But who would've thought that behind closed doors, Desmond's life was so rough?"Desmond was only human. He got tired too. I'd catch him sneaking out at night to smoke, trying to hide it from me. Every time, it broke my heart. I blamed myself for being such a burden," Tanya said, shaking her head like she was the tragic one."I wanted to leave him, not because I didn't love him, but because I loved him too much. I didn't want him to be so worn out." Her words painted her as some kind of martyr."Well, he's not tired anymore. He'll never be tired again," I muttered under my breath.Tanya caught the bitterness in my voice. "You've never lived a day in my shoes. You don't get it," she snapped, her voice rising.She stared at me, but after a beat, the anger drained from her face. "As for Desmond's death, I swear I didn't hurt him. I just wanted him to see my betrayal, to push him away so he'd leave on his own, set him free.""The car accident wasn't your fault?" I whispered."No, no
She just wanted him around?The nerve of her.I looked at her pitiful face, my voice turning colder. "Tanya, you've got it wrong. It's not Jace's body you want—it's his status, and all the money that comes with it."Tanya pressed her lips together. "I won't deny that, but..."She paused, then delivered her next line like a punch straight to the gut. "But over these months, Jace has treated me just as well as Desmond ever did. I've really fallen in love with him. I want to spend my life with him."So, this was her way of telling me Jace cared about her, that she couldn't live without him.Even now, she saw me as competition.Yet here she was, begging me for help.Even while pleading, she couldn't resist twisting the knife. She really thought I was that easy to play.I gave her a faint smile. "Jace was so good to you, but he still ran off."Her face froze. I continued, "Are you sure he wants to spend his life with you?""As long as he comes back, I'll make it work," Tanya whis
Jace stayed silent. Tanya, already bawling, tried again, her voice shaky. "Jace, I can't do this without you. I don't even know what to do anymore..."Still, nothing. Tanya panicked, thinking he'd hung up. "Jace? Are you there?"She glanced at my phone, saw the call was still connected. "Jace?"Finally, his voice cut through—cold and sharp. "Who told you to go to my house? Did you forget what I said?"Tanya's hand shook as she held the phone. "I didn't have a choice. I'm just trying to protect the baby. You said nothing could happen to it."I had to bite back a laugh. Just days ago, she was ready to ditch the baby in front of Desmond's parents. Now she was all protective mom mode? Please."Tanya, this is the last time," Jace warned, his voice like ice."Jace, wait—"But the call ended with a cold, empty dial tone. Tanya just stood there, gripping the phone tighter. "Jace... Jace...""Yeah, he hung up. Give me my phone back." I snatched it from her hand.She staggered, looking
An abortion?! Seriously?Tanya was still out here stirring up drama, as usual.But, whatever. If she wanted to be extra, let her. I've got enough problems right now. There was no way I was about to go play hero."Let her be," I said, shrugging it off."Whoa, not playing the saint today?" Lena teased, reminding me just how much I used to butt into everything.I smirked. "The saint went rogue."She burst out laughing. "I love it."After she hung up, I dragged myself to the demolition office to deal with the final paperwork. They handed me a form, saying I had three days to pack and bounce.I thought I'd been ready for this since I first saw that demolition notice. I even started packing. But now, with the deadline set in stone, it hit me like a truck—my apartment was about to be torn down, for real.When I got back to the complex, I just stood there, staring up at the building like an idiot. The old ladies I used to see hanging around? Gone. Probably moved already.I was so dee
So, it was all just in my head. Even my dad's voice—it was nothing more than an illusion.They'd been gone for ten years. How could I have possibly heard them?I stood there, feeling completely lost. The last rays of light disappeared, and the room was swallowed by darkness. The weight of losing them—of never seeing them again—hit me hard, and the tears finally came, unstoppable.That night, I barely slept. My dreams were filled with flashes of my mom and dad, haunting and bittersweet.When I woke up, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. My body was heavy, aching, like I'd spent the night doing hard labor. I tried to drag myself out of bed but couldn't manage it.That's when it hit me—I was sick. I touched my forehead. Warm. Fever, probably."Kiki, you up?" Hayden's voice came from outside the door.I opened my mouth to answer, but all that came out was a raspy whisper. My throat felt like I'd swallowed glass.I grabbed my phone and typed out a message: [I'm sick. You can come
"I'll have two orders of pasta. One without tomato sauce, sub black pepper sauce. A mango juice, plain water, and a blueberry mousse—light on the cream."Nate placed the order with such ease, and it was clearly meant for two.One of those dishes? Tailored exactly to Lena's tastes. She was all about black pepper sauce, but hated tomatoes. A detail only someone close to her would know. Lena never made a fuss about food in public, but she'd never touch anything with tomatoes.Nate hadn't seen her in years, and they'd only recently made things official. Yet here he was, already tuned into her preferences. It was sweet how much attention he was putting into this relationship.I used to joke that watching them was like watching two clueless people stumble into love, but clearly, they were way more serious than I gave them credit for."We should order," Hayden squeezed my hand gently, bringing me back to reality.I nodded, realizing now wasn't the time to interrupt Lena and Nate. They w
I opened my social media and noticed a new friend request. Normally, I don't accept random adds unless they got my number, but I clicked on it out of habit. The name? Cedric Sawyer. Apparently, he's a cop.I racked my brain, trying to place him. Then it clicked—he was the officer from yesterday, the one who handled my parents' case. I didn't catch his name at the time, but yeah, that had to be him. Plus, he'd asked for my number, so it made sense.I shrugged and hit accept. A notification popped up, saying we were now connected. I didn't message him, though. If he had something to say, he'd reach out first.I flipped over to Lena's profile and shot her a message: [Girl, you need to tone down the superhero vibe. Be playful, maybe even a little flirty. Let him feel like he's gotta protect you or something. Right now, you're making him feel like he's the sidekick.]After sending it, I glanced across the café at Lena, but she was totally absorbed in her drink. Classic Lena—always obliv
Hayden, quick as ever, caught my juice before it could spill all over the table. Before I could even turn around, I heard a voice I knew way too well."Kiki, you're something else. Maybe I should start taking notes," Lena teased, sliding up beside me with that mischievous grin.I lightly swatted her arm. "You know, scaring people isn't cool.""If you're scared, I definitely can't afford the compensation. Right, Hayden?" Lena shot him a playful look.This girl—around Nate, she was all sweet and innocent, but with anyone else, it was like she got a license for sass. How she managed to flip the switch in front of Nate, I'd never know."Where's Nate?" I asked, glancing at the empty seat he'd been in earlier."He left," Lena shrugged, plopping down next to me. Her eyes flicked to Hayden. "Hayden, seriously? Two plates, and Kiki's got none? Not exactly boyfriend of the year material."She said it on purpose, totally knowing Hayden had eaten my leftovers.I nudged her under the table,