Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 135: Following Julian Sullivan (Bonus - )

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Following Julian Sullivan (Bonus Chapter)

The winter rain in Riveria pattered against the car window, blurring the outside world.

Stella Sterling sat in the passenger seat, her gaze piercing through the rain, fixed intently on the nearby The Sullivan Building.

Finn Lockwood sat in the driver’s seat, barely daring to breathe, feeling like the air in the car was so tense it might snap.

It was already the third day.

Since that blurry video dropped like a stone into still water, creating a massive upheaval, Stella had changed into this present state.

She was no longer despondent, no longer crying, replaced instead by a determination that burned fiercely.

She used every connection she had, casting an invisible net silently towards Julian Sullivan.

But Julian Sullivan was too clean.

So clean it sent chills down one’s spine.

He went to work as usual, handled business, and met with clients.

After work, he occasionally had social engagements, only going to a few fixed private clubs, as routine as a precision-tuned machine.

He went home, turned off the lights, and there was no further movement.

He didn’t go to the hospital, didn’t visit any suspicious private clinics, or come into contact with any unfamiliar faces.

"Boss, could it be... we were wrong?" Finn Lockwood’s voice was hoarse, filled with days of exhaustion.

They had been taking shifts keeping watch for three days, their eyes bloodshot, yet they had found nothing.

Stella said nothing, just pressed her lips tighter together.

Were they wrong?

Was the figure jumping into the river in the video, the scene with Julian Sullivan at the explosion site, all false?

And the way he came to her that day, those meaningful words, the probing gaze...

No.

She refused to believe it.

Shane Donovan must still be alive.

He must be somewhere.

And Julian Sullivan was the only lead.

"Wait." She uttered just one word, hoarse yet with an undeniable resolve.

The wipers moved mechanically from side to side, clearing a patch of clear view, swiftly covered again by fresh raindrops.

The fourth day was the same.

Hope was like charcoal being doused by rain, leaving only a faint red glow.

Stella leaned back in her seat, her eyes lined with red from the days without rest.

She felt like a string stretched to its limit, a little more force, and it would snap with a "twang".

The fifth day, afternoon.

The rain stopped, but the sky remained lead gray, pressing down so heavily it was hard to breathe.

Julian Sullivan’s car, just as the previous days, promptly drove out of The Sullivan Building.

Stella almost numbly followed.

However, this time, the black sedan did not head to the familiar clubs or drive towards home.

It turned onto a relatively secluded road, the speed steady, the destination clear.

Stella’s heart skipped a beat, almost jumping out of her chest.

She instinctively sat up straight, her fingers gripping the seat fabric tightly.

"Follow," she said, her voice tense, "careful, don’t get too close."

Finn Lockwood perked up as well, cautiously maneuvering the car, blending into the sparse traffic, following at a comfortable distance.

Their hearts drummed in their chests.

Stella fixated on the taillights of the car in front, every turn, every slowdown, causing her breath to catch.

The car eventually drove into a serene area, tall trees lining the road, their branches and leaves appearing somewhat desolate in the winter, with a private hospital known for its discretion at the end of the road.

Julian Sullivan’s car glided smoothly through the hospital gates without hindrance.

This must be the place!

This is definitely where he’s hiding Shane Donovan!

A massive wave of joy, akin to a tsunami, engulfed Stella in an instant.

Her vision blurred briefly, her hands and feet trembling with excitement, barely able to contain the impulse to throw open the car door and rush inside.

"Boss!" Finn Lockwood quickly held her back, "Calm down! We’re not certain yet..."

"I’m certain! I’m sure!" Stella’s voice trembled, her eyes instantly reddening, "He must be here! Shane Donovan is here!"

She took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.

She couldn’t alert them.

Given the effort Julian Sullivan had put into hiding this, there must be tight security.

"You wait here," Stella pushed open the car door, "I’ll go in and have a look."

"I’ll go with you!"

"No need!" Stella refused, "The more people, the higher the chance of getting noticed. Stay outside to cover me. If anything happens, notify me immediately."

She pulled her coat tighter, lowered her head, and walked briskly towards the hospital entrance.

Her heart pounded as if it were about to leap out of her throat.

The hospital’s interior was lavish yet quiet, the air filled with a mix of disinfectant and a faint fragrance.

Stella suppressed her wildly beating heart, trying to appear as natural as possible.

She couldn’t ask directly, that would immediately arouse suspicion.

Pretending to be a relative visiting a patient, she headed towards the VIP ward elevator, relying on memory and deduction.

Each step felt as if she were treading on clouds, or perhaps razor blades.

She hid around the corner of the fire escape, holding her breath, her eyes locked on the elevator’s flashing numbers.

The elevator stopped on a particular floor.

Stella’s heart skipped a beat.

She memorized that number.

She waited.

Every second stretched like years.

Carefully, she made her way down that corridor.

The thick carpet absorbed her footsteps, so quiet she could hear her own blood flowing.

Where did Julian Sullivan go?

A surge of anxiety crept over Stella.

Just then, a door to a patient room up ahead opened from the inside.

Stella quickly retreated, hiding behind the wall, only one eye peeking out, her heart nearly stopping.

The person who came out was Julian Sullivan.

His face revealed no emotion, the same gold-rimmed glasses, cultured and steady.

He gently closed the door and did not leave immediately, seemingly giving instructions in a low voice to someone inside.

The distance made it impossible to hear.

But Stella’s gaze was laser-focused on that door.

That’s the place!

He must be inside!

Shane Donovan... is just behind that door!

She could almost picture him lying in the hospital bed, perhaps thinner, injured, but definitely alive!

He was so strong; how could he possibly die so easily?

Ecstasy and bitterness intertwined, stinging her nose, her vision quickly becoming blurry.

Julian Sullivan finished his conversation, turned, and walked toward the elevator.

Stella pressed herself against the cold wall, waiting for his footsteps to fade into the elevator before suddenly darting from her hiding spot.

She rushed to that door, her hand lifted but suspended in midair, trembling violently.

Close to home, yet hesitant.

She was scared.

Afraid that once the door was opened, she’d be met with bitter disappointment.

Afraid the person inside wasn’t the one she’d longed for day and night.

But what if?

What if he was in there, waiting for her?

Taking a deep breath, she summoned all her strength and pushed the door open—

The room was softly lit, arranged like a suite from a luxury hotel, so cozy it scarcely resembled a hospital.

But as soon as she saw the person lying on the bed, Stella froze on the spot...

All the blood in her body seemed to freeze at that moment, rushing back so quickly that her limbs went cold, her mind turning blank...