I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 128

Chloe hovered nervously by the door, offering a stiff nod, too terrified to speak.

Grant tucked his phone into his pocket and stood up.

"Rest up. I have a board meeting to get to."

He walked out without looking back.

Ford stood up immediately after him.

"Mom, get some sleep. Call me if you need anything, and I'll drop by again later."

His tone was warm, but his feet were already carrying him toward the exit.

The room fell dead silent, leaving only Yolanda, Chloe, and Finn.

Yolanda leaned back against her pillows, her piercing gaze locking onto Chloe.

She stared for several agonizing seconds before finally speaking.

"Chloe, come here."

Chloe flinched, but slowly approached the bed.

Without warning, Yolanda raised her hand and delivered a vicious slap across Chloe's face.

The sharp crack echoed violently around the sterile room.

Chloe clutched her cheek, staring in absolute, stunned silence.

"Care to explain the bookstore?" Yolanda's voice was barely above a whisper, but every syllable dripped with venom. "Why on earth does that little tramp, Sienna, own it?"

Tears instantly spilled down Chloe's face.

"Mrs. Fletcher, it wasn't my fault, it was..."

She choked on her words. She couldn't say it was Paxton. Mentioning Paxton would be admitting that he had been practically running the place for her all these years.

She absolutely couldn't confess to that.

"Mrs. Fletcher, I'm so sorry. I'll figure something out, I promise."

"Do you have any idea how deeply you humiliated me today? You've grown awfully bold, haven't you? Hiding things from me, lying to my face? Hm? Who gave you the audacity?"

As she spoke, Yolanda violently grabbed Chloe by the arm.

She yanked her closer and delivered two more brutal backhands.

One caught Chloe across the ear, the other split her lip.

Chloe was completely disoriented by the assault.

Her ears rang so loudly she couldn't even muster a sob.

Finn surged forward, clamping his hand over Yolanda's wrist.

"Mom, the doctors said you cannot afford to get worked up. You need to stop, for your own sake."

Yolanda glared at him, her chest heaving with exertion.

Yolanda suddenly laughed, cutting him off entirely.

"Why go through all that hassle? This public hospital is perfectly fine. I'll just rest here, and if my tests are clear, I'll be discharged in no time."

Finn stared at her, a heavy stone dropping into his gut.

His flight suspension was almost up; he couldn't play bodyguard 24/7.

He needed a new plan, fast.

"Go on, back to your life," Yolanda waved him off dismissively. "I'm exhausted. I need to sleep."

Finn shot Chloe a dark look before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

The second the door clicked shut, Yolanda's eyes snapped open.

She turned to Chloe, her gaze predatory.

"Sienna has a habit of stealing what belongs to you. Do you hate her?"

Chloe's hands balled into tight fists.

"I hate her."

"Good," Yolanda leaned into her pillows, her voice deadly soft. "Go down to the ER and find Director Dayton. Tell him I need a word."

Chloe looked at her, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.

"Mrs. Fletcher, what are you planning?"