Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1290

The deep sound of the cruise ship’s horn rumbled through the bay as the massive GlowOcean finally pulled away from the resort. The plan was simple: a full loop around Emerald Island, six hours in all. Everyone onboard was in a good mood now, gathering in groups on the deck, sipping champagne, laughter mingling with the breeze. Whatever delay there’d been before was ancient history. If anything, it just made everyone more excited to see what lay ahead.

An hour out, the resort had completely vanished behind them. In its place, the island stretched out in all its wild glory. The rainforest covered everything, thick and green, like a giant jewel floating on the blue sea. Old-growth trees towered over everything, their trunks wrapped with climbing vines, bright birds gliding in endless circles overhead. Only a tiny part of the island had been developed—the resort itself and the mysterious Janus Sphere Technologies base. The rest was untouched, wild, almost surreal in its beauty.

The water beneath the ship was impossibly clear. Emmy leaned over the rail, barely believing she could see the bottom even out here. Bright coral fanned out beneath the surface like gardens in full bloom. Some were blazing red, some white and delicate as snow. Whole schools of tropical fish flashed through the coral, bright and lively. There was no sign of pollution, no scars from overuse. The place felt like a kind of heaven, one of those last perfect refuges the world seemed to have forgotten.

Time slipped away without anyone noticing. Six hours vanished, and suddenly the sun was setting, casting a gold and red glow over the water as the ship found its way back to the dock. On the top deck, lights flickered on and the afterparty kicked off. Music played, glasses clinked, people danced and laughed, their smiles genuine and loose. The whole day—the grand opening, the speeches, all the excitement—wound down in a haze of happiness.

For Emmy though, it had been a nerve-wracking day. She’d been on edge from the start, and only now, back in the hotel suite, did all the tension finally start to drain away. She didn’t even bother changing out of her dress—just collapsed facedown onto the big, soft bed, barely awake, her mind foggy, her eyelids heavy.

A man’s voice, low and warm, drifted into her ear. “Babe.”

Emmy made herself blink. James was there, already out of his formal clothes, kneeling next to her, rubbing gentle circles into her lower back. His touch was so careful, so familiar it made her heart ache.

“I’m heading to the hospital,” he said softly. “You’ve had enough for today. Get some rest, okay?”

Just hearing the word “hospital” made Emmy snap to attention. She tried to get up. “I’ll come with you. Give me a second, let me change.”

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