I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 384

The light turned green, and he practically jogged across the crosswalk.

Dressed in shorts and a tee, his skin was several shades tanner, highlighting the sharp, chiseled lines of his jaw.

His signature shaggy hair had been buzzed down to a clean crew cut. The brooding, airy artist vibe was gone, replaced by a rugged, grounded confidence.

He looked leaner, but overflowing with energy, his strides long and purposeful.

"Sienna! It's been way too long!" Paxton marched right up to her and threw his arms open for a hug, grinning like a little kid. "I missed you so much."

Finn immediately sidestepped, perfectly inserting himself between the two of them, and clapped a heavy hand on Paxton's shoulder.

"Brother, I missed you too."

Paxton froze for a second at the heavy pats, then violently shoved him away.

"Nobody cares if you missed me! Why the hell are you blocking me?"

Finn didn't blink.

"Keep your hands to yourself."

Paxton glanced at him, then over at Sienna, a slow smirk spreading across his face.

"Wait, did you guys get back together?"

"Absolutely not," Sienna shot back without hesitation.

Paxton clicked his tongue, turning back to look Finn up and down.

"Then what's it to you?"

Finn didn't answer, but he didn't budge either.

Paxton couldn't be bothered with him. He turned his attention back to Sienna, his gaze lingering as he checked her over thoroughly.

"I just got back to the city yesterday. Autumn called me a few minutes ago, and since I was in the area, I hurried over. I heard someone was giving you a hard time? Where's the trash? Let me have a word with them."

Sienna laughed, a genuine, radiant smile.

"Just nobodies. Don't worry about it. Let's go grab a bite to eat."

She extended the invitation, completely ignoring the fact that Finn was standing right there.

"Sounds great. Dinner's on me."

Paxton and Sienna fell into step beside each other, already walking away.

Finn scrambled to assert his presence.

"My car is parked right here. Let's all go."

Paxton shot Finn a sidelong glance. Over the past few weeks, even while in Hong Kong, he had kept tabs on what was happening back home.

He had read the public statement Finn released.

Why?

In her entire life, Sasha had never been treated with such blatant disregard.

She gritted her teeth, violently choking down the bitter, acidic jealousy burning in her throat.

Her phone buzzed.

She glanced at the screen and answered.

"Sasha, what are you up to?"

It was Sebastian, the brother who spoiled her rotten.

"Sebastian..." she choked out.

Her voice shattered into a million pieces, incapable of forming a coherent sentence.

She sank to the ground, all her stubborn bravado disintegrating in an instant.

Her swollen ankle couldn't hold her weight anymore, so she collapsed onto the concrete steps and buried her face in her knees.

The wind swept down the street, tangling her hair in wild strands.

She didn't make a sound as she cried, but the hand clutching her phone shook uncontrollably.

"Where are you?" The voice on the other end instantly turned lethal. "Who the hell messed with you?"