Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 537

James lifted his hand, then let it drop, his thoughts a tangled mess. He watched her—saw the tears threatening in her eyes—and his own face was tight with pain and helplessness.

“Hey, don’t get upset. Your health comes first,” he said softly. “Let’s both calm down, okay?”

He stood up, heavy and slow, and walked out of the room. The door clicked shut behind him. As soon as he was gone, Emmy couldn’t hold it in anymore. The tears spilled over, hot and silent, leaving her feeling empty and alone.

She just didn’t get it.

James was perfect in almost every way—thoughtful, gentle, always there when she needed him. So why, when it came to this, did he have to be so stubborn and stuck in the past? If she really was pregnant with twins, would he be like those cold-hearted rich families, insisting she give up one baby to save the other?

How could someone so smart, a firefighter who saved lives for a living, be more close-minded than she was?

Maybe it was just hormones, or maybe she was really that disappointed. Emmy cried herself out, drifting into a restless sleep.

The next morning, her eyes were so swollen they felt like walnuts. When Ivy walked in and saw her, she nearly jumped.

“Miss Emmy! What happened to you?”

Ivy’s eyes were full of worry. “Did you and Mr. Lincoln have a fight? He was up all night—his eyes are red as a rabbit’s.”

Emmy paused, surprised. “He didn’t sleep?”

“I’m serious!” Ivy nodded. “I got up in the middle of the night and saw him sitting on the couch, just staring into space. When I came down to make breakfast, he was still there. He only left when the sun came up.”

“Oh, right,” Ivy remembered, grabbing a few shopping bags. “Mr. Lincoln came home late and brought you a bunch of gifts. Want to see?”

She started pulling things out—a snow globe with swirling flakes, a pink carousel music box, a giant teddy bear almost as tall as she was.

All of them were so sweet, so girly.

It was obvious he was trying to make it up to her in his awkward, clueless way.

Emmy picked up the carousel, wound it gently, and listened to “Castle in the Sky” play while the horses spun around. It was dreamy and soft, and she found herself getting lost in it.

On one side, he was impossibly old-fashioned. On the other, he was just so clumsy and sincere in his tenderness. James was a walking contradiction, and it made her head hurt.

Ivy couldn’t help herself. “Miss Emmy, you and Mr. Lincoln always get along. What happened?”

Emmy pulled herself together, set the carousel back on the table, and shook her head.

“It’s nothing, Ivy.”

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