Tanya stood in the crowd, her pregnant belly on full display, that smug, defiant smile plastered on her face.All eyes were on her. Matthew's grip on my hand tightened, and Jace was already storming over.Of course, Tanya knew how to grab attention. In the silence, she piped up again. "I'm carrying the baby you promised. You said he'd never want for anything."Lindey's voice cut through the tension. "What does your child have to do with us? Go find the real father instead.""Enough," Matthew said, shutting her down with a tired but firm tone.Jace reached her in no time, his face dark with anger. "What are you trying to pull?"She flicked her eyes toward me. "I agreed when you said you wouldn't marry me, Jace. I accepted your family would never let me in. But how can you promise me something and give it to someone else?"All I could think was, 'Wow, when someone's shameless, they really go all out.'Tanya wasn't here for anything but money and status, and she didn't care who sh
I continued, "You knew Desmond couldn't handle being betrayed by his wife and his best friend. You were banking on him losing it, and when he did, your brother swooped in, cutting him off at just the right moment, making sure he'd crash."Tanya's face went ghost-white as my words hit her. She shook her head like crazy. "No! That's a lie! You're just trying to ruin me because you don't want me getting the amusement park!"Jace grabbed her arm, his eyes blazing. "Is it true, Tanya? Tell me!""It's not! Jace, you were the one who always came onto me!" Tanya sobbed, tears streaking her face. "Keira, you see? It was always him. From the start, it was all him!""Cheater! Liar! Shameless!"The crowd was already getting rowdy, and now they turned on Jace. People started pushing and shoving, and the women were the loudest, throwing insults his way."Stop!" A deep voice cut through the chaos.Everyone froze as Hayden stepped forward, holding up his phone. Without a word, he hit play."..
Wayne's grip on my hand loosened, his expression softening as the tension drained from his face."Do you think even less of me now?" His voice was low, almost like he'd given up."It's not about looking down on you, Wayne," I said, locking eyes with him. "Back then, I chose Jace because he made my heart race, not because you weren't good enough. But now... after everything? I'm just disappointed.""Do you even know why I did all this?" he asked quietly.I laughed bitterly. "You were so clear-headed when you left four years ago. How did you end up like this, Wayne? Why are you losing yourself now?"Back then, when I got together with Jace, whatever path there was with Wayne had closed. Even after Jace and I broke up, Wayne and I were never going to be more than 'siblings.'"You loved Jace for ten years. I've loved you just as long," he confessed, and his words hit harder than I expected.But sympathy wasn't what I felt—it was just a reminder of old wounds.Loving someone in sile
I spun around, and my jaw dropped.Behind us, all the people who'd been biking around were now riding with streamers trailing behind them. I squinted, trying to read what they said, but before I could make out the words, the bikes picked up speed, and Hayden slowed ours down.When we were surrounded by the bikes, the words became clear: Kiki, marry me.My heart stopped. I whipped around to Hayden, wide-eyed.He just looked calm, like this whole thing wasn't a surprise at all."Wait... are you seriously proposing right now?" I blurted, my heart racing."Yep," he said, super casual. "I'm taking you home for good. That way, no one else can try."I knew who he meant—Wayne.Before I could even react, I heard someone yell, "Come on, Hayden! Get down on one knee already!"I followed the voice and spotted Yuna, perched on one of the bikes, grinning like she'd just pulled off the prank of the century.That's when Hayden hopped off our bike, circled around to me, and, like magic, pulle
I knew exactly what I had asked Steve to look into, but this wasn't the time I'd imagined getting an update. My head was spinning with everything that had just happened, but now this uneasiness crept in, making my eyelid twitch."What did you find?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady."The info you had wasn't the full story. There's a final conclusion you missed," Steve replied, sounding just as confused as I felt.I took a slow breath. "Were you able to find it?""No," Steve said, and suddenly his tone got more serious. "The officer who handled the case died shortly after your dad's accident."A cold shiver ran through me. "When?""One month after the investigation was closed."For a second, I couldn't even breathe. Steve's voice cut through the panic buzzing in my head. "Rea... you there?"I jumped in, my mind racing. "Do you think his death was connected to how my dad's accident was ruled?""I've thought about that," Steve admitted. "But officially, it's listed as sudd
I had Steve check it out instead of just waiting for Hayden's conclusion. I mean, it was his dad driving that day, and I couldn't shake the feeling he might lie to protect him.Now, though? Yeah, I was totally overthinking it."You're thinking the brakes failed that day, huh?" Hayden asked.We were officially together now, so no more dodging the truth. "Yeah. I need a real answer, though. Like, no guessing."Hayden went quiet for a second, then asked, all soft, "Rea, if—and I'm just saying if—the brake thing had something to do with my dad, would you... would you leave me?"The words hit like a punch in the gut, tightening my throat like someone was choking me. I knew why he asked, but honestly? I hadn't thought about it. It was too scary to even go there."Hayden, I really don't know."There was a part of me that believed—even if the accident was tied to his dad—that Hayden wasn't his dad. I couldn't blame him for something his dad might've done. But just because I could think
Jace's face froze, his eyes locking onto mine like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then, his gaze dropped to my hand, still laced with Hayden's.No one said a word for a few awkward seconds. Finally, Hayden cleared his throat. "Mr. Johnston, morning."Morning? The sun wasn't even up yet.That seemed to snap Jace out of his trance. His jaw clenched, and he looked straight at me. "Rea, I need to talk to you."I could've said no, but I didn't. Some conversations had to happen, even if they sucked."Hayden, go on upstairs. I'm in the mood for some milk," I said, super casual, like I was asking my husband to pick up groceries or something.He gave a small nod, adjusting the coat around my shoulders. "It's cold this morning."He stepped into the elevator, leaving me alone with Jace, who just stared at the floor numbers like he was trying to burn a hole through them. When the doors finally shut, Jace turned back to me. "When did you buy the apartment?"I used to think he bough
I was so mad at him. He'd gotten so drunk, he didn't even remember asking me to pick him up.Back then, Jace had stared at me, all dazed, and after a beat, he leaned in and kissed me—soft and sweet. Then, like always, he ruffled my hair. "Silly girl," he'd said.That morning sky? It was just like now, barely light. He was still buzzed, full of that restless energy he always had when he drank too much. "Wanna hit the hilltop for the sunrise?" he asked, eyes sparkling.Classic Jace. Whenever he drank too much, he hated going to bed, always saying the room spun the second he tried to lie down. So, I'd usually drive him around until he calmed down.That night, I drove us to the hilltop. We sat on this big rock, leaning into each other, watching the stars disappear as the sky shifted from dark to gray. Then, the sun started peeking out, flooding everything with that soft, pink light.He ended up falling asleep on my shoulder, staying there until the sun was high enough that the heat wo