Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1470

A wave of sheer terror instantly invaded Bella's chest, violently hijacking every rational thought in her mind.

Her gaze traveled agonizingly upward from those polished black leather shoes, tracing the sharp lines of tailored suit trousers, up the imposing length of a bespoke jacket... She even caught the distinct, familiar scent of his expensive woody cologne...

From directly above her head came a voice colder than absolute zero: "Visiting Debbie's room in the dead of night. Bella, you certainly are in high spirits."

Sebastian's words were freezing, carrying a dark, murderous undertone that threatened to suck all the oxygen from the hallway.

Bella stood rooted to the spot for what felt like an eternity, entirely incapable of making a sound.

Sebastian—why was he here?

It was the middle of the night! It was pitch black outside!

It felt like an entire lifetime passed before Bella could finally force her vocal cords to work.

Then, a sudden realization hit her, offering a fragile lifeline. "Is it so strange for fellow patients to visit each other?"

Yes, she had been officially admitted as a patient today. Hearing her mother-in-law was ill, she simply dropped by. Suffering from insomnia, they decided to chat in the middle of the night to pass the time. Was that so incredibly abnormal?

Thank god. Thank god she had formally checked herself in as a patient today. Without that alibi, she would have absolutely no way to explain this trespassing.

Armed with a somewhat plausible excuse to shield her from his massive suspicion, Bella finally mustered the courage to meet Sebastian's gaze.

But the agonizing memory of the vanished money bled into her eyes, turning her stare deeply resentful.

Did Lady Luck truly have absolutely zero intention of throwing her a lifeline?

Why was she constantly being forced into these impossible dead ends?

Sebastian's tone was laced with deadly sarcasm. "Fellow patients?"

Clearly, he had been far too consumed with the broader investigation to notice her petty administrative maneuver.

Bella lifted her chin. "My room is right next door. Since we're all clearly suffering from insomnia, if you have a moment, you can come over and we can discuss the terms of our divorce."

She fought desperately to pivot the conversation, steering his lethal intellect away from the current scene.

He couldn't be allowed to fixate on why she was secretly visiting Debbie at midnight. Ever since the wedding, her relationship with the older woman was known to be incredibly toxic.

And Sebastian was far from stupid. With so many glaring clues scattered around, he would inevitably suspect a conspiracy and relentlessly hunt down the truth.

If that explosion caught her in the blast radius, it would be a total catastrophe.

Sebastian ordered with bone-chilling authority, "Let's see who dares to take a single step. Until every lie is unraveled today, no one is leaving this room. In the dead of night, what exactly do you think this place is? The staging ground for your conspired crime?"

At those two words, the blood drained from all three of their faces.

Crime scene?

Hearing him say that, a unified, terrifying thought struck them: Did Sebastian already know the truth?

But what could he possibly know? It made zero sense.

How on earth could he have uncovered anything?

Bella was the first to regain her voice. "Sebastian, what the hell are you talking about?"

Aside from his inherent, ruthless coldness toward women, Bella had long ago burned through every last ounce of his patience.

"You're nothing but trash yourself. What good could possibly come from the mistress's daughter? Aren't the three of you afraid of polluting this room and making the next patient sick?