Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth! - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Let’s End This

Emma’s hands trembled slightly as she gripped the edge of the couch. “So, what do we do? If Jake’s asking someone to follow me and Vanessa’s pulling stunts like this… what if he—”

“Don’t,” Alex interrupted, his voice firm yet calm. “Don’t let them scare you. I won’t let anything happen to you, Em. I promise,” he said, and Emma looked at him.

His words were steady, but Emma could see the tension in his jaw. He meant it.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “Okay. So what do we do? I don’t think Jake is ever going to stop unless we act fast,” she said, and Alex nodded in agreement.

“I’ve been thinking about that. I have enough evidence now. I think it’s time to tell Claire everything,” he said thoughtfully.

Emma froze at his words, her brows furrowed. “Everything? Even about Jake… what he did to me?” she asked, just to be sure, and Alex nodded.

“Yes,” Alex said, his voice softening. “But only if you’re ready. I can’t move forward without you. If I show her what Jake and Vanessa did, she would easily believe what he did to you, too.”

Emma looked down at her hands, her mind racing. What if things didn’t go as planned? What if this isn’t enough to stop Jake? Claire was his family member, so maybe she should trust him to know what was best and how to handle them.

After a moment, she glanced up. “Why didn’t you just tell Claire about your suspicions before? Why wait to gather evidence?” she asked, casting a curious gaze across to him, and he went to sit back down.

He leaned back slightly, a tired look crossing his face. “Because I’ve been here before,” he admitted. “When I was first adopted into the family, Margaret never accepted me. She always tried to sabotage me. And instead of accusing her, I learned to gather proof. It was the only way to make them see the truth without putting Dad or Claire in a position where they had to pick sides.”

Emma stared at him, her chest tightening. “You did that because you didn’t want to cause problems for them? You didn’t want them to think an adoptive child was causing issues for everyone?” she asked softly, and Alex nodded.

“It’s not ideal, but it’s the only way I know to handle situations like this. People believe what they see more than what they hear, and if I just say it, the other person could just deny it, leaving everyone to wonder what the truth is and is not. Having evidence saves everyone the stress,” Alex said, a long sigh escaping his lips.

Emma was quiet for a moment, processing everything. Finally, she exhaled and met his gaze. “Okay,” she said, her voice firm. “If you think Claire will believe us, I’m ready. Let’s tell her everything. I also need someone to know what he did to me,” Emma said, a small smile gracing her features.

A flicker of relief passed over Alex’s face. “Thank you, Em,” he said softly.

Emma nodded. “Let’s end this. Together.”

Alex reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. For the first time in days, he felt a glimmer of hope. Together, they’d face whatever came next.

“Now that it’s settled, why don’t I help you finish up in the kitchen so you can go take a shower? We will go over to Claire’s this evening,” Alex said, and Emma frowned.

“Are you sure about that? If you ask me, I think the earlier we visit her, the better. What if Vanessa goes there to spill nonsense?” she asked, sounding more worried than she intended.

“That’s exactly why there’s evidence. It’ll counter whatever she told Claire, so stop worrying your head and go shower. I’ll finish here,” he said, and Emma looked at him for a moment.

“If you say so,” she said and turned to leave, but Alex stopped her, grabbing her by her arm.

Emma froze a spark of electricity jolting through her the moment his hand connected to hers.

Emma looked down at their hands the same time Alex did, and they both raised their eyes to meet each other’s gaze.

Emma swallowed as she looked at him, wondering if he had felt it, too. His eyes were soft, almost as though he were thinking about her, but she couldn’t see through him.

Her eyes lowered to his lips and she could see it moving, almost as though he was saying something but she was too lost in her head to concentrate.

She watched in a daze as Alex’s lips moved with purpose, forming each word with a precision that seemed both natural and maddeningly hypnotic.

The way his bottom lip curved slightly when he emphasized certain words made her pulse quicken. She didn’t know why she was noticing this now or why she couldn’t stop looking at it the way she was.

“Emma?”

She heard him say and her heart jolted, and she blinked, tearing her gaze away to meet his eyes. “Hmm? Yes?”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Are you even listening?”

“What did you say?” she asked quickly, hoping her voice didn’t betray her.

He let go of her hand as he tilted his head slightly, studying her with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his tone softer now.

“I’m fine,” Emma lied, though her voice sounded a little too breathless.

Alex’s lips curved into a small, teasing smile. “If you say so.”

That smile was her undoing. Her mind was screaming at her to snap out of it, to focus on the serious conversation they were supposed to be having, to know the reason he had held her back but her body had other plans.

What would it feel like to kiss him? To close the space between them and taste the words he was speaking?

“Emma,” Alex said again, his tone sharper this time.

She blinked again, realizing he had moved closer, crouching slightly to meet her eye level. The concern in his expression deepened. “You’re really not yourself today. Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Y-yeah,” she stammered, her cheeks flushing. “I think I just… need some water.”

Alex straightened, nodding. “Alright. Go then.”

He stepped away, but Emma stayed frozen in place, willing her heart to slow down. Whatever this was, she needed to get a grip.

But as her eyes flicked back to him—to his lips, to the faint smile still lingering there—she knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.

She turned to leave and he called back at her, “thank you Em. That was what I said. Thanks for trusting me enough to handle this my way.”

Emma turned and gave him a nod before scurrying away, chiding herself for ever thinking about whatever Ivy implied. Now she was losing focus.

Whatever it was going on in her head, she needed to snap out of this. This was only just an arrangement. A marriage of convenience that would end in less than eleven months.

The last thing she wanted was to hurt her own heart since she knew Alex was never going to love her or take their marriage serious. Whatever happened, she was still his nephew’s ex-wife. Emma reminded herself as she made her way to her room.