Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 704

Lorelei nodded. “That’s my job, and I will. But…” Her eyes flicked over his unshaven face, and she half-smiled, half-sighed. “I hope you can find a little time to clean yourself up.” She teased, but there was a hint of worry in her voice. “If Emmy saw you right now, I think it would only make her feel worse.”

James instinctively touched the rough stubble on his chin. It hit him then, just how tightly he’d been wound these days. He’d been throwing himself into work, diving into exhausting workouts just to clear his head… and he honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked at himself in the mirror.

He didn’t say a word. He just turned around and quietly left the office.

…

When Emmy woke up, only a soft, yellow wall lamp was glowing in the hospital room. Teresa was sitting by the bed, holding her hand tightly. The second Emmy moved, Teresa leaned in, voice trembling with worry. “Emmy, you’re awake. How do you feel? Are you hurting anywhere?”

Emmy saw her mother’s red, swollen eyes and the deep shadows beneath them. Her heart clenched.

“Mom, I’m okay.” She shook her head and managed a small smile. “What time is it?”

“It’s past midnight. Are you hungry? There’s some soup here. Want to try a little?”

Emmy didn’t answer right away. She reached for her belly, panic flashing in her eyes. “The baby… is the baby okay?”

“They’re fine. The doctor said everything’s good.” Teresa squeezed her hand, trying to calm her down.

Finally, Emmy felt her body relax a little. But as she stared up at the ceiling, her eyes filled with tears, turning red and glassy. She couldn’t stop thinking about what her mother had said before she’d passed out, those words full of anger and heartbreak. It wasn’t just her mom who was upset. She was angry too. She felt cheated by fate, hurt in ways she couldn’t explain.

She cared about James and what he’d been through. But caring about him didn’t erase the truth, or the heavy reality behind why he’d come into her life in the first place. Now she understood why he’d been so desperate to have a child. From the very beginning, it had all been about the baby.

The way he treated her, his gentleness, his sweet words… how much of it was real, and how much was just because of the baby she carried?

The pain was so sharp it stole her breath.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The monitor connected to her started beeping wildly as her heart raced.

“Emmy!”

Emmy stared at the golden soup, but didn’t reach for her spoon. She glanced up at her mom and asked quietly, “Mom, you haven’t eaten either, right? Why don’t you have some too?”

Teresa really didn’t have any appetite, but she didn’t want Emmy to worry. She poured herself a small bowl. “Alright, I’ll eat with you.”

She took a bite and tried to sound cheerful. “Mmm, this is really good. I’ve never had pumpkin soup like this before. It’s so fragrant and smooth.”

Only then did Emmy pick up her spoon and take a tiny sip.

The taste stopped her cold.

That familiar flavor, with a hint of chestnut sweetness. The rice was soft, almost melting on her tongue, and the soup had a richness she knew came from someone’s special way of cooking it.

Her brow furrowed and her hand tightened around the spoon.

“Mom… where did this soup come from?”