And it seemed like they'd been watching for a while.Which meant they'd seen all the little affectionate moments between Hayden and me. Great.I wasn't sure if I was imagining things, but their expressions didn't seem all that pleasant.Since we'd run right into them, avoiding a greeting wasn't an option.Hayden and I walked over, saying hello to Lindey, Matthew, and Wayne.Lindey was the first to smile. "Rea, Hayden, what are you two doing here?"I glanced at Hayden. "We're visiting a friend."I left it vague, not mentioning Yuna. Hayden was big on protecting his sister's privacy, and I knew if Matthew or Lindey found out she was in the hospital, they'd want to visit. Explaining that to Yuna would get complicated fast. Best to keep it under wraps.Then I turned to Matthew. He was leaning on Lindey, looking pale and clearly not doing well."What happened to Matthew?""He's—" Lindey started, but Matthew cut her off. "Just high blood pressure, nothing serious."Lindey gave him
My face stiffened at Yuna's question, but Hayden lightly knocked her on the forehead. "What are you, a census taker?"Yuna pouted. "I was just asking."I turned to Hayden. "All the tests are done. Why don't you take her to get something to eat? I need to check on something."Of course, Yuna, ever curious, asked immediately, "What are you checking on?"But Hayden understood right away, smoothly guiding her away. "You didn't used to talk this much. Did being here turn you into a chatterbox?""I'm just afraid I won't get the chance to talk this much later," Yuna said softly, her words hitting us both like a punch to the gut. Hayden went silent, and my heart twisted painfully.So, Yuna was scared—scared she might not make it through the surgery."Don't be ridiculous," Hayden said gently, tapping her head again.Yuna clung to his arm, and they slowly walked away until they disappeared from view. Only when I couldn't see them anymore did I turn back to go find Matthew."Rea!" Lindey
Brad's sentence cut off with a scream as I tossed my coffee right in his smug face.He shot up, dripping, wiping at his soaked shirt. "What the hell, Keira? Are you out of your mind?!"I held up my now-empty cup. "Next time you pull crap like that, I'll crack this over your head—and then hand you over to the cops. Enjoy that chat."Brad stood there, a mess in his white T-shirt, coffee dripping from his hair in sad little clumps. Honestly, two words: total loser.Still, he wasn't done being obnoxious. "You think this is gonna scare me? You've got it all wro—"I didn't stick around for the rest. I turned on my heel and walked right out of the café.Wayne caught up to me. "Who was that guy?""Tanya's brother," I muttered, pulling a wet wipe from my bag to clean the coffee off my fingers. "He's been annoying me for a while.""Does he pull this often?""A few times," I said, tossing the used wipe into a trash can.Wayne didn't press any further, and honestly, I didn't feel like ge
"Keira, you're really clingy with Hayden," Yuna teased, giving me a playful smirk. I felt a little awkward, but then she added, "But I really like it.""You little brat," I shot back, pretending to glare at her. She just giggled.I stepped out of her hospital room and glanced down the hall. Empty. Hayden must've found somewhere quieter to take his call. After a second, I headed toward the stairwell.As I got closer, I heard Hayden's voice."...The shop's gone, but the mechanics should still be around. Track them down... Yes, it's necessary. I need to give Keira an answer, and clear my dad's name."When I heard that, my chest tightened.I'd been debating whether to reopen the investigation into the brake failure that caused the accident. I hadn't told Hayden, but it seemed like he'd already started digging into it.His call ended, but before I could step forward, his phone rang again. I paused.The stairwell door was cracked open, and through it, I saw Hayden holding a cigarette
My heart dropped. "Did something go wrong with the tests?"Lena shook her head, her hands tucked into her white coat pockets. "No, it's the donor—there's an issue on their side."I frowned. "What?""The donor's a brain-dead patient. The family had agreed to donate, but now they've changed their minds."I got it. The donor was a match. If they backed out, Yuna would have to wait. Again.And who knew how long?"Do we know why?" I asked.Lena pursed her lips. "No clue. The details are confidential. We just got the notice."I thought about Yuna, how excited she'd been. This would crush her."So, Nate called Hayden away for this?""Probably," Lena said, giving me a light nudge. "Don't worry. Nate will figure something out. But for now, the transplant's on hold.""Yeah, well, if she can't stay in the hospital for surgery, maybe we could, like, discharge her and take her out for a bit," I said."Your future sister-in-law, your call," Lena teased.I nudged her back. "Speaking of,
My period had just started."Wait up!" I called after Lena, jogging to catch up. "You totally jinxed me—now my period's here. Can I borrow some of your stuff?"Lena didn't miss a beat, pulling the key to the break room out of her pocket and handing it to me. "Help yourself."We got into the elevator, heading to her department, but before we even arrived, shouting echoed down the hall."You shameless bitch! You married my son, and now you're running around with another man. You killed my son! And now you're pregnant with some bastard child and have the audacity to claim it's ours? You think we're stupid? You just want Desmond's compensation money!"...Lena rushed ahead, but I froze in place for a second. That voice... Why did it sound so familiar?I really needed to grab some pads and get to the restroom, but my curiosity got the best of me, and I found myself drawn toward the noise instead."This baby is Desmond's. Once it's born, we can do a paternity test and prove it," I he
If Mrs. Blake actually rammed into Tanya like that, the baby would be gone for sure.Even though she refused to believe it, Jace had already made it clear the baby wasn't his—it was Desmond's. If something happened to that baby, their family line would end for good.My heart skipped a beat, and before I even realized it, I was sprinting forward.Lena, who was closest to Mrs. Blake, moved fast too, grabbing hold of her just in time. "Mrs. Blake, you cannot do this."Tanya, who'd been silent until now, suddenly snapped. "Let her hit me! This is her own grandchild. If she kills it, her family line's gone for good.""You still claim that child's ours?" Mrs. Blake was wild with rage, her eyes blazing. "I'll beat it out of you right now and prove if it's really my grandchild.""Fine! Let's settle it right here!" Tanya shot back, just as furious.I didn't want to jump into this mess, but the baby was innocent—and it was Desmond's last link to this world.I took a deep breath and storm
Seeing Tanya refuse to accept reality, I couldn't help but sneer. "You don't believe me? Fine. How about this—I've known Jace for over ten years. We practically grew up together. I probably even know his bathroom schedule."I borrowed a line Steve used to tease me and Jace.Tanya's face paled, her body swaying like she might lose her balance. She shook her head, like if she just denied it enough, it wouldn't be true. "No, that's not possible. It's not like that.""Don't believe me? Go ahead, try it for yourself," I said, my voice cold and cutting.She didn't respond. She just stood there, staring at me, frozen in place. Then, without another word, she turned and stumbled away, her steps shaky as she walked off.I watched her retreat, but something about her erratic behavior stayed with me. After a few seconds of hesitation, I pulled out my phone and dialed Jace.I almost forgot he'd been dodging everyone's calls, going MIA."Rea," Jace's voice came through the line.He actually