I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 12

Sienna didn't say a word.

"These rumors have been going around for days, and even the director heard them. Your schedule..." Penny glanced at the paper in Sienna's hand and trailed off, the implication clear.

"I understand," Sienna said, her voice eerily calm. "Thank you."

After Penny left, she stood by the window, staring at the sky.

The bright March sun beat down on the parking lot in front of the ER, blindingly white.

She hadn't done anything wrong.

She had merely rejected someone she wasn't compatible with.

When she turned Zachary Vance down, she hadn't been rude or condescending. She had apologized sincerely and preserved his dignity.

She had even Venmoed Zachary for her half of their dinners.

Zachary had accepted the money.

She owed him nothing.

But now, she was the arrogant, cold-hearted villain.

And Zachary was still the honest, reliable, and deeply wronged good guy.

No one cared about the truth. No matter what she did, she was the one at fault.

Sienna took a deep breath.

A heavy weight settled in her chest, suffocating and immovable.

She opened the breakroom door and stepped out.

In the hallway, a group of nurses saw her, and their chatter cut off instantly, as if someone had pulled a plug.

Sienna walked past them without sparing a glance.

But she could feel their stares clinging to her back like tiny, prickling needles.

Throughout the morning, Sienna treated seven or eight patients without even taking a sip of water.

Every time she stepped out of an exam room, the hallway murmurs would drop to a hush, only to resume the moment she passed.

It was as if an invisible wall had been erected, completely isolating her.

At half-past two in the afternoon, she finally had a moment to sit down and open her lunchbox.

The sandwich was stale, and the lettuce had wilted at the edges. It looked entirely unappetizing.

She didn't care and forced down a few bites.

Her phone buzzed.

It was a message in the department group chat.

She tapped it open. It was an announcement from Director Dayton:

"Nominations for next quarter's Lead ER Physician are as follows: Dr. Miller, Dr. Davis, Dr. Smith..."

Her name was nowhere on the list.

Sienna stared at the screen, her fork suspended in mid-air.

The title of Lead ER Physician wasn't just an empty honor.

It meant better bonuses, more resources, and a clearer path to promotion.

She had returned from overseas last year and was immediately assigned to the ER.

She swallowed hard, brutally forcing the emotion back down.

"Wow, that looks amazing. Who made it?" Penny leaned in.

Sienna suddenly stood up, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a harsh screech.

"I don't know." She snapped the lid shut. "You can have it."

"You're not going to eat, Sienna?"

"I already ate."

Penny happily took the lunchbox and skipped out of the room.

The breakroom fell silent.

Sienna stared at the empty thermal bag on the desk.

The bag was brand new, the price tag still attached.

She reached out, tore off the tag, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into the trash.

Out in the corridor.

Finn hid in the shadows, his gaze locked on the door to Sienna's breakroom.

His heart hammered against his ribs. He was desperate to know how she would react after the young nurse delivered his food.

In the past, she had loved his cooking. Every dish was something he had painstakingly mastered just to see her smile.

Moments later, the door opened, and the nurse walked out.

Finn watched, his heart rising to his throat...