CHAPTER 251

Jack barely slept. He kept replaying conversations he’d had with Kei Ren—Dianna. How did he not know? He should have known, shouldn’t he? All the times she complained about her neighbor—which he now knew was him—should have tipped him off. They had been playing online together since before Dianna moved into the building, but he still felt he should have known that his gaming partner lived right across the hall. It was almost— almost —another betrayal, but she didn’t know he was JJ from JJ and the Kid. She would never have been so open with him if she had known, especially not when they still hated each other IRL.

And then there was the conversation they’d had recently when she told him she had an illness and how it had caused her last partner to leave. He’d encouraged her to be truthful with her new partner, assuring her that if he loved her, he wouldn’t run away. But Jack had run away. He’d done exactly what she was afraid he’d do. Jack had taken one look at her on the floor and im