When I recalled what I'd said earlier, my breath caught in my throat. I wanted to explain, maybe apologize, but Hayden, still kneeling beside the couch, stood up before I could say anything. "Dinner's ready. Come eat."As he pulled his hand away, I realized how tightly I'd been gripping him. In my dream, I thought I was holding onto my parents—but it had been Hayden all along. And I'd cursed him, thinking he was the one getting in the way.Awkwardly, I let go. His arm lifted, revealing deep red marks from where I'd squeezed too hard.Without a word, he turned and walked off. I slowly sat up, feeling sticky and uncomfortable. I'd definitely broken a sweat—probably a sign the fever had finally passed."Here, put this on. Don't catch another cold," Hayden said, coming back with a blanket.I reached out to grab it, but my grip was still weak, and I almost dropped it. He ended up draping it over me himself, then handed me a warm, damp cloth to wipe my hands.For a moment, I felt like
After I said that, I remembered what I'd wanted to ask him yesterday. "Those guys who came after you—did they give you any more trouble?"As I spoke, I glanced at his hands and face, instinctively checking for any bruises. Luckily, there weren't any."No," Hayden said, almost like he could read my mind. "And even if they did, they wouldn't stand a chance."So confident.I finished the last sip of my soup and asked, "Have you found out anything about your dad's accident? Like, who's behind it? Why are they coming after you?"Hayden looked at me. "They're scared I'll find out the truth about my dad's boss's death."He was being vague, like always, leaving me to dig for more. "Was his boss some big deal? Did his death mess with people's plans or something?""It's been over a decade. There's no financial benefit left. What they're worried about is the boss's kid holding a grudge."Something in his voice made my throat tighten. "The boss had a kid? Do they know you're investigating?
My mouth was faster than my brain—again. Ugh, such a problem.The second the words left my lips, I realized how inappropriate they sounded.I was scrambling to figure out how to backtrack when Hayden just said, "Alright."Wait, what? Did he just... agree?He didn't brush it off, didn't make some macho comment about not needing my help?Even if he didn't reject the idea of staying with me, I figured he'd at least say no to borrowing money. But this time, he didn't.He must really be struggling. The thought that he might actually need help for his sister tugged at my heart a little.That feeling passed fast, and I cleared my throat, trying to get back on track. "Has your sister seen any doctors? If she has medical records, send them to me. I know some people who could help.""Sure," he agreed.With nothing left to say, I stood up. "Thanks for today. I should get going."Hayden looked at me. "If you start feeling sick again, call me.""Will do," I replied with a smile, turning
Before dawn, I woke up again. After a quick shower, I noticed a text from Hayden reminding me to grab the breakfast he'd left outside my door.He never asked why I didn't eat the last one, but he still kept making it for me anyway.I didn't want to waste his effort this time, so I ate the breakfast and headed to work.When I got there, the place was still empty since I was early. I sketched out my plan for the day, looked over everyone's recent work, and realized I still had some time to kill before the day officially started.I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through social media. I mean, yeah, it's a total time-suck, but I don't have many friends these days. At least this way, I can keep up with their lives, even if we don't really talk anymore. It was kind of nice to see how they were doing.Steve posted about some billiards tournament he entered. Lena, the superstar OB-GYN, posted about delivering another baby—she tracks every single one she helps bring into the worl
As soon as I sent the message, Steve called me back almost immediately."What's up? Someone trying to take advantage of you?" he asked bluntly.I laughed. "I wish! I haven't even met the guy. How's that supposed to work?""You haven't met him? So you're asking me to dig him up just 'cause you're curious?" Steve sounded surprised. "Keira, you think I've got that much free time?"He'd literally just posted about entering some billiards tournament, so I knew he was busy.Realizing I might've jumped the gun, I quickly said, "If you're swamped, forget it. I'm just curious. It's no big deal.""Come on, are you trying to guilt-trip me?" Steve joked, pretending to be offended.I chuckled. "Nah, seriously, just curiosity. If you have time, cool. If not, don't stress.""For you, I've always got time," he said, reassuring me. "I'll look into it."But he didn't hang up right away. I could tell there was something else on his mind—probably about Jace's post.I stayed quiet. After a long p
Where else could I go to hold onto their memories?"Keira," a voice called out from the stairwell.It was Ms. Brown, Hayden's landlord.I didn't even have to ask—I knew she'd heard about the demolition."Keira, they're really going to tear this place down... such a shame," she sighed.I didn't know what to say, so I just stood there, my expression reflecting the sadness I felt.Ms. Brown went on, "I just spent money fixing up my place. It's barely been rented out a month, and now I have to kick the tenant out. What a waste."I stayed quiet."Keira, I've been trying to reach that young man renting my place, but he's not picking up. If you see him, can you tell him to call me back? And maybe give him a heads-up about the demolition so he can start looking for a new place and pack up his stuff.""Sure," I agreed."Thanks, Keira," Ms. Brown said politely, but her tone quickly shifted to a more gossipy one. "You've met him, right? That guy renting my place—he seems decent, doesn't
VastReach Group.Thorsten Drago.The moment I saw the company name and the bold signature of the legal representative, everything clicked. Both were too familiar to ignore.VastReach Group is RiverwaveCorp's biggest partner, and Matthew had a particularly close relationship with Thorsten Drago, the chairman of VastReach.But what confused me was why my dad had a contract with VastReach from ten years ago.As far as I knew, my dad wasn't working for RiverwaveCorp back then. So what was he doing with this contract?I flipped through it again. It was an agreement for a new energy development project. That same project is now a major division under RiverwaveCorp—extremely successful and making tons of money.Technically, this contract should have belonged to RiverwaveCorp. But Matthew's signature wasn't on it.I set the contract aside and opened my father's notebook.It was a work diary, mostly filled with project plans and symbols I couldn't quite make sense of. I kept flipping t
But I had to find out the truth about my dad's death.After going back and forth in my head, I realized I didn't have much of a choice—I needed Wayne. I just had to come up with a good excuse.While I was still mulling it over, my phone rang.It was Lindey, and she didn't waste any time. "Jace is gonna be the death of me and Matthew! If he really goes through with dating Tanya Twain, I swear, we'll drop dead before we let that happen."I wasn't shocked by her reaction. I tried to keep my voice calm. "Lindey, seriously, you guys shouldn't let this get to you. I mean, relationships, marriage... it's not something parents can control.""Of course we can't control him! Otherwise, we wouldn't have let things with you and him get this far. But if he thinks he's bringing a pregnant widow into this family? No way in hell," Lindey snapped.Her words piled onto the pressure already crushing me, and honestly, I didn't know what to say—or if I even wanted to.Jace and Tanya had betrayed me.