Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 705

“Abriella brought it over. It was getting late, so I told her to head home.”

Emmy dropped her gaze, staring into her soup bowl. It was pumpkin soup, the signature dish from The Water Pavilion. That place held too many memories. She and James used to go there all the time.

Abriella would have never known about it. Only James did.

Emmy pressed her lips together and kept quiet. She took a few more spoonfuls, but soon she just couldn’t force down another bite. The soup tasted sweet, but it turned bitter and sour as it settled in her stomach.

“I’m done,” she said, putting her spoon down. “Mom, you’ve had a long day too. You should go to bed early.”

Teresa’s heart hurt seeing Emmy barely touch her food, but she didn’t dare push her. She quietly tidied up and lay down on the little bed next to Emmy’s.

The room fell into silence. Neither of them spoke, but both were tangled up in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, the monitor started beeping again.

Teresa shot up. “Emmy!”

Emmy got herself under control faster than her mom did. Her voice was steady. “I’m okay, Mom.”

“Really, you should get some sleep. You must be exhausted.”

She rolled over, turning her back. “I’m going to sleep too. Good night.”

The machine stopped beeping. Teresa kept watching Emmy for a while, worried, but her tiredness finally took over and she drifted off to sleep.

In the darkness, Emmy lay wide awake. She quietly lifted her hand and took off the sensor clip from her finger. Her mind was a boiling mess, thoughts swirling everywhere. She didn’t put the sensor back on until the first light crept in through the window. Only then, completely wiped out, did she finally fall asleep.

…

“Mom, who’s here?” she asked.

Teresa smoothed her clothes, checked her hair, and finally replied, “It’s Mr. Aldridge.”

Just hearing his name made Emmy’s mood lift a little. She watched her mom open the door and take the breakfast from Mr. Aldridge, a small smile sneaking onto her face.

Lately, Mr. Aldridge had been doggedly persistent about pursuing her mom. The polished, bookish gentleman she used to know had gotten almost shameless, always finding reasons to hang around. After visiting Moonlight Bay for New Year’s, he’d left his pen at their old house, brought over research documents, invented every excuse he could think of just to spend the day with Teresa.

Her mom never said anything, but the way her face had softened over time was obvious.

It was so good to see her mom get a fresh start.

“How did you know we were at the hospital?” Teresa asked.