I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 64

It was devastating how easily human trust could shatter.

A single rumor was enough to burn it all to the ground.

A suffocating wave of despair washed over her, chilling her straight to the bone.

It thrust her back to the agonizing night Finn walked out on her—leaving her utterly broken, adrift, and entirely alone.

Drawing a shaky breath, she allowed herself exactly two minutes to feel the pain.

When the time was up, she lifted her chin, the fierce light returning to her eyes.

She wasn't the naive girl she had been four years ago. She absolutely refused to be broken so easily.

A moment later, the next patient walked in.

He was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a faded hoodie and jeans, slinging a canvas backpack over one shoulder.

Sienna quickly scanned the chart on her screen:

Joel Harper, twenty-five years old.

He stepped up to her desk but didn't sit, just stood there staring at her intently.

"Are you really The Spring Muse from the internet?"

Sienna looked at him, suppressing an exhausted sigh. Here we go again.

"I am your doctor. What brings you into the ER today?" she asked, maintaining a gentle, professional tone.

Joel looked instantly sheepish.

"Well, I saw your video online, and someone posted that you worked here. So I specifically requested to see you."

Sienna's posture stiffened, her voice cooling.

"This is an emergency department. If you aren't experiencing a medical issue, please do not waste vital hospital resources."

"No, no, I swear!" the young man waved his hands frantically. "I'm not here for a meet-and-greet. My stomach has been killing me lately, and nobody can figure out why. After watching your video, I just got this feeling you were a great doctor, so I wanted your opinion."

Sienna studied him carefully.

His eyes were earnest and bright—completely devoid of the sleazy intent of the man from earlier.

Her defensive walls lowered a fraction.

"Where exactly is the pain located?"

Joel pressed a hand to his lower right abdomen.

It wasn't acute appendicitis, or at least not entirely. It might be something far more dangerous.

"I'm sending you down for a CT scan." She printed out the requisition form, hastily typing a specific directive in the notes section.

Joel took the slip and turned to head out.

"Hold on a second," Sienna called out, stopping him in his tracks. "You mentioned you found my work schedule online. Where exactly did you see that?"

Joel blinked, looking mildly confused.

"Oh, in the comment section of the viral video. Someone dropped a link to a forum post. The thread had your full name, the hospital, and the exact department you worked in. It took some serious scrolling to track down."

Sienna gripped her pen tightly.

"Is that post still up?"

"It should be." Joel pulled out his phone, pulled up his browser history, and handed it to her. "Yeah, right here."

Sienna took the device with trembling fingers.

The thread's title screamed, *The Real Identity of The Spring Muse Exposed!* Below it lay a chillingly precise dossier: her full name, St. Jude's Medical Center, her ER assignment, her medical school, and even the exact dates of her overseas residency.

Her eyes flicked up to the banner of the website, and the breath was knocked cleanly from her lungs.