A Vengeful Ex-Wife novel Chapter 256

"Summer, this is your last chance. Just say it," James said in a cold and threatening voice.

"Maria has gone to hospital."

"What the hell for?" Anxiety was clawing under James' skin, demanding to get out.

Summer choked on a sob. Maria truly was a troublemaker. "She went for an abortion."

James' entire body went cold.

He rushed to his feet, his thunderous expression wiping the smile off Cooper's face.

"How dare she?" James whispered to the phone, his tone low, his breathing heavy.

"She's already taken the medicine."

Bang! James kicked the table in front of him, toppling it over.

Cooper could only stare silently at what was unfolding before his eyes.

James had never lost his temper like this for as long as he could remember.

Was it because James had somehow changed in the time they were apart? Or was the news he had just received exceedingly grave?

Summer heard the crash from the other end of the line, and she shivered. "Mr. Xi..." "Where the hell is she now?" "She's currently resting in the ward. I came too late. I wasn't able to stop her. I'm so sorry, Mr. Xi." This part was scripted, of course. Maria had specifically fed her these lines so as not to drag Summer into any trouble.

James ended the call abruptly and switched to Maria's contact number.

Cooper took the opportunity to ask, "What happened?"

James said nothing, but his face continued to grow darker and darker as he waited for the call to connect.

When it finally did, he didn't beat around the push. "Maria Song, tell me what you've done. I want to hear it straight from you. Are you playing a prank on me again?"

There was a moment of pregnant silence, and James heart felt heavier as the seconds ticked by. He finally snapped and yelled into the phone. "Maria Song, how dare you!"

How could she get rid of his baby?

"Are you heartbroken, James Xi?" she asked, her voice calm and gentle.

It was his turn to go quiet.

"Because if you do, then that's great. I'm sure it's just exactly how I felt all those years ago. I'm glad someone can finally understand." She gave a small chuckle then, which somehow sounded sorrowful and self-derisive.

"I don't believe you," James muttered firmly.

"What don't you believe, exactly? That I had your child aborted just now?"

Maria scoffed. "James Xi, did you honestly forget that I'm only staying with you for the sake of my revenge?"

That rendered him speechless.

He ended the call without saying anything and called his assistant. Ignoring the fact that it was almost midnight, he asked his assistant to arrange for a private plane to take him home as soon as possible.

He then headed to the door, only to be pulled back by Cooper. "James, hang on a second there."

James stopped and turned to look at his brother.

"I don't know what happened, but Maria must have her own reasons. Don't give in to your impulses. Just hear her out first, okay? Show her some mercy. Please."

Mercy? James snorted. "Even when she didn't show me any mercy? Keep your kindness in check, Cooper.

It could get you killed someday."

James flew back to H City. He hadn't even packed or brought any of his belongings back with him.

Cooper knew his brother very well—he wouldn't let go of Maria so easily.

He rushed to call his man stationed at H City. "Keep an eye on James and Maria. If anything happens to her, please inform me immediately."

She gasped repeatedly, attempting to say something but couldn't. Her face was starting to turn red.

Just when she thought she was about to faint, he let go of her and flung her to the floor.

Maria coughed, her spittle flying out as she wheezed.

She lay there miserably, gasping for air.

When she finally regained some of her senses, she looked up at James and flashed him a smile. "Shouldn't you be thankful, James Xi? You don't have to deal with the baby anymore, since I've handled it myself. So how does it feel, losing another child?"

His fury erupted again, and he pulled her off of the floor and drew her close. "Who the hell gave you the right to kill my child?"

"I only wanted you to know how it feels to lose your child. Well, how do you like it, Mr. Xi?"

He didn't know what to feel anymore. He was livid, shocked, upset... And he wanted to kill her.

"Since you seem to have a death wish, let me oblige and fulfill it for you." He reached for her neck again, but before he could even squeeze a second time, Maria shouted, "Let me tell you a secret!"

A secret? What was it this time?

Maria pulled away from him and squatted on the floor.

She made a show of smoothing her clothes before looking up at him, straight in the eye. "This is already your third child."

And just like that, it felt like James' world had exploded all over again. He narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean?¹'

Her lips curled into a sneer. "Remember how you came home, drunk, a month before Arthur's accident? You crawled into my bed, did you forget?"

James tried to look back carefully. He had slept with Maria back when they were married, of course, but it hadn't been often. But something did click in his memory. "What about it?" he asked.

Maria choked on what sounded like a sob and a laugh at a same time. "I got pregnant then," she announced with tears in her eyes.

"Where is the child?" James asked immediately.