After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 147: Wyatt Sterling’s Eyes Redden with Rage
’I should go take a look.’
’After all, I was the one who killed her.’
Finn Hawthorne gently pushed the door. As it slowly swung open, a white sheet covering a body came into view.
A sharp pain stabbed Finn Hawthorne in the chest. He pressed a hand over the spot. ’What the hell?’ he thought. ’Why would my heart ache over Alice York’s death?’
He walked in, one step at a time.
The white sheet before him was a real eyesore.
He hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out. His fingertips pinched a corner of the sheet and began to lift it, little by little.
"I’m sorry, Alice York. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry..."
As Finn Hawthorne murmured his apologies, he pulled back the sheet. The moment he saw what was underneath, he was so frightened he staggered backward and fell to the floor.
"How is it a skeleton? Where’s the body?"
A cold, harsh voice came from behind him. "Isn’t a skeleton a person?"
The words had barely faded when, before Finn Hawthorne could turn to see who had spoken, a sharp pain shot through his neck. Darkness swallowed his vision, and he passed out.
He was out for half an hour. Finn Hawthorne was woken by pain.
He found himself lying on the floor, his hands and feet bound so tightly he couldn’t move at all. A leather shoe was pressing down on his head, grinding forcefully into his scalp until it felt like his skull would crack.
"Who... are you?" The moment the words left his lips, his voice came out broken, hoarse, and thin, as if carried away by the wind.
There was no answer—only the shoe grinding down harder.
Finn Hawthorne tried to struggle, but his captor simply kicked him, sending him flying several meters until his back slammed hard against the wall.
"Aargh..."
A scream of agony escaped Finn Hawthorne’s lips.
’It feels like my bones are shattered.’
If the wall hadn’t been there, the kick would have sent him flying even farther.
"Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you treat me like this! Prepare to face the wrath of the Hawthorne family! I’ll have you..."
Before he could get the word "dead" out, Wyatt Sterling walked over and stomped his foot onto Finn Hawthorne’s face.
"Have me what?" A bloodthirsty smile played on Wyatt Sterling’s lips, and the cold darkness in his eyes was enough to tear a man to pieces.
At that moment, Finn Hawthorne finally got a clear look at the man grinding his shoe into his face.
’Wyatt Sterling!’
’It’s him!’
’But why is it him?’
’This all-consuming rage of his, this fury that makes him want to stomp me to death... who is it for? Could it be for Alice York?’
"Wyatt. Sterling! Why is it you? What are you doing here?" Finn Hawthorne asked through gritted teeth, forcing out each word.
Wyatt Sterling leaned down slightly. "What do you think?"
"Alice York... she..." As Finn Hawthorne mentioned Alice York’s name again, a clear flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. "You’re doing this for Alice?"
Wyatt Sterling grabbed Finn Hawthorne by the collar, his eyes flaring with murderous intent. "No one touches her. Anyone who does, dies."
With that, Wyatt Sterling lifted Finn Hawthorne and slammed him back onto the ground.
THUD! The back of Finn Hawthorne’s head hit the floor.
"Hiss... AAGH, IT HURTS!!!" Finn Hawthorne’s face contorted in agony.
But this was only the beginning. Wyatt Sterling kicked Finn Hawthorne in the shoulder, then followed up with several more kicks until Finn was in too much pain to even scream, his face drained of all color.
"I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to kill her." Finn Hawthorne could only manage a weak voice through the pain. "I just wanted to teach her a lesson. I know I was wrong. Stop hitting me... If you kill me, the Hawthorne family won’t let you get away with it."
"Don’t worry. I’m not aiming for any vital spots. You won’t die."
"..."
After saying that, Wyatt Sterling bent down, grabbed Finn Hawthorne by the collar, and slammed a fist into his deathly pale face.
Finn Hawthorne’s head snapped to the side. He tasted blood in his mouth.
’I’m going to die.’
