After Him Chapter 6

He staggered toward the gurney covered with that white sheet, his fingers trembling so badly he could barely control them as he yanked back a corner.

A face swollen and purple, crisscrossed with wounds, was exposed under the harsh lights. The build and hair color were so similar to Emma's! Deep whip marks, horrific burn scars, and countless needle marks—like red-hot brands searing into his retinas, burning his very soul!

"NO——!!!"

His eyes went bloodred like a crazed, caged beast. He grabbed the metal rail of the gurney, his roar echoing through the corridor. "This isn't her! You're lying! Emma's not dead! Examine her again! That's an order!"

He shook the long-cold body uncontrollably, trying to wake something up. Hospital administrators and security who'd rushed over tried to restrain him, but he violently shoved them away.

"Major Carter! We've confirmed repeatedly—this IS Ms. Emma Sullivan!" the attending physician insisted, holding out medical records and the death certificate despite the pressure. "All procedures were followed. Identity has been verified... Please accept our condolences and face reality."

"Fuck reality!" Jameson snatched the papers and instantly tore them to shreds! As paper fragments flew through the air, his desperate, twisted face emerged. "I don't believe it! Emma, wake up! It's me, Jameson! I was wrong! Please wake up and look at me!"

Finally, all his strength seemed to drain away. He collapsed to the floor but still clutched that cold body tightly, burying his face deep in the lifeless neck, sobbing uncontrollably. Scalding tears quickly soaked the cold white sheet.

Crushing regret crashed over him like a tsunami, drowning him completely. Emma's gentle smile, the desperate emptiness in her eyes the last time she looked at him, that heart-wrenching "I hate you" from the operating table...

All of it now transformed into the sharpest blades, carving up his heart. He had pushed the person he loved most into an irredeemable abyss—with his own hands!

Just then, Riley rushed over. Seeing his breakdown, a flash of satisfaction crossed her eyes, though her face showed panic. "Jameson! Emma... how could she..."

Jameson's head snapped up, his blood-red eyes like a man-eating beast locked onto her face, bone-deep hatred practically overflowing. "What did you do to her?!"

"I... I just wanted to teach her a small lesson... who knew she was so weak, so unable to take it..." Riley instinctively made excuses.

"A small lesson?!" Jameson felt his blood flowing backward, his vision darkening. He was so weak he couldn't even stand to confront her. He could only clutch "Emma" in his arms, repeating broken phrases over and over: "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Emma's funeral was grand yet bleak.

Jameson pulled every string he had, selecting the most expensive mahogany casket, placing inside it the few simple pieces of jewelry she'd loved, several plain dresses she'd often worn, and the books she'd loved to read.

He wore a crisp black dress uniform that couldn't hide how gaunt he'd become, like a corpse drained of its soul.

He refused all attempts at comfort, kneeling before the casket for three days and nights without sleep, not taking a drop of water, just apologizing and repenting to that cold coffin over and over.

Sometimes sobbing uncontrollably, sometimes staring blankly and talking to himself, sometimes flying into a rage and driving away anyone who tried to approach—completely sealing himself in a world built of regret.

After the funeral, Jameson collapsed from high fever and extreme weakness, unconscious for days.

The moment he regained consciousness, he used all his authority and power to investigate every detail of the three days Emma had been in Riley's custody.

Days later, two shocking investigation reports landed on his desk.

One detailed every atrocity Riley had inflicted on Emma in that safe house, complete with surveillance video screenshots and forensic photos of injuries. The other proved beyond doubt that all the previous incidents where Emma had supposedly "framed" Riley were Riley's own fabrications! It even included a clear recording of her privately threatening and bribing a young nurse to give false testimony!

Jameson looked at photos of Emma covered in blood with completely hopeless eyes, listened to recordings of Riley's malicious, triumphant instructions. Veins bulged on his forehead, his nails dug deep into his palms drawing blood—he didn't even notice.

He violently swept everything off his desk—files, decorations—all crashing to the floor. He let out an anguished roar like a dying beast! Then like a hurricane, he burst out the door and stormed into the private care facility where Riley was recuperating.

"Riley. Hayes." He approached step by step, his voice cold as judgment from hell. "Is what's in these reports true? What exactly did you do to her?!"

Riley saw him and the documents in his hand. Her face went deathly pale. She tried to make excuses, but Jameson delivered a resounding slap that sent her sprawling to the floor!

"Explain? These photos, videos, audio recordings—are they all fake?!" Jameson bent down and grabbed her throat, his eyes so vicious he looked ready to devour her alive. "I'm going to make you... pay back a hundredfold! A fate worse than death!"

After releasing Riley, who was nearly suffocating, Jameson issued a series of cold, ruthless orders: terminate all military contracts with Hayes family businesses, systematically attack the Hayes family's publicly traded companies, use special channels to freeze most of the Hayes family's liquid assets, and place Riley under 24-hour house arrest.

His revenge had only just begun.