Chapter 6

Ever since Remi was locked up, she had given up on James.

Looking at the heavily guarded old family estate, she had thought of countless ways to escape. The closest she ever got was when she disguised herself as a maid and slipped into one of the service cars heading out. However, just as the car got to the main gate, another vehicle cut across and stopped them.

James stepped out, long strides carrying him straight to the car window.

“Remi,” he said calmly, “you can’t escape.”

In the end, with nowhere left to go, she chose to set the place on fire.

When news came that the old estate was burning, James was at the apartment, coaxing a sulking Sydney. It was not until he bought her an eight-million-dollar necklace that she finally brightened up, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him several times.

She pulled him down onto the couch and excitedly flipped through some baby clothes with him. However, when his phone rang, he immediately pushed her aside and walked out onto the balcony to take the call.

Sydney tried to follow out of curiosity, but one cold glance from him froze her in place. Annoyed, she punched a stuffed toy on the couch instead. Then, she saw his face turn pale, and he grabbed his coat, hurrying toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Sydney clung to him, putting on a pitiful expression. “The baby doesn’t want you to leave today–”

He did not have the patience to entertain her, but for the sake of the child's smooth birth, he held back.

“I have something urgent to deal with. You said you liked those earrings at the auction, didn’t you? I’ll have my assistant bring them to you.”

At the thought of the expensive jewelry she was about to receive, she finally let go.

With the old estate destroyed, Remi was transferred to a villa on the outskirts of the city. When James saw her again, several days later, there were injuries scattered across her body. The anger he had been holding in dissolved into a sigh.

Carefully, he carried her back to the bed and personally tended to her wounds. His movements were gentle, yet she still frowned and hissed in pain. He immediately leaned closer and blew softly on the injured skin.

“Does it still hurt?” There was a trace of concern in his eyes.

She looked at him quietly and said evenly, “It hurts, but I don’t regret it at all, because I was the one who set the fire.”

He froze, pain in his eyes.

“Do you want to leave me that badly?” he asked.

“Yes.” Her voice did not waver. “I do, even if it means I die.”

“Remi!” Hearing that, he finally lost control. He could no longer hide the pain in his voice. “Don’t say that, okay? It pains me to see you hurt. I have no feelings for her. Just wait a little longer. I’m begging you. Everything will go back to the way it was.”

After saying that, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Before leaving, he specifically instructed the butler to tighten security around the villa.

For the next three months, James never came back. He did not even send a single message. It was as if he intended to teach her a lesson. Meanwhile, he traveled the world with Sydney, allowing her to post their intimate photos online. In the pictures, they stood close together, feeding each other cookies mouth-to-mouth like a couple flaunting their love.

At the beach, she lay across his lap in a sheer swimsuit, running her fingers over his abs as if showing off. Under dim, ambiguous lighting, their legs were tangled together, their eyes locked on each other. For a while, the internet was in an uproar, and countless netizens flooded her comment section, obsessing over the couple.

Of course, Remi saw the photos too. In the past, she would have cried for an entire day; now she no longer held any expectations for James. All she wanted was to leave the marriage as soon as possible, and so, she did not care.

James, on the other hand, waited and waited for Remi to come to him, to soften, and to demand an explanation. However, she never did.

In the past, whenever even a harmless “close” photo of him and another woman surfaced—sometimes just from normal business events—Remi would be jealous for days. She would show up immediately, red-eyed, asking him to explain himself. That was why he was certain it would not take long this time. He thought she would come to him, eyes brimming with tears, but months passed, and no one came. There was not even a text message.

He could not sit still anymore. He secretly returned several times and checked the surveillance footage. On the screen, he saw her looking completely indifferent, playing with the dog on her own, as if she truly did not care about the scandals between him and Sydney.

Her reaction took him completely by surprise, leaving him in anguish with nowhere to vent his frustration. In the end, he could only leave in a huff.