Chapter 401 The Nameless Bones Turned Out to Be…

Chapter 401 The Nameless Bones Turned Out to Be…

After Emily got Mason to sleep, she stepped out of his room.

She walked slowly to the living room, and through the transparent glass door, she saw James holding Briar in the courtyard, talking to her.

The rain outside had stopped at some point, leaving only a faint dampness lingering in the air.

Just then, Briar suddenly turned around and spotted Emily standing in the living room light. She smiled, then leaned close to James's ear to whisper something.

James looked back, his gaze meeting Emily's across the distance.

A moment later, James carried Briar inside.

"Is Mason asleep?"

James walked over to Emily's side and asked softly.

"Yes."

Emily nodded.

After that, the two of them stood under the living room lights, facing each other in silence.

Briar looked at James, then at Emily, before smiling and patting James on the shoulder. "James, put me down. I'm going to sleep with Great-Grandma too."

"You're going to sleep with Great-Grandma instead of me?"

James deliberately furrowed his brow with an exaggerated look of hurt.

"But Daddy has Mommy to keep him company."

James froze slightly. He lifted his head to look at Emily.

Emily instinctively turned her face away, avoiding his gaze.

Taking advantage of the adults' stunned moment, Briar slipped down from James's arms and ran off.

Only two adults remained in the living room, both looking awkward, each lost in their own thoughts.

James cleared his throat and said, trying to sound composed, "You've had a long day. You should head upstairs."

"Okay."

James went upstairs first, with Emily following behind.

The two of them entered the same room with an unspoken understanding. When the sound of the door locking clicked, Emily looked up at James's back and said softly, "Thank you for today."

James stood with his back to Emily. She couldn't see his expression, but she could clearly feel his body stiffen for an instant.

"Thank me?"

James didn't turn around. His calm tone revealed no emotion, as if he were simply puzzled.

"If it weren't for you today, I don't think I could have stayed calm. Honestly, the moment I heard something happened to Mason, I was so scared my legs nearly gave out... I owe that child so much."

"Owe?"

James suddenly let out a cold laugh. He whirled around and pushed Emily into the corner, then pressed his body against hers, trapping her between himself and the wall as he looked down at her.

"Emily, what am I to you?"

James's voice was low and rough, his dark eyes boring into her face.

Emily raised an eyebrow, not understanding why he was angry, but she didn't like being controlled. She lifted her hand to push James away.

But James caught her wrist and pinned it forcefully above her head.

"Emily, whether you admit it or not, I'm your man right now. And Mason is our child—both of ours. You're worried about him, and so am I. But your polite, distant apology shuts me out and makes me a stranger."

"As for what you owe the child—are you saying you regret leaving him with me back then, or do you regret our one-night stand?"

When Emily remained silent, James's nerves, which had been wound tight all day, finally snapped.

He roughly gripped her chin and lowered his head, capturing her lips in a fierce kiss.

"James, you—!"

The moment Emily opened her mouth, James seized the opportunity, kissing her with a punishing intensity as he claimed her sweetness.

"Emily, remember this—only I can make you feel this way."

James bit down on her lips, his husky voice thick with desire.

"Whether or not we have that red certificate, you're mine. You can only be mine!"

Soon, the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly intimate and heated. Scattered clothing, intertwined figures on the bed, and the mingled sounds of suppressed breathing and intimate whispers composed tonight's melody of passion.

...

The next morning, James was woken by a phone call.

He glanced down at Emily, still asleep in his arms, then reached for his phone on the nightstand.

"Hello?"

James's voice still carried the deep hoarseness of someone just waking up.

"James, it's me."

The call was from Ivan.

"Ivan? Did you get results from yesterday's investigation?"

James was actually surprised to hear from Ivan.

After all, Ivan was closer to Emily. If he needed to contact someone, he should have called Emily first, not him.

However, Ivan's next words explained James's confusion.

"James, the DNA results from those remains came back. It's Kian."

"What?"

James sat up abruptly. His sudden movement woke Emily.

Emily opened her eyes, her clear gaze fixed on James's serious profile.

"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake? If those remains belong to Kian, then who the hell is on that business trip overseas right now?"

James said coldly.

This result was completely beyond James's expectations.

A long time ago, he'd suspected the current Kian might be fake because of certain inconsistencies. But when he'd tested him, the identical habits, identical preferences, identical mannerisms—all of it had dispelled his doubts about Kian.

Yet just when he'd completely dismissed his suspicions, Kian's remains suddenly appeared—dug up from the ruins of the orphanage where Marc had once stayed.

How could something so absurd exist in this world?

Emily, listening from beside him, couldn't hear what the person on the other end was saying, but from James's brief words, she picked up the key information.

The remains dug up from the orphanage ruins belonged to Kian?

Then who was the Kian on a business trip overseas right now?

Clearly, Emily shared the same question as James.

"There's no mistake."

On the other end of the line, Ivan continued, "The police station has the most advanced DNA technology, and after cross-referencing with the database, the match to Kian reached ninety-six percent."

"So it really is Kian."

James's eyes darkened. Through gritted teeth, he said harshly, "I understand."

"Yes, I'm certain. Those remains belong to Kian."

"I see."

James gripped his phone tightly. He took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down quickly.

"Are there any other leads?"

"Yes. I found something inside that old rag doll. It's hard to explain over the phone. Can you and Emily come to the police station today?"

James glanced back at Emily, then nodded.

"Alright. We'll come over together in a bit."