After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 146: Going to See Alice York’s Body
The night air was cool and still. Moonlight illuminated a field overgrown with weeds.
An SUV sped toward an abandoned brick factory and screeched to a halt. The doors remained shut, and the surroundings were utterly silent.
Inside the vehicle.
Finn Hawthorne sat with his head bowed, face in his hands. He didn’t move until a sharp knock on the window—KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—startled him. He jerked his head up, and moonlight streamed through the glass, illuminating his deathly pale face.
The man at the window flinched at the sight.
But he quickly composed himself and asked, "Young Master, should we clean up the blood inside?"
Finn Hawthorne still hadn’t gotten out of the car. The men outside were at a loss, not daring to act without orders, which was why they had come to ask.
Originally, Finn Hawthorne had just wanted to vent his anger and teach Alice York a lesson. He never thought it would end in someone’s death. While he hadn’t killed her personally, he couldn’t escape responsibility.
For the Hawthorne Family, something like this was easy to handle.
They hadn’t called the police yet, and the body was missing. They guessed it had already been dragged off for disposal. Later tonight, or perhaps tomorrow morning, the killer would most likely return to clean the scene. And just like that, without a trace, a living person would vanish from the world.
Perhaps, after some time, someone might stumble upon discarded body parts, or a woman’s corpse floating in the ocean, or a severed limb dug up by wild dogs...
The police would arrive swiftly, investigate the case until the killer was caught, and the Hawthorne Family would have remained completely uninvolved from start to finish.
"Don’t clean it up yet..."
Just then, the car door opened.
Finn Hawthorne got out of the car slowly, his hand gripping the door for support. His first step on the ground was unsteady, and he staggered. Fortunately, the man beside him was quick to react, catching him and holding him steady.
"Young Master, be careful."
"I’m fine." Finn waved his hand away and slowly raised his head to look at the abandoned factory before him. A searchlight shone from within, and his men stood guard outside.
After a moment, he began walking toward it, one step at a time.
When he reached the entrance, the man on guard stepped aside and offered him a clean handkerchief. "Young Master, the smell of blood is strong inside."
Finn Hawthorne steadied himself, took the handkerchief, and pressed it over his nose and mouth as he walked in.
During the entire drive from Silvanus to Rhovan, his mind had been fixated on his subordinate’s words: ’drag marks paved with blood’.
’She must have died a horrible death.’
The very thought of it made Finn feel as if he were suffocating.
The moment he stepped into the abandoned factory and saw the floor covered in dried, blackened blood, he nearly passed out.
"Young Master, are you all right? Are you okay?" one of his men asked, rushing to support him.
"So much blood..." The stains covered the floor, especially the long, smeared trail.
Finn Hawthorne’s face grew even paler. He shook his head, muttering to himself, "I got her killed. I... I got someone killed. It was my fault. It was me."
His subordinate immediately said, "Young Master, Alice York’s death has nothing to do with you. Don’t blame yourself."
Finn squeezed his eyes shut. "How can it have nothing to do with me? I caused her death indirectly. It’s my fault. Keep searching for the body. You have to find it. And find the killer."
"Young Master, do you want to avenge Alice York?" his subordinate asked, uncertain.
"Avenge her?" Finn’s expression was vacant for a moment. "Just find the body and the killer first."
Finn Hawthorne didn’t sleep the entire night. He stayed awake until the first pale light of dawn broke the horizon, when he received a phone call.
He answered. "Speak."
The voice on the other end said, "Young Master, they found Alice York’s body."
CLATTER. The phone dropped, sliding under the seat. Finn was stunned for a few seconds before he came to his senses and fumbled to pick it back up.
As he picked it up, he noticed his hand was shaking. He gripped it tightly to still the trembling and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is the body now?"
"At the morgue. We heard she was pulled from the ocean at five this morning. She’s been taken to the morgue, and the police have been dispatched to investigate the cause of death."
Hearing this, Finn took a deep breath. "Is the body intact?"
The person on the other end hesitated.
Finn’s voice grew heavy. "Speak."
Only then did the man continue, "The body is mostly intact, but it’s covered in wounds. Her skull is fractured... In short, it’s gruesome."
"..."
’Her skull was fractured. She must have suffered inhuman torture before she died.’
Just imagining the scene made Finn feel suffocated and hopeless.
She had only crossed him by accident. All he’d wanted was to teach her a lesson, to make her understand he wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Who could have known it would cost her her life?
"Do you want to go see her, Young Master?" the voice on the phone asked.
Finn hadn’t planned on going, but now that the man mentioned it, the thought took root. He suddenly felt a strong urge to see for himself.
"Are the police guarding the place?" A layer of sweat coated the palm holding his phone. "Can I still get in to see the body?"
"Yes. If you want to see her, Young Master, you can."
’I’m the one who got her killed. What’s the point of looking at her body now?’
Finn wanted to say no, but the words that came out were, "Arrange it. I’ll go take a look at her."
"Right away. I’ll arrange it now."
After hanging up, Finn tossed the phone aside and slumped back against the seat, completely drained.
’Alice York is really dead.’
’Her body’s been found.’
’She...’
Finn closed his eyes, and an image suddenly flashed through his mind: Alice York’s face, mangled beyond recognition, contorted in a savage snarl as she came to claim his life. As her blood-soaked hands reached for his throat, promising he would pay the price, he snapped his eyes open, gasping for air in terror.
’She can’t be resting in peace.’ 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Finn immediately grabbed his phone and called his brother, Felix Hawthorne, who was far away in Arden. "Felix!"
The voice that came from the other end was calm and smooth, instantly soothing Finn’s panic. "What’s wrong, Finn?"
Finn swallowed hard. "Felix... I... I might be responsible for someone’s death."
The other end of the line went silent.
Finn called out again, "Felix?"
Felix’s voice returned. "Is it ’might be,’ or are you?"
Finn slapped his forehead. "She’s... dead."
Unlike Finn, who was utterly panicked, Felix remained remarkably calm upon hearing the news. "Tell me exactly what happened. Have the police traced it back to you? Who is it that died, and how? Explain everything clearly."
Not daring to hide a single detail, Finn told Felix everything, exactly as it had happened.
After listening, Felix said calmly, "Don’t worry. I’ll handle it."
With that, the line went dead.
Finn felt a wave of relief, but for some reason, the thought of Alice York’s face brought an inexplicable pang to his heart. ’Is this guilt, or something else?’
「A few minutes later.」
The driver pulled the car over in an even more secluded area.
Finn got out and looked around, confused. "Where are we?"
The man who answered him said, "This is where they’re holding Alice York’s body."
Finn didn’t see any sign for a morgue. As he puzzled over this, the man beside him pointed. "Young Master, Alice York’s body is being kept in there."
Finn followed the man’s gesture and saw a door. He stared at it, suddenly hesitant. ’Should I really go in?’
"Young Master, we don’t have much time, just a few minutes," the man beside him urged. "You have to leave as soon as you’ve seen her. The police will be here any moment."
Finn had been about to abandon the idea of seeing the body, but his subordinate’s words galvanized him. He squared his shoulders and immediately walked toward the door.
