The System Patched the Bug, Sending Me Home and Leaving Him in Ruin Chapter 06

The System Patched the Bug, Sending Me Home and Leaving Him in Ruin Chapter 06

Midnight. Renee had fallen asleep.

The clock on the wall ticked steadily. Finn had just finished talking to the doctor and slumped onto the couch, exhausted.

A nagging, ominous premonition gnawed at him for no clear reason all night long.

Renee had gone into shock. The pregnancy had nearly been lost.

Finn had cleared his schedule and stayed by her side for three full days.

Now, in the quiet, a sharp twinge twisted his heart out of nowhere. An image surfaced in his mind—Chloe Hale.

He closed his eyes, confused by the jumble of emotions he couldn’t quite name. He’d always thought he loved Renee, yet lying next to her now, his heart was completely cold and dead inside toward her. He’d told himself Chloe was replaceable, but tonight, he missed her.

He pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Chloe. Their last exchange was from half a month ago—a smiley face from her, and a short “Thank you.”

She’d wanted to go for Japanese izakaya dinner. He’d put it off for days, then finally asked her along because he didn’t want to go alone.

He remembered she’d looked pretty that night, wearing light makeup. Even when he turned down the spicy wasabi garnish she offered, and pushed aside everything he didn’t like, she stayed cheerful the whole time.

She’d always been so gentle, so accommodating—almost humble in the way she loved him.

Seven years. She’d been by his side for seven years, longer than Renee ever had.

Finn knew, deep down, that Chloe would make a good wife. He was used to having her around.

But staring at the chat log that had gone silent for three days, his expression darkened. Had he been too harsh? Had he scared her off?

He typed out a message: “Do you understand why I was upset?”

She shouldn’t have used Renee to test him. He hoped she’d learn that lesson someday.

Before he could hit send, his assistant called.

“Mr. Carter, the officer who took Ms. Lane’s place as a hostage… she didn’t make it.”

Finn was preoccupied and waved it off impatiently.

“Find her family, offer them $200,000 and be done with it. Officers do this kind of work. Handle the PR and prevent any public backlash from tarnishing Renee’s name.”

The assistant hesitated.

“There’s something else—”

“Speaking of Chloe…” Finn turned on the TV, his tone casual.

“Get her something nice. A necklace or a watch, your call. Have it delivered on her next day off.”

He’d seen how heartbroken she’d looked the other day. Maybe it was time to make things official. He was going to marry her eventually, wasn’t he?

The screen lit up. Chloe’s photo filled the frame.

He stared blankly at the words next to her picture: “Officer Chloe Hale,” “multiple stab wounds,” and “killed in the line of duty.”

For several long seconds, his mind failed to register the horrific headlines.

Then his assistant’s voice came through, trembling.

“Mr. Carter, that’s exactly what I was trying to break to you. Ms. Hale is that fallen officer from the hostage situation. I thought you’d already been notified.”