Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 35

The next morning, Emmy was back on campus.

Before her thesis defense, she met her roommates for breakfast in the dining hall. It had been weeks since they’d all sat together.

“Emmy, what happened between you and Mr. Sparrow?” one of them finally asked, unable to hold it in. “You two were so close—everyone on campus knew it! How could you just call off the engagement out of nowhere?”

Emmy stirred her soup, her voice calm like she was talking about someone else. “It was just a family thing. He found someone he truly loves, so of course I want him to be happy.”

“True love?” her roommate frowned, clearly not buying it. “Come on, we all know you’re the one he really loves.”

“Yeah! We’ve seen everything he’s done for you these past few years,” another chimed in.

The girls jumped in, voices overlapping.

“Remember when you first moved in? You got so sick adjusting to campus, and Mr. Sparrow—who never talks to anyone—was always dropping by with medicine and homemade food.”

“And that one time he actually came to your dorm to organize your closet and fold your laundry? We were all in shock.”

“And any time you had even the tiniest fever or headache, he would act like the sky was falling. He’d just pick you up and rush you to the hospital, then stay by your side all night, like he was afraid to even blink.”

“We always said Dean was totally gone for you. He didn’t stand a chance.”

Emmy listened quietly, a faint smile on her lips.

But inside, her heart felt like a sea that had long since gone still.

No one knew better than her how much Dean used to love her. That love had been so intense, it felt like it could burn her up.

But that was over now, and she knew it.

All that passion and caring—it was like the cup of milk she’d left behind at the airport yesterday. Once it’s cold, you just pour it out.

She didn’t need to hold onto the past. She still had her whole future ahead of her.

“Alright, let’s stop talking about him,” Emmy said, looking up. Her eyes were clear and bright.

“Let’s focus on the defense. When we’re done, let’s go out and sing some karaoke, okay?”

“Yes, let’s do it!” her roommates said, immediately excited.

After breakfast, they headed down the hall toward the defense room.

She glanced at the long table of professors and saw Evelina right away, sitting perfectly straight in a crisp white suit, a small smile on her lips.

Emmy’s brow tightened for a split second, but she quickly pulled herself together.

She walked to the front and opened her presentation.

“Good morning, professors. I’m Emmy. My thesis is titled ‘A Decentralized AI Security Framework Based on Federated Learning and Differential Privacy.’”

Her voice was steady and clear, making even the complicated technical stuff sound easy to follow.

Evelina flipped through the thesis, jotting notes with a professional air.

When Emmy finished, the room went silent.

A few professors just stared, clearly stunned.

Her advisor, Mr. Polland, looked like he could barely believe it. “Emmy, did you really do all this on your own?”

Emmy met his eyes without hesitation. “Is there anything you’d like to ask, sir?”