A car crash. The thing I feared the most. And now, it was happening to me.Despair hit hard—like what my parents must have felt. No, theirs had to be worse. They didn't survive.My mind spiraled, but Hayden's voice pulled me back. "Kiki, hang on. Help's on the way. I'm coming too." He kept repeating it, pushing me to try getting out.I tugged at the door, again and again, but it wouldn't move."Stop... it hurts," Jace groaned beside me.I froze, afraid to even breathe."Kiki, why aren't you talking? Are you okay?" Hayden's voice crackled through the phone, worried."I'm fine," I answered, forcing myself to speak as quietly as possible, not wanting to alarm Jace any more than he already was."Check if the car's on fire or if you smell gas," Hayden said, his voice tight.My stomach dropped. If the car was leaking gas, we were done for.I shifted, trying to look forward, but as soon as I moved, the car jolted and everything spun again."Ah!" I screamed, grabbing for anything.
Since we broke up, I hadn't been this close to him. I hadn't even really looked at him.And now, here he was, right in front of me, badly hurt.The crash came flooding back, and it hit me—he'd shielded me, using his body to protect mine. That's why he was in such rough shape."Jace, talk to me," I begged, my voice shaky. If I stopped, he'd just drift away."What... do you want me to say?" he mumbled."Anything. Tell me what you've been thinking since we broke up. Talk about Tanya, even. Or where you've been these last few weeks," I blurted, desperate to keep him awake.He went quiet, and I panicked, thinking he'd passed out. But then, his voice, barely a whisper: "Rea, I really do love you."I froze, staring at his pale, blood-smeared face. I couldn't say anything."You were the only girl I ever really liked. Since I met you, no one else... even felt like a woman to me."His words came slowly, each one hitting harder than the last. "There were women—business trips, some even t
We were rescued.One of the people helping us was the same driver who had taken me to visit Steve in the holding room. I knew he worked for Hayden.The car was so wrecked they had to cut through the metal to get Jace and the driver out. They even found both my phone and Jace's in the debris."Huh, this one's still connected," one of the rescuers said, handing me a phone.But it wasn't mine—it was Jace's.I'd used it earlier to call Hayden. Had he really stayed on the line the whole time?I took the phone, stunned. As I glanced down, the call ended right in front of me. It had lasted 67 minutes and 12 seconds.Hayden had never hung up. Had he overheard everything Jace and I talked about?Then again, I wasn't sure what exactly we'd said. Nothing too important, right?Before I could think about it, they rushed us into an ambulance and took us to the hospital. We all went through a series of checks.I only had minor scrapes, but Jace and the driver were in serious condition. Jace
Normally, hospital results took forever, but this time, everything was moving in fast-forward.The doctor's face brightened. "This is good. We need to start the transfusion right away. He's going to need at least 400cc, maybe even 600cc of blood. Can you handle that?""Yes, even more if needed," I answered, no hesitation. I had to save Jace. Even if his injury wasn't my fault, I couldn't let him bleed out.They got me into sterile scrubs and rushed me into the emergency room.Seeing Jace lying there, pale and still, hit me hard. The doctor's words—critical condition—kept playing in my head.My chest tightened as I walked to him, hooking my pinky around his like he had done earlier. "Jace, hang in there," I whispered.He had to fight. And I had to give him what he needed.I laid down on the bed next to his, feeling the prick of the needle as my blood started flowing through the tube, straight into Jace.I lost track of how much they took. All I could see was my blood leaving me,
The massive transfusion knocked me out, trapping me in a deep, endless sleep.I kept dreaming—voices swirling around me, whispering in my ear.'Kiki, be careful. Don't get hurt or bleed. No one can save you.''Rea, are you trying to kill yourself, losing all that blood?''You idiot! Who told you to give your blood?''Rea, help me... I'm so cold...'The voices were my parents, Hayden, and Jace. They blurred together, each more frantic than the last.I wanted to answer, but I couldn't. Then Jace appeared in my mind, covered in wounds, bleeding out like a fountain.I froze, terrified. He's golden blood type—he can't afford to bleed."Jace, Jace!" I screamed, desperately pressing on his wounds, but the blood just poured through my fingers.Panic surged, and I kept calling his name, "Jace, Jace...""Rea, wake up. Wake up!" A voice cut through the nightmare, sharp and urgent, dragging me back.My eyes snapped open, my chest heaving, still gripped by the fear of the dream."Rea,"
Wayne told me I'd been out for three days. He'd been here the whole time, so Hayden must've come too. He'd said on the phone he was coming right away."Drink some water," Wayne said, holding a cup to my lips.I took a sip, my voice scratchy as I asked, "Where's Hayden?"Wayne's face stiffened just a little. "Drink first."Those words made something click in my mind, making my throat ache even more. "He didn't come, did he?"Wayne sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "He came.""Then where is he?" If I'd been unconscious, shouldn't he have been here? Or... was this his way of punishing me for pushing him away?"He left," Wayne said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Probably off dealing with the people who hurt you."His teasing tone helped ease some of the tension, but thinking about how dangerous those people were sent my heart racing. "Did he go alone? When did he leave?""I don't know the details, but don't worry," Wayne said, sounding sure of himself. "If he got you bo
"Rea!" Jace reached out and grabbed my arm.I glanced at the bandage on his head, then over at Wayne, who'd come in with him. "I think something's happened to Hayden."Wayne frowned, clearly not buying it. "What do you mean? How do you know?"I didn't, not for sure. "I called him. He sounded busy, said he'd call me back, but... he hasn't. Not once.""Why didn't you call again?" Jace asked, a little sharp.I hadn't. I just waited, trusting he'd call like he said."I'll call him." Jace pulled out his phone, dialing.It rang forever until finally, "Mr. Johnston."Jace stood close enough that I could hear everything."Hayden, where are you?" Jace asked, no hesitation."On a plane."My breath caught.Jace glanced at me. "A plane? Where to?""Back to Kehlmark." Those two words crushed me.I reached for the phone. "Is something wrong?"Hayden didn't answer. My hand shook. "Hayden, talk to me! Did something happen? Are you lying about Kehlmark? Where are you?"I couldn't believ
I froze, staring at that single word: [Okay. ]My brain couldn't even process it at first, so I just kept re-reading the messages I'd sent him."What the hell is he thinking?!" Jace cursed, dialing Hayden's number again. This time, it went straight to voicemail.My vision blurred as I stared at the screen. Without a word, I turned and walked to the window, looking out at the dark sky.I heard footsteps behind me, but I cut them off. "Leave me alone for a while, please."Jace and Wayne knew I was hurting. Neither said a thing. I heard the door click softly as they left.The moment they were gone, the tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over. I didn't know if I was crying because Hayden had agreed to the breakup so easily or because of the crushing betrayal.I'd waited for him, hoping he'd come see me. But he left—without a word, without even seeing me. Sure, I'd been asleep for three days, but how had things gotten so cold in that time?Maybe he'd been hurt saving me and