I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 260

A pair of headlights cut through the darkness, sweeping over them.

A sleek black sedan glided smoothly to the curb, and the rear window slowly rolled down.

Silas's face emerged from the shadows. His expression was completely unreadable.

"Dr. Sterling. Let me give you a ride home."

Sienna froze for a split second, but quickly stepped toward the car, pulling the door open and sliding into the backseat.

The heavy door clicked shut with a muffled thud.

Finn stood frozen on the pavement, watching the car melt into the night, the red taillights shrinking until they vanished entirely.

His shadow was stretched impossibly long by the streetlamp, dragging behind him like a tether.

He didn't move. He felt entirely hollowed out, as if someone had reached inside his chest and scooped out his soul. He was nothing but an empty shell.

Every word Sienna had just spoken echoed violently in his skull.

"I want to get married. I want to have children."

"If it's you, I won't have any hope."

"Even if I chose Silas, I wouldn't choose you."

Every syllable was a jagged needle, stabbing directly into the most agonizingly vulnerable parts of his heart.

Inside the car.

Sienna sat rigidly next to Silas in the spacious backseat.

She kept both hands politely folded in her lap, looking like a terrified student sitting next to a strict principal.

Silas was her boss.

She was terrible at navigating interpersonal dynamics with authority figures outside of a purely professional setting.

Just having him sitting next to her, not saying a word, made the air feel suffocatingly thin.

"Did you enjoy the fireworks?" Silas finally broke the silence.

His tone was conversational, as if he were asking if it might rain tomorrow.

Sienna's fingers tightened in her lap.

She remembered the girls at the next table squealing about it being a 'confession.'

Her ears started to burn.

"I liked them," she replied carefully. Then, eager to deflect, she added, "Do you often put on firework displays, Mr. Hayes? That's very romantic of you."

Silas spoke again.

"The place you're living in is too far from the hospital. The daily commute is too exhausting for you."

Sienna opened her mouth, ready to insist she was perfectly fine.

"I own a property near the hospital. It's currently sitting empty." His tone remained flat and absolute. "You should move in. You can stay as long as you like. If you don't like the furniture, tell Caspar, and he'll have it replaced."

Sienna was utterly stunned.

"Mr. Hayes, really, that's not necessary..."

"It's not charity," Silas cut her off smoothly. "If you get an extra hour of sleep every night, you'll be sharper during your shifts. I'm the director of the hospital. Ensuring my top doctors are in peak condition is taking responsibility for the patients. Consider it a corporate investment."

Everything he said sounded so perfectly logical and professional, but Sienna wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what it meant.

She was painfully aware that she absolutely could not accept the apartment. In this world, nothing was ever truly free. Every gift had a hidden price tag.

"You're home." Silas's dark eyes swept over her, completely devoid of warmth.

Sienna's heart raced. Tonight was clearly not the right time to flat-out reject him. She would have to find a better opening later.

"Thank you for the ride home, Director Hayes. Goodnight."