I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 185

Arthur's living room was extremely cramped.

The sofa was so old that sitting on it left a permanent indent.

The coffee table was draped in a plastic sheet, pressing down a few fading photographs underneath.

Finn sat perfectly upright, looking like a man awaiting his final verdict.

"Arthur, here's the situation. I brought Sienna Sterling with me today. I'm hoping you'll repeat what you told me before, to help clear things up for her."

Arthur didn't answer right away.

He sat in a wicker chair opposite them, resting both hands heavily on his knees.

His gaze shifted away from Finn, landing squarely on Sienna.

It was a highly complicated look.

It held guilt, hesitation, and a bone-deep, resigned exhaustion.

"Miss, I don't think a few words from me are going to convince you of anything," he said quietly, standing up. "If you watch this, you'll understand everything."

Sienna remained silent.

He was right; mere words probably wouldn't have convinced her.

She simply gave a noncommittal nod.

Arthur walked over to a cabinet and crouched down.

His knees were bad, forcing him to hold onto the cabinet door to lower himself slowly.

From the very bottom shelf, he pulled out a yellowing, clear plastic bag.

He placed the bag on the table and unrolled it layer by layer.

The item inside was finally revealed—it was The Silver Drive.

Sienna and Finn exchanged confused looks, but neither interrupted Arthur.

Arthur plugged the flash drive into a laptop.

The screen flickered to life.

He clicked on the single folder displayed on the screen.

Inside was one solitary video file. The filename was a string of numbers that looked like a date.

He double-clicked, and a video feed popped up.

It was a study.

A mahogany desk, a blue-and-white porcelain pen holder, and calligraphy hanging on the wall.

The lighting was bright, the windows pushed open, and sheer white curtains fluttered in the breeze before falling still.

Finn recognized it instantly—it was Ford's study.

"Leave it to me."

After Arthur exited the room, Ford didn't answer the call right away.

He picked up a thermos from his desk, unscrewed the lid, and took a sip of water.

Then he cleared his throat—a deliberate, highly conscious adjustment.

He pinched his throat, testing a sound, and then cleared it again.

Anyone with eyes could see exactly what he was doing: he was altering his voice.

By this point, Finn's breathing had turned erratic and heavy.

Ford leaned back in his chair, settling into a more comfortable posture, crossed his legs, and hit the answer button.

He listened to the voice on the other end. Then, a cold, sneering smile of absolute contempt spread across his face as he spoke slowly:

"If she wants to die, let her. I won't even go to the funeral."

The call disconnected.

But the video kept playing.

The camera perfectly captured the side of Ford's face.

The corner of his mouth was curled into a mocking smirk.