Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 76

South Bay Fire Station

The strong smell of disinfectant hung heavy in the infirmary. James sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless, his back to the doctor, who was carefully spreading ointment over the angry, raw burns on his skin. His muscles, usually smooth and defined, were pulled tight with pain, each line standing out starkly. Sweat rolled down his sharp jawline.

“James, you trying to get yourself killed or what?” the old doctor grumbled, gently wrapping James’s back with fresh gauze.

“That’s a big patch of second-degree burns. One second later and you’d be looking at skin grafts. No getting wet, no heavy lifting, and don’t even think about skipping your medical leave. Understood?”

James didn’t respond. When the doctor finished, he grabbed a black t-shirt from the chair, gritted his teeth, and slowly pulled it on, the fabric catching painfully on his bandaged back.

The second he opened the door, a handful of firefighters crowded around, worry written all over their faces.

“James, what the hell happened out there today? You almost didn’t make it out.”

“We’ve worked with you for years and never seen you this beat up.”

James barely seemed to hear them. He fished his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen—two missed calls from unfamiliar numbers. He was about to clear them when a young rookie sidled up, excitement in his voice.

“James, you’ll never guess what happened! Dispatch said some lady called in, swore she was your wife. Her voice was so rough she sounded like a duck. They thought it was a prank and hung up on her!”

James’s thumb froze above his phone. He turned, his expression suddenly icy as he stared the rookie down.

“When did she call?”

The rookie shrank back, stammering, “Just now—a few minutes ago…”

Without a word, James spun on his heel and strode toward the parking lot.

Will blinked, then snapped into action, smacking the rookie upside the head. “What’s wrong with you? His wife just came out of a fire, of course her voice is shot! You want to know why the captain nearly killed himself today? He was saving her! And you think it’s funny?”

The rookie turned pale. “I—I didn’t know. I wasn’t the one who hung up…”

Will shook his head and jogged after James, yelling, “James! You’re hurt, let me drive!”

—

City Hospital, VIP Suite

But who? None of this had happened in her past life. She had no leads at all.

She forced herself to ask, her voice barely audible, “And my safe?”

Aidan looked uncomfortable. “The fire department said the entire Forward Technology floor was destroyed. Nothing’s left. The building is a total loss and has been sealed off—no one’s allowed back in.”

Emmy’s hands clenched tight.

If anything inside that safe fell into the wrong hands…

She grabbed her new phone, her first instinct to call James.

Just then, the hospital room door swung open.

James stepped in, tall and broad-shouldered. He wore a black t-shirt stretched taut across his bandaged back, the outline of the gauze just visible. The sharp scent of antiseptic and something undeniably James filled the room, making the air seem heavier.

Even Teresa, who’d been quietly sitting in the corner, shot to her feet in surprise.