The Arms Dealer Gave My Only Antidote To Her Chapter 03

The Arms Dealer Gave My Only Antidote To Her Chapter 03

He laughed. Let go of my wrist. Ran his thumb over my cheek like he was examining a trophy that had lost its shine.

“Sloane, everything you have came from me. Including that life of yours. Now you want to walk away with my stuff? Who gave you the nerve? Or is this another one of your ‘I’ll pretend to leave so you’ll chase me’ games?”

“Tessa isn’t feeling well tonight. I’m going to the medevac jet.”

He straightened up, grabbed two tactical shirts from the closet, and tossed a paper bag on the vanity.

“You didn’t eat dinner. Picked this up on the way.”

His voice was flat. 　　“Since you’ve got the energy to tear things apart, I guess you don’t need it.”

I watched his back and suddenly said, “If you leave now, you’ll never see me again.”

Declan stopped. Turned around. Nothing but cold mockery in his eyes.

“Sloane, I never said you could die.”

His voice went harder, pure command.

“Stop testing me. Behave.”

He slammed the door. Didn’t even see the blood seeping between my fingers.

I collapsed on the floor. My breathing was a dying flame.

[System alert: One hour, twenty minutes until termination.]

With my last strength, I opened the encrypted laptop and sent a timed email to my personal lawyer.

[Mr. Lee, attached are the estate donation trust and cremation directive with no service. Electronic signature is valid. Execute at 8 a.m. tomorrow. No memorial, no funeral. Scatter my ashes in the Pacific near Big Sur.]

Send. The cold screen light hit my white face.

I looked down at my ring finger. Slid off the wedding band that marked me as Mrs. Kane. No hesitation. Dropped it into the sink full of bloody water.

Plop. The diamond sank into the red, no more sparkle.

Eight years. Finally over.

The pain had gone numb. My consciousness was slipping.

[System alert: Last hour countdown started.]

Tessa’s call came in. I answered. Said nothing. 　　“Sloane, you’re still awake?”

Her voice was light and smug.

“Declan just drove half an hour to that old farm stand to get me bone broth. He said the stuff around here isn’t clean. Isn’t he such a dork?”

I leaned against the headboard and stared at the ceiling.

“Tessa. Did the medicine taste good?”

A pause. Then a sweet little laugh.

“Of course it did. He fed it to me himself. Made my heart all fluttery.”

“Sloane, Declan told me what he feels for me is love. What he feels for you is just guilt. He said your clinginess makes him sick. That you don’t know your place anymore. He’s paid you back for whatever you did for him. So it’s time you gave back the Mrs. Kane title.”

I closed my eyes. Hung up. Blocked her.

My stomach turned. I lunged for the bathroom and vomited blood all over the tiles. My body gave out. Sweat flooded my vision.

I tried to get downstairs for the painkiller on the coffee table. I made it to the stairwell, my knees buckled, and I fell. Bounced down the steps.

I lay on the cold marble floor. Couldn’t move.

Through blurred eyes, the front door opened. Declan walked in. Carrying a bag from that old bone broth place.

The second he saw the mess, his pupils shrank. His big body froze.

Then—panic turned into fury.

He strode over, slammed the thermal bag on the entry table. The crash hurt my ears.

He stood over me, eyes cold enough to kill.

“This is your stunt?”

He crouched slowly, pinched my chin, forced my head up. His voice was ice, each word carved.

“You did all this to make me come home? Fun?”

I opened my mouth. Only a broken whisper came out.

“It hurts. Declan. Help me.”

I grabbed his pant leg.

“Get me to a medic station. Please.”

He was about to speak when the satellite phone screamed. The head medic.

“Mr. Kane! Miss Miller just stopped breathing! Her heart rate crashed!”

Declan went white. Shot to his feet.

“I’m on my way.”

He didn’t peel my fingers off. Just looked down at me, freezing. 　　“Sloane. You can’t pay for Tessa’s life.”

Then he yanked his leg back, turned, and walked away. Didn’t look at me again.

The door slammed. An engine roared. He didn’t look back.

I lay on the floor and smiled.

[System alert: Ten minutes until host death.]

I pulled out my phone and sent Declan one last message.

“Declan. I don’t owe you anymore.”

Then I pressed the system’s confirm button.

Confirm execution of simulated death protocol.