EMMA'S POV
The email arrives at two in the morning while I'm feeding Claire.
I read it three times, not believing what I'm seeing.
*Emma,*
*I know I have no right to contact you after what happened today. But you deserve to know the truth about why I left.*
*Someone paid me to break up with you. $50,000 to move to Paris and never contact you again. The payment came from an offshore account—I couldn't trace who sent it. I was broke, desperate, and stupid. I thought I'd go to Paris, start my restaurant, and maybe come back for you later.*
*I'm not asking for forgiveness. I just thought you should know that our breakup wasn't entirely my choice. Someone wanted you out of my life badly enough to pay for it.*
*I'm sorry for everything.*
*-James*
I stare at the screen until the words bl
