Chapter 39 The Unmarked Tombstone

Upon hearing this, Nicholas opened his mouth, ready to spill the beans. But then he saw Abigail, kneeling and begging for him. He just couldn't do it.

Olivia had a point; if he fessed up, James would never let them or the Jackson family off the hook. For the sake of the Jackson family and himself, he had to keep his mouth shut.

Emily raised an eyebrow at James' words, totally shocked. This was the first time James hadn't backed them up and had said something like that.

Seeing no hope in getting James' help, Abigail collapsed to the ground. Meanwhile, Nicholas seemed oddly calm. Abigail crawled over to Nicholas, ripped off the cloth gagging him, and tearfully asked, "What did you do?"

Nicholas almost confessed but held back. He stiffened up and shouted at Emily, "Do whatever you want to me."

But Abigail couldn't stay calm. She rushed to Emily and pleaded, "I'll give you that cemetery. Please don't hurt him!"

Emily's gaze was icy. "He always had a choice."

Joseph looked at Emily with relief; he had been worried she'd let Nicholas go. He waved his hand, and the bodyguards straightened Nicholas's injured leg. Then, they smashed a chair onto it. One wasn't enough, so they smashed several more until the broken bone was visible. Only then did they stop.

Nicholas had already passed out from the pain. Abigail fainted at his first scream. "Take them away, send them to the hospital, and don't let them die here," Joseph said coldly.

Soon, the room was back to normal. If not for the faint smell of blood, one wouldn't have guessed anything had happened.

"Emily, we need to talk," James said, stepping forward.

Emily glanced at him indifferently. "I have nothing to say to you, James. Please leave."

With that, Emily turned to leave. James tried to stop her but was blocked by Joseph. The two started fighting.

At first, Emily was worried Joseph might get hurt, but seeing how easily he handled it, she felt relieved. James's attacks were filled with anger, but every punch was easily blocked.

Joseph gave Emily a reassuring smile, and she left with peace of mind. But as she passed through the security scanner, it beeped.

Emily froze. When she arrived, she and Joseph had taken a special route that bypassed the scanners. She carefully recalled everything and then pulled out a tracking device from under her collar.

The commotion caught both Joseph and James's attention, and they stopped fighting to look at Emily. James's face turned grim when he saw the tracking device.

Emily stormed up to James, holding the device in her hand. "Did you do this?" she demanded, her voice icy.

James met her gaze, his expression just as cold. "Yeah, I did."

Emily slapped him hard across the face. She threw the device at him, her eyes blazing with disgust. "You're disgusting! Stay away from me!"

She took a few steps back, like he was something filthy. James saw the disgust in her eyes, and a look of disbelief flashed across his face. It seemed he had truly killed the Emily who once looked at him with love. Or maybe she had been pretending all along. He had sensed it but refused to believe it. He was still struggling.

Emily retreated to Joseph's side, pulled out a tissue, and wiped her hands vigorously before tossing it into the trash can. James's face darkened, his eyes deep and oppressive. He clenched his fists tightly, struggling to control his anger and frustration.

Seeing this, Joseph quickly stepped in front of Emily, his gaze locked on James. "James, please leave. You're not welcome here."

James took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He knew that anything he did now would only make things worse. He turned to leave but stopped before exiting. With his back to Emily, he said, "Emily, I promised Ava, and I will keep my word."

Emily watched him go, a cold smile on her face. She thought, 'If he was going to keep his promise, why did he divorce me?'

Back home, Emily took out the child's urn from under the bed and held it in her arms. "I'm sorry, baby. Mommy couldn't bury you next to Ava."

Exhausted, Emily fell asleep holding the urn. A knock on the door woke her up. She put the urn away, opened the door, and saw Joseph standing there with a cemetery transfer agreement in his hand.

"Joseph, what's this?" Emily asked, surprised. She had thought she wouldn't be able to get that cemetery. Unexpectedly, Joseph had gotten it back.

Joseph smiled gently. "I pressured Abigail to repay her debts. She had to sell everything she owned, and I had someone buy the cemetery."

"Thank you," Emily said with a sincere smile.

"We're family." Joseph patted Emily's shoulder. "You don't look well. Get some rest."

Emily nodded. "I will." Joseph turned to leave, having guessed who the cemetery was for when he learned it was next to Ava's.

The next day, Emily found an auspicious time and buried the child next to Ava. Kneeling in front of Ava's tombstone, Emily's eyes filled with tears. "Ava, I buried the baby next to you. Please take care of it."

Tears streamed down her face. She hadn't engraved anything on the child's tombstone because she hadn't decided on a name.

Shortly after Emily left, James appeared in front of Ava's grave. "Grandma, what should I do?" But there was no response. A cold wind blew, and James shivered. His eyes suddenly caught sight of the nearby grave, and he frowned. It was an unmarked tombstone; he had no idea whose it was.