Open Marriage, Broken Promises: When Love Turns to Ashes novel Chapter 26

People hesitated, then started shifting in that direction.

"But—" Emily shouted before they could rush it.

"If you all push at once, you're just as dead. We need order. Let's get a few men to help keep things in line—women and kids go first."

There were a few complaints, but more nods of agreement.

Emily led the group toward the exit, guided by the AI.

Smoke thickened. People were coughing, their eyes stinging.

She pried open the side door, letting fresh air in.

Outside, they were about 20 feet up—not too high, but high enough to make some people hesitate.

A crowd was gathering below. Sirens blared as fire trucks and cops swarmed in.

"Maybe we should wait for rescue?" someone suggested.

And then—another explosion.

Emily took a deep breath. "Start climbing down! The scaffolding's stable. You'll be fine!"

A little girl at the front hesitated—then, with a shaky breath, she grabbed onto the bars and started climbing.

One by one, more people followed.

Emily didn't relax until most of them were down.

Then, she turned back.

The mall was an inferno.

Lily was insane.

All this—for what? A man?

She exhaled sharply and moved to climb down—

But before she could—

The door slammed open.

Lily.

Her skin was burned, her face twisted with rage, her hands gripping a detonator.

"Emily, you're coming with me!"

Emily's grip on the scaffold tightened, her pulse hammering.

Then—

A voice roared from below.

"EMILY!"

James.

He shoved past the cops, eyes wild.

"Jump! I'll catch you!"

His voice cracked.

He had never sounded so desperate.

Emily's breath caught.

For a split second, she hesitated.

Then she made her choice.

She jumped.

"Thud—"

James managed to catch Emily.

Both of them fell to the ground.

His back was scraped raw, leaving deep gashes that nearly reached the bone.

Gritting his teeth through the pain that felt like his body was falling apart, he held Emily tightly. He had almost lost her forever.

Emily struggled to get up. "Let go."

"No, I'll never let go."

After facing life and death, he couldn't afford to lose her.

Emily was suffocating in his grip.

She had no choice but to say, "At least loosen up a little. I can't breathe."

Hearing this, James finally relaxed his hold.

Emily looked up at Lily on the balcony above.

Lily's face was twisted with jealousy, her features almost unrecognizable. She raised her hand, ready to throw the explosive device she was holding.

Then, with a deafening boom—

A massive wave of heat erupted.

Lily was thrown back by the blast, slamming onto the ground with a sickening thud.

Her skin was scorched, peeling off rapidly.

James held Emily tightly, shielding her with his body. Debris from the explosion rained down, hitting him on the head.

Blood poured from the wound.

He looked at her, his smile bitter. "I know what happened that night. I don't deserve to ask for another chance, but if it's possible... can you..."

"Can you please not hate me?"

His voice grew weaker until he passed out in her arms.

Outside the emergency room.

Margaret rushed over in a panic.

She immediately started yelling at Emily. "If it weren't for you, my son wouldn't be like this!"

Emily ignored her. Seeing Margaret arrive, she simply stood up and left.

Watching her walk away so coldly, Margaret stomped her feet and cried. "I always said this woman was heartless! My son, how could she be worth all the effort you put in?"

She had been meaning to return it but never found the right moment.

Alex, frustrated, pressed his hand over hers as she reached to unbuckle her seatbelt. "Do you really think I bought that carved gold scepters just because I was jealous?"

Emily was stunned. Although Susan had planted that idea in her head, she hadn't believed it.

Alex pursuing her?

She had always treated it as a joke.

Alex continued, "That carved gold scepters—it wasn't meant to be anything more than a celebration of your new beginning."

He unbuckled her seatbelt for her. "If you don't want it, you can give it back."

Emily looked at him. "You..."

Why had he helped her so much?

Alex's dark eyes were like pools of ink, mesmerizing and deep. "I was just being kind."

And maybe a little infatuated.

What had started as curiosity had turned into something more as he watched her rise from the ashes again and again, pulling him deeper into her orbit.

"Thank you."

Emily lowered her gaze. "I'll keep the gift."

By accepting this new beginning, she was letting go of the past.

James was now part of that past.

Alex's grip on the steering wheel tightened, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Congratulations on truly coming back to life.

The launch was just around the corner.

Over the next week, Emily used the explosion incident to promote the companion system.

Not only was it great for emotional support, but it could literally save lives in critical moments.

Thanks to this unexpected publicity, the software skyrocketed in popularity. Some students even used it as a study aid, and their grades shot up overnight.

Susan stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "So, big shot, where do you wanna celebrate?"

Emily looked up from her laptop. "I just want a vacation."

She had been working non-stop.

Susan clicked her tongue. "Fine, fine, approved."

She leaned in closer. "But seriously, are you really not gonna pick up your dad's calls? He's been nagging me nonstop, saying he regrets everything. Swears he'll divorce his wife the second you agree to come back and make things right between you two."

Emily scoffed. "You think he actually regrets it? He's just scared of dying alone."

The explosion had caused no casualties—except for Lily.

She was badly injured and barely survived after multiple surgeries.

But Margaret kept her under lock and key, refusing to let Robert see her.

She hated Lily.