrow! Sir, you’re drunk!”

“Hurry, someone get Mr. Sparrow in the car!”

There was a burst of chaos, voices overlapping—and then the call cut off, just like that.

Out on the balcony, the night breeze ruffled James’s hair, but it couldn’t blow away the darkness in his eyes.

He unlocked his phone almost without thinking and scrolled through Emmy’s call log.

Row after row of “Dean.” Some answered, most of them missed. Way more than any calls she’d had with him.

James pressed his lips together, feeling a heavy ache settle in his chest.

Without hesitating, he found Dean’s number and blocked it. Then deleted it.

He opened Emmy’s messages, did the same—block, delete, erase. Still, the weight in his chest wouldn’t budge.

He was about to lock the screen, but his finger hovered. So instead, he pulled up his own contact info and changed the name from “James” to “My Beloved Husband.”

He stared at those words for a few seconds, then finally locked the phone and turned back to bed.

He slipped under the covers and gently pulled Emmy into his arms.

Still asleep, Emmy instinctively snuggled closer, settling into a comfortable spot and drifting even deeper into sleep.

—

Morning.

Emmy’s internal alarm had her waking right on time. Eyes still half-closed, she grabbed her phone to check the hour.

As soon as the screen lit up, the pinned contact at the top caught her eye.

[My Beloved Husband]

“…”

He couldn’t help but wonder—if she’d answered that call herself, would she have dropped everything to rush to Dean’s side?

The thought twisted in his chest, leaving him restless and annoyed.

He suddenly let her go, rolled out of bed, and snapped, “I did.”

Emmy sat up, frowning.

“What did you do? You didn’t mess with anything important on my phone, did you?”

James didn’t answer. He just walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

Emmy stared after him, frustrated and confused. She threw off the covers and marched to the bathroom door.

“James! Not touching each other’s phones is basic respect. I don’t go through yours, you shouldn’t go through mine!”

She hated it when people touched her things—especially her phone.

She didn’t know how he’d even cracked her lock screen, but just the fact that he did made her feel exposed and violated.

No matter how close you are as a couple, you still need your own space and privacy.

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open from the inside.