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
Jace didn't continue, but I already knew. "She wants to be your wife, right?"Jace's head shot up, surprise all over his face like I'd cracked some big secret."You know her pretty well," he said after a beat, his tone dripping with sarcasm.The jab wasn't subtle. He was implying I'd been keeping tabs on Tanya—because, yeah, she'd stolen Jace from me. Classic."You're overthinking it," I shot back, keeping my cool. "I don't care about her. But she's so obvious. Her obsession with money and fancy things? Kinda hard to miss."Right as I finished, the sky started to change. I used to think night slowly turned into day, but it was like someone flicked a switch. The sky just... lit up, fast and sharp. No wonder they call it the breaking of dawn."Jace, an amusement park's worth a lot, sure. But compared to being the CEO's wife? It's pocket change." I watched his expression—he blinked, clearly not expecting me to go there.Yeah, the Johnstons gave me a whole amusement park, but Jace's
Jace looked at me, clearly still not getting it."Tanya was just the final straw," I said, giving him a tiny smile.I remembered something I'd heard before: 'If you can laugh about it, you're over it.'"Rea, I don't get it. Fine, blame me for what happened with Tanya, but before that? I was good to you," he insisted, like he just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that I'd checked out long before."I'm not saying you weren't good to me," I shrugged. "But did you ever stop to think about how I treated you? Or were you too busy looking in the mirror?" I asked, keeping my voice light.He stared at me for what felt like forever, then dropped his head. "I didn't appreciate you. That's how I lost you.""What's the point in rehashing this now?" I said, steering things back to Tanya. "Let's talk about her. You worried your parents won't be cool if you're serious about her?""Serious? With Tanya?" Jace snapped. "Do you think I'm a complete idiot?"Okay, valid question, but I kept th