Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 437

Their hair was so caked with mud you couldn’t even guess its original color. Their eyes were empty, staring up at the sky like their souls had already drifted away.

Some wore barely anything, just filthy scraps of fabric. Their bodies were covered with deep purple bruises and ugly bite marks. Skinny to the bone, they looked like broken dolls someone had played with too roughly and then tossed aside.

A rustling noise made one woman suddenly crawl forward, desperate and wild, grabbing at the leg of one of the big men standing guard.

“Please… just one more bite…”

She grinned, twisted and eerie, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth.

The man kicked her off in disgust. She rolled twice on the ground, never making a sound of pain. She just giggled, dazed, then started clawing at the dirt, shoving handfuls into her mouth.

Emmy’s stomach turned so violently she nearly doubled over.

She’d never imagined hell could be real. Not like this.

Then she saw another woman, naked and curled up on the ground, shivering with tiny spasms. That was it. Emmy couldn’t hold back anymore.

She tore herself away from the hands gripping her and stumbled to the muddy riverbank. She clung to a tree and threw up, retching so hard her throat felt like it was on fire.

Acid and bile burned their way out until she was just shaking, gasping for air.

Viper followed, watching with cold detachment, her brow drawn tight.

“If you behave, maybe you’ll get to die quickly.”

“Pearl’s with the special guest now. You’d better wash up and make yourself look presentable.”

“You’ve been mostly well-behaved, so this is as far as I’ll help you.”

She turned and walked away without another word.

Emmy looked up, her eyes meeting those of the broken women nearby. Her stomach twisted again.

Before she could even catch her breath, the two big men grabbed her arms and dragged her forward.

At least the path ahead was cleaner. No more of those haunted faces.

They shoved her into a small bamboo hut and locked the door behind her.

It was dark, with only thin strips of daylight leaking through the bamboo ceiling. No windows, just walls and shadows.

A bed. A table. A waist-high bucket of water.

On the bed, someone had set out a change of clothes and some strange headpieces.

The air was thick and hot. Emmy peeled off her jacket and sweater. Her shirt underneath was soaked with sweat and stuck to her skin.

But she knew—this place was lawless. Even if James was someone important, even if he got her SOS from the professor, how could he possibly break into a fortress like this to save her?

Regret crashed over her.

She shouldn’t have been so reckless, so focused on being rescued that she never thought about how impossible this would be for James.

If she died here, he’d never forgive himself.

Dr. Hall had been right. She really was useless.

She couldn’t help James with anything. All she ever did was hold him back.

As the sky outside grew dark, Emmy cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. Her voice faded to rough, dry sobs.

Her throat ached. She braced herself against the wall, swaying as she struggled to stand and look for water.

A click echoed from the door.

The lock turned.

Suddenly the door swung open and a harsh beam of light hit her, blinding and cold, pinning her to the spot.