My Darling Ex-Wife Is Unaware I’m Rich

Chapter 21: Corp of Betrayal

Emma rested her head on James’s chest, her breaths soft and steady. The physiotherapy session had drained her, leaving her weary but strangely at peace in his arms. The sterile hospital room felt less cold when she was wrapped in his warmth. The faint hum of the air conditioning filled the silence, a steady backdrop to the rhythmic beating of his heart.

James brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, his fingers lingering longer than necessary. The bruises on her body had faded, but the invisible scars remained. She didn’t talk about the pain anymore, but he could see it in the way her eyes clouded over at times, as if revisiting some dark memory. He wondered if his presence helped her, even a little.

Her hand rested on his chest, fingers curling lightly, when his phone buzzed on the nightstand. He glanced at the screen, and his stomach tightened. Lenox.

“Sorry,” he murmured, kissing her hair as he gently shifted her off him. “I need to take this.”

Emma opened her eyes, her gaze following him as he left the room. She didn’t say anything, but the subtle slump of her shoulders betrayed her disappointment.

“Lenox,” James answered as he stepped into the hallway.

“Meet me at the abandoned mall. Second floor. Now,” Lenox’s voice came through, cold and firm.

James hesitated, frowning. “Now? I’m in the middle of something. Can’t it wait?”

“No, it can’t,” Lenox snapped. “Don’t make me repeat myself.” The line went dead.

James clenched his jaw and pocketed his phone, running a hand through his hair. He returned to the room, finding Emma awake, her gaze sharp despite her exhaustion.

“I have to go,” he said softly.

Her brows furrowed. “Now?”

“It’s urgent. Business,” he replied, avoiding her eyes.

Emma didn’t argue, but the disappointment in her expression was unmistakable. She turned her gaze to the window, a quiet ache settling in her chest.

James lingered in the doorway, unsure how to ease the tension. “I’ll be back soon,” he said, though the words felt hollow.

Emma didn’t respond. She simply stared out at the gray sky, her mind wandering to another time, another man.

---

James parked outside the abandoned mall, its facade a crumbling reminder of its forgotten past. The air inside was heavy with the scent of mildew and decay, his footsteps echoing in the desolate halls.

On the second floor, Lenox waited, flanked by two guards who stood like statues. The dim light from a cracked window cast shadows across their faces, making the scene feel all the more ominous.

“James,” Lenox greeted, his smile sharp and humorless.

“Lenox,” James replied, his tone guarded.

Lenox gestured for the guards to leave, and they moved away without a word, their footsteps fading into silence.

“Thanks for coming,” Lenox began, his voice dripping with false courtesy. “We need to talk.”

James crossed his arms, feigning indifference. “What’s this about?”

Lenox’s expression darkened. “Maxwell. It’s time to finish what we started.”

James stiffened but kept his face neutral. “I thought we already dealt with him.”

“Not completely. Maxwell’s too clever for loose ends. And that’s where Emma comes in,” Lenox said, his tone growing colder.

James felt his stomach drop. “What about Emma?”

Lenox’s smile turned sinister. “She’s the key to breaking him. We’re going to kidnap her.”

James’s heart skipped a beat. “You’ve lost your mind,” he said, his voice low but sharp.

Lenox stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. “Have I? Maxwell will do anything to protect her. If we take her, we control him. Simple.”

“No,” James said firmly. “There has to be another way.”

“There isn’t,” Lenox replied, his tone icy. “This is how it has to be. And you’re going to help me.”

James’s mind raced. He knew arguing with Lenox was futile. The man was ruthless, and defying him could have deadly consequences.

“Lenox, this is risky,” James said cautiously. “If anything goes wrong—”

“Nothing will go wrong,” Lenox interrupted. “The plan is airtight. And don’t pretend to care about her. Emma was always just a pawn to you, wasn’t she?”

James clenched his fists, his gut twisting. It was true, or at least it had been. But over time, things had changed. He cared for Emma now, more than he wanted to admit. Hearing Lenox reduce her to nothing more than a tool made his skin crawl.

“Are you with me or against me?” Lenox asked, his voice a dangerous whisper.

James hesitated, the weight of his decision pressing down on him. Finally, he nodded, his voice barely audible. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Good.” Lenox’s smile returned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We’ll stage it carefully. It has to look real—no loose ends. I’ll handle the details. You just make sure you’re ready.”

James nodded again, the bile rising in his throat.

As James drove away from the mall, the enormity of what he had agreed to do hit him like a tidal wave. Images of Emma filled his mind—her smile, her quiet strength, the way she trusted him without question. The thought of betraying her felt like a dagger twisting in his chest.

He couldn’t face her, not now. Instead, he drove past the hospital, the weight of his decision suffocating him.

Emma, meanwhile, stared out of her hospital window, the evening sun casting long shadows across the room. She thought of James, of the way he had left without hesitation. Her mind drifted to Maxwell again—the man who had once been her world. He would never have left her like that, not for anything.

But Maxwell was gone, and James was here. She told herself that had to be enough.

Still, as the night deepened and the shadows grew, an unease settled over her. Something about James’s departure felt different this time, as though it carried the weight of something more. She couldn’t shake the feeling that her fragile peace was on the verge of shattering.

And she was right.