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.
"Matthew..." I stammered, my voice shaky with shock."Rea," he said, giving me a strained smile."Your hair..." I reached out, instinctively wanting to touch it.He frowned, confused. "What about my hair? Is it messy?"Suddenly, tears started streaming down my face.Seeing me cry, he looked even more confused. "What's going on? Why are you crying? Did Lindey say something to upset you? Don't listen to her, you know how she is."It hit me—he hadn't even noticed that his hair had turned almost completely gray.Just a few days ago, his hair was still black. But now? It wasn't totally gray, but at least eighty percent of it had gone silver.He looked like a completely different person, like he'd aged decades in just a few days. From a strong, middle-aged man to someone who seemed... fragile.I couldn't find the words. Especially since he had no idea what had happened to him.Instead, I stepped forward and hugged him tightly, the tears flowing freely now.He patted my back gently
Yes, everyone grows old, but seeing someone age overnight? That hit different. It pulled at your heart in a way that was hard to put into words.Matthew still brewed the tea, but even as I sipped it, all I could taste was the bitterness."Take this tea with you. Brew it at home—it's good for your skin," he said, carefully packing up the rest of the tea leaves for me.He really did treat me like a daughter. And now, more than ever, I could feel the guilt behind his kindness.I couldn't say no—it'd only make him feel worse."Alright, once I run out, I'll be back for more," I said, trying to keep my tone light, hoping to cut through the heaviness in the air."Good. Whatever you need, just ask. Rea, you're my daughter. You know that, right?" His voice was filled with sincerity.I nodded. "And in my heart, you've always been like a father to me."Back when I was in school, Matthew always came to my parent-teacher meetings.Sometimes Lindey wanted to go, but he insisted, saying his
I'd planned and plotted to get into Matthew's car, but in the end, it was way easier than I expected.Now, finding the address I needed? That was gonna take some work."Hey, Edward, can you pull over? My stomach's feeling kinda off. I think I'm gonna puke," I said, putting on my best 'I'm-about-to-die' face as we passed a pharmacy.He glanced at me in the rearview mirror, instantly looking freaked out. "Yeah, sure, sure," he said, pulling over fast.Once the car stopped, Edward turned around, full-on worried now. "Rea, you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?""Nah, it's probably just the tea Matthew made. Messed with my stomach or something," I said casually, dropping Matthew's name so Edward wouldn't brush it off.I clutched my stomach for extra drama. "Could you grab me some omeprazole from the pharmacy? One pill should do the trick."Edward nodded, but still looked unsure. "You sure you don't need a doctor?"I didn't respond, just gave him a look that said, drop it.Ed
I decided to take the plunge—entering the last three digits of their birthdays.It felt too obvious, but Matthew and Lindey always seemed to favor Jace a bit more, so I started with his numbers, then Wayne's.As I typed in the last digit, my heart felt like it was about to explode. I couldn't even hear anything over the pounding in my chest.Edward was only ten meters away. I didn't dare look at him. I was locked on the screen, praying it would work.Suddenly, the "Private" label blinked to life. The password had worked. And right there, the destination popped up: Serenity Retreat.I knew that place. It was one of the three wellness centers I'd researched. After all that effort, I finally had the answer I needed—those two crucial words.I quickly reached to close the navigation history just as Edward opened the door.His eyes immediately flicked to my hand and then to the screen. My hand was trembling, and sweat was starting to trickle down my back."Rea, what are you doing?" h
Matthew and Lindey had always been so good to me—so good that even thinking about doubting them made me feel guilty.But now, even Lena was starting to suspect something.It felt like my heart was free-falling from the sky, crashing into a pit of panic I couldn't escape."I need to find out the truth."The more uncertain things got, the more desperate I was to know. Not just for my dad, but to clear Matthew's name—if he was innocent.Lena didn't say much, just gave me a small nod. "Whatever happens, I've got your back."Her words hit me harder than I expected, like she already knew what I might uncover.But I couldn't stop until I found the truth.After leaving the ER, I stepped outside to catch a cab. To my surprise, Edward was still there. He stood a little ways off, clutching the meds he'd bought me, his phone glued to his ear."...Yeah, she accessed the car's display... said she was just looking for music..."My entire body went cold, even with the sun beating down on me.
The silence between Lindey and me was suffocating.I was just about to come up with an excuse to end the call when Lindey's voice cut through, trembling with anger. "Matthew's like this because of that bitch. For that alone, I'll never forgive her."She was practically spitting the words out. I had never heard Lindey sound so vicious before. It sent a chill down my spine, leaving me completely speechless."Rea," she said, "when you can, visit Matthew more often. You're the only one who can give him some peace."Her words weighed heavy on me, but I agreed.After the call ended, I leaned back in my car seat, feeling completely drained, like something was crushing my chest, making it hard to breathe.When I got home, I curled up on the couch, my mind racing, trying to piece everything together.Everything pointed to Thorsten. But the connection between him and Matthew—their business ties—and the fact that Thorsten's location was password-protected? That just made things feel even m
"I don't know!" Hayden answered briskly.I laughed. "You don't know, but you showed up at my door anyway?"He finished chopping and tossed the veggies onto a plate. "The old lady downstairs told me. She was like, 'Your girlfriend's back.'"I froze for a second, caught off guard.Sipping my tea, I watched Hayden work with quiet admiration.Suddenly, he turned and caught me staring. "What? Why are you giving me that look?"I smiled lightly. "Just wondering if you're stalking me."His eyebrows shot up. "What?""I'm kidding, chill. I know you've got better things to do," I teased, wandering back into the living room.After a few more sips of tea, I set my cup down and started scrolling through my phone. Before I knew it, my eyes started getting heavy. I fell asleep fast.Then the nightmare hit. Darby grabbed me, and Thorsten Drago was there, telling him to kill me. A knife flashed, and I thrashed, trying to escape..."Kiki! Kiki, wake up..."I jerked awake, my heart pounding, b