I knew I had to say something, but the words that came out were more offhand than thoughtful. "I might not be one now, but who knows about the future?"Thorsten burst out laughing, and Milly, still nestled in his arms, giggled along with him."Daddy, this lady is nice. She played with me," Milly chimed in.This kid definitely thought I was a rockstar.Her mom, though? Yeah, not so much. Sasha's face darkened, and she gave me this look like she was already convinced I was Thorsten's latest fling or something."Well then, from now on, you can always come find this lady to play," Thorsten said, like I'd somehow become a regular in their lives.I opened my mouth, unsure what to say. Arguing in front of Milly didn't feel right, so I just brushed it off like he was humoring her.Then Thorsten walked up to me, still holding Milly. "Got time to play with my daughter? You can name your price."Wait—was he seriously asking me to babysit? Did he think everyone had as much free time as he
Matthew didn't respond at first, and a sudden chill ran down my spine. Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed his arm."Matthew... Matthew..."He finally took a heavy, ragged breath, then slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was distant, unfocused. "Rea... I almost didn't wake up just now."My heart raced. "I'm getting the doctor."But before I could move, Matthew, weak but determined, caught my hand. "No need to panic. I'm fine. This isn't the first time—it's just sleep paralysis."Sleep paralysis? I'd heard of it before, usually in a casual, "freaky dream" kind of way. But in his condition—severe cancer—this felt far from ordinary. My gut told me it was a sign something deeper was going wrong.I wasn't a doctor, but I wasn't clueless either. And with Lena, my best friend, being a nurse, I'd picked up more than just the basics."Matthew, let's get the doctor to check on you anyway. I won't feel right unless we do," I insisted, my voice firm. I wasn't taking any chances.A doc
Matthew's expression softened, almost like a dad looking at his kid. "To me, you'll always be that little girl. But listen, being serious and stubborn is great for work, not so much for life."I knew why he said it, but people don't change overnight. We are who we are."Rea, sometimes not knowing everything brings a little happiness. You don't have to figure it all out, you know?" His words were soft, almost fatherly.Seeing the worry in his eyes, and thinking about his illness, I nodded, even though deep down I still held onto my beliefs."Rea," Matthew said softly."Yeah?"He shook his head. "It's nothing.""No, it's something. You've definitely got something on your mind," I pressed, sensing he was holding back.Matthew chuckled. "Nothing gets past you, does it?""Why hide it? Whatever secret you've got that you can't tell Lindey or Wayne, you can tell me. I'll keep it locked up, promise." I raised my hand like I was swearing an oath.He laughed, amused. "I don't have any
"I'm calling from the demolition office. We posted the demolition notice earlier, and now there are some final procedures you need to complete. You're the last one holding things up, so please come by as soon as you can."My mood, already low, sank even further.I'd known for a while that I needed to sign the demolition papers, but I kept putting it off.It felt like, as long as I didn't sign those papers, the place couldn't be torn down. And if it wasn't torn down, my home would still be there.But now, no matter how much I'd delayed, I had to sign. The place was getting demolished.I couldn't be the one holding up the whole process, keeping people from moving into their new homes.After all, the neighborhood was old. Who wouldn't want to live in a shiny new development with fresh houses?"Okay, I'll come by now," I agreed, without even hesitating.After hanging up, I let out a long sigh, got in my car, and drove to the demolition office.I signed the papers like they asked,
Thinking about how long it had been since the accident, I let out a dry, bitter laugh. "Is that even necessary anymore?""If something comes up, we'll need a way to reach you," he replied, surprising me.I couldn't imagine what could come up after all these years, but I scribbled down my number and walked out.With the death report in hand, the only thing I still needed was the cremation documents. For that, I had to turn to Matthew. But since he was still unwell, I decided to reach out to Lindey instead."Rea, what brings you here?" Lindey looked more surprised than pleased when she saw me."I need to talk to you. Let's go inside," I said, feeling drained—whether it was from running around because of Yuna's situation or just my period, I wasn't sure, but I felt lightheaded."Oh, okay. Well... let's sit in the gazebo instead; it's too stuffy inside," Lindey suggested, linking her arm through mine as she led me toward the garden.I didn't think much of it and followed. She called
I held my breath.Then, a familiar voice reached my ears. "Mrs. Johnston, I don't want to cause any trouble. I just want to see Jace. If you let me talk to him, I'll leave and won't make a scene."Tanya.She actually showed up here!And from what she said, she was looking for Jace. I'd assumed he might've already reached out to her after I called him, but clearly, I was wrong.This woman had some nerve for asking the Johnstons about Jace's whereabouts"Is that a threat?" Lindey was clearly not one to back down."It's not a threat. I just want to see Jace," Tanya replied, using that same innocent, helpless tone she always pulled.People say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and Tanya was the perfect example.The first time I met her, I thought she was sweet, pure—the kind of person who made the world feel a little brighter.But that illusion shattered fast."And I told you, Jace isn't here," Lindey shot back, frustration creeping into her voice."I know he's not here,
But I knew Tanya wouldn't actually drink it. She had worked too hard, clawing her way toward wealth and status. If she didn't give up after that hospital fiasco, there was no way she'd quit now. This was just another ploy to get Lindey to spill about Jace.Tanya probably thought Lindey and Matthew were hiding him, keeping them apart on purpose."Tanya Twain, your games are getting real creative," I said, stepping into the room.Lindey spun around, panic flashing across her face. She looked terrified I'd get the wrong idea.But Tanya? She wasn't surprised. She must've seen me coming. Even so, the way her hand shook on the bottle gave her away.Her expression shifted, turning all pitiful. "Keira, I had no choice. Jace is gone. His phone's dead. You've seen it—I've got nothing left."She was laying it on thick, but I wasn't buying it.I nodded toward the bottle. "Isn't your way out right there?"Her face darkened. Yeah, she wasn't drinking it. This was all about squeezing Lindey f
Lindey caught me as I stumbled back.My heart pounded as I stared at Tanya—her face pale, completely rattled. Had I hit a nerve?I was just speculating, trying to push her into reacting, but her meltdown made me wonder: Was Desmond's death really an accident?If Tanya had a hand in it, she was way more dangerous than I'd thought.No wonder Desmond's parents had cursed her out. Maybe they knew more than anyone realized."Tanya, you're feeling guilty, aren't you?" I pushed, determined to make her crack.She was already shaken, but now it was time to tear down her entire façade.Tanya shook her head, still clinging to her denial."You set Desmond up," I continued, my voice steady. "He became a roadblock in your climb to wealth and status. He had to go so you could chase what you really wanted."Her eyes widened in pure horror as I laid it all bare. "But you knew being twice-married would make it harder to win over Jace. So, you staged a scene—something Desmond would stumble upon.