’I’m really going to die.’
’I’m going to join Alice York in the afterlife.’
’So it really is a life for a life. There’s no escaping it. But for some reason, now that I’m on the verge of death, I don’t feel any fear. I’m not begging for my life anymore. All I can think about is seeing Alice York, apologizing to her in person, and explaining that I never meant for her to die so horribly...’
Just then, a slender figure appeared before him. The figure was walking toward him, getting closer and closer.
’Is... is that Alice York?’
’I must really be dying. I’m seeing the dead Alice York.’
SMACK! Another fist landed on Finn Hawthorne’s face. He closed his eyes, waiting for death to come.
"Third Uncle, stop hitting him."
Alice York came over to stop him, but Wyatt Sterling was radiating a murderous aura. The muscles in his arms strained against his shirt, threatening to rip the fabric. Every punch he threw at Finn Hawthorne was laced with killing intent.
Seeing that Finn Hawthorne was about to be beaten to death, she knelt and grabbed Wyatt Sterling’s hand. "Third Uncle, please calm down. Stop hitting him..."
She clutched the man’s tense arm, trying to soothe his rage and bring him back to his senses. If he kept going, Finn Hawthorne would be crippled, if not dead.
Perhaps her words had an effect, because Wyatt Sterling finally stopped and slowly turned his head to look at her.
Their eyes met. She saw that the fury in Wyatt Sterling’s eyes hadn’t dissipated—if anything, it was worse. His eyes were red.
She felt a surge of panic, but then Wyatt Sterling suddenly let go of Finn Hawthorne, slowly stood up, and walked outside.
Alice York glanced at the unconscious Finn Hawthorne on the floor, then quickly followed after Wyatt Sterling.
「Outside.」
Wyatt Sterling took the handkerchief Mason Cheney offered and slowly wiped his hands. His grim expression was enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart, but this time, Alice York wasn’t afraid. She walked to his side, took the handkerchief from him, and began to wipe the bloodstains from his hand herself.
Wyatt Sterling didn’t move. He just watched her.
Her head was bowed, and a few stray locks of her slightly messy hair fell across her forehead. She looked quiet and docile.
After watching her for a long moment, he spoke. "Are you still scared, thinking back on it now?"
Alice York lifted her head to meet Wyatt Sterling’s intense gaze and shook her head. "I’m not scared."
Wyatt Sterling’s lips pressed into a thin line.
Alice said, "I knew Third Uncle would come in time."
Wyatt Sterling’s tone was cold. "You don’t have to say things like that just to please me. If you were scared, just say so."
"..."
She had, in fact, been terrified at the time.
She had truly thought she was done for back in that abandoned factory. If they assaulted her, they would surely kill her to cover their tracks and dump her body...
In short, she had imagined all the most likely outcomes in those few fleeting seconds.
She had considered that Finn Hawthorne’s men might suddenly return.
Or something else.
The one thing she had never considered was that Wyatt Sterling would come.
He had appeared like a god, saving her just in time and dealing with those two men.
Just as he had with Finn Hawthorne, he’d dealt with those two personally. They had ended up in a miserable state, beaten until they were on their knees begging for mercy. Then, Wyatt Sterling’s men had taken over, and the floor became covered in their blood, with long drag marks trailing away...
Afterward, Wyatt Sterling had used that blood to set a trap. He’d even turned the person who contacted Finn Hawthorne, which was why Finn had come to see the "body." And then, Wyatt had effortlessly beaten him to a pulp.
If she hadn’t gone in to stop him just now, Wyatt Sterling, who struck without restraint, would have likely left Finn Hawthorne’s life hanging by a thread.
Now, thinking about the way he’d beaten the man—with a ruthlessness and brutality that bordered on madness—her hand suddenly trembled, and the handkerchief fell to the ground. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
She froze.
An instant later, an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. His voice, clearly meant to soothe her, came from above. "It’s okay. Don’t be afraid."
