Chapter 296

Why was Wayne calling me so late?

I frowned as Hayden added, "He's sent you a few messages, too."

I still felt groggy as he handed me the phone. Everything was a blur, and I was too drained to think straight. Hayden gave me a reassuring look and said, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the screen, unsure whether to pick up. Before I could decide, the call went to voicemail on its own.

I took the phone and opened the messages. They were the ones from earlier this morning that I hadn't read—all still marked as unread:

[Rea, can we meet up?]

[Rea, there's something I'm not sure if I should tell you.]

[Rea, please reply when you see this.]

He'd sent those in the morning, and there were two more from the afternoon:

[Rea, I'm waiting for your reply.]

[Rea, are you really busy?]

Seeing them all lined up, I could practically feel Wayne's anxiety.

He'd been waiting for me to respond all day. Whatever he was debating whether or not to