I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 178

Sienna opened her mouth to protest, but the words completely failed her.

Eleanor patted her hand, wearing a knowing, self-satisfied grin.

"Oh, I get it now. The hospital has a strict anti-fraternization policy, right? Like I said, I used to be an obstetrician. I know some hospitals enforce those rules on paper, but trust me, everyone turns a blind eye in reality. But if you're worried about it, my lips are sealed. It'll just be our little secret."

"No, really, that's not..." Sienna groaned internally, realizing this misunderstanding was firmly cemented in Eleanor's mind.

She glanced back toward the path Maeve had taken, but the woman had already vanished into the shadows.

"Eleanor, do you know where Senior Thorne lives?"

"At the animal rescue station, not too far from the reserve entrance," Eleanor replied casually. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Sienna said, looking away. "I just thought... her suturing technique was remarkably advanced."

Eleanor didn't seem to care, gently pulling Sienna toward the parked car.

"Come on, dear, let's get you home. We need to drink that soup while it's still piping hot."

Sienna took a few steps but paused again, glancing over her shoulder one last time.

The sun had completely sunk behind the peaks.

There were no streetlights on the winding mountain roads. The headlights carved a narrow path through the absolute blackness, the pitch-dark silhouettes of the forest rushing past the windows.

Leaning against the passenger seat, Sienna couldn't scrub the image of that photograph from her mind.

The young boy's eyes, Maeve's eyes, Finn's eyes.

The three pairs of eyes spun wildly in her head, violently grinding against her temples until they throbbed.

The car had only been moving for a few minutes when a sudden, ear-splitting screech tore through the air.

The violent sound of rubber locking up and grinding against asphalt sent a sickening jolt straight through Sienna's chest.

Her heart leaped into her throat.

"Dammit," Joey hissed, his face instantly draining of color. "That blind curve up ahead is a notorious black spot. With it being pitch black out here, someone definitely just crashed."

"Joey, pull over right now."

Sienna practically kicked the door open before the car had fully stopped and sprinted toward the bend.

The moment she rounded the curve, her boots dug into the dirt, her body locking up as her heart skipped a violent beat.

A massive black SUV was stranded on the shoulder, the entire right side of its front bumper plunged deep into a drainage ditch.

It was clearly the aftermath of a desperate, emergency swerve.

The headlights were still blazing, casting two blinding pillars of white light against the sheer rock face, illuminating the jagged stone in a harsh, ghostly glow.

She was bracing her hands against the pavement, struggling to push herself up.

Sienna's vision was razor-sharp.

As her eyes swept over the mess of scattered medical supplies, she spotted the photograph.

It had slipped out of its hidden compartment during the fall. Half of it was pinned beneath the heavy plastic iodine bottle; the other half was completely exposed to the harsh glare of the headlights.

Sienna's stomach dropped out.

The photo was right there.

And this time, the boy in the photo was standing less than ten feet away!

Sienna held her breath.

She instinctively darted her eyes back to Finn.

She desperately needed to see his raw reaction to Maeve.

Did he recognize her?

At that exact second, Finn finally noticed the woman on the ground. His heavy boots crunched against the gravel as he strode purposefully toward her...