"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
News? What news?I stood there, stunned. No one had mentioned anything since I woke up.I yanked the door open, and both Jace and Wayne immediately turned toward me."What news?" I demanded, cutting straight to the point.They exchanged a quick look, clearly scrambling for a way to dodge my question.But I wasn't giving them the chance. "I heard everything."Wayne's expression darkened. He pulled out his phone.Jace looked like he wanted to stop Wayne, but I shot him a glare that kept him silent."She should know. It'll help her clear things up with Hayden," Wayne said, unlocking his phone and handing it to me.On the screen was a screenshot of an article. The headline read: [Golden Blood Type Lovers—Girlfriend Saves Her Lover with 800CC of Blood. 'Now, your body flows with my blood.']The headline was pure melodrama, and to make it worse, there was a picture of me holding Jace's hand during the blood transfusion. I had just been trying to comfort him, nothing more—but the wa
"Then you should go back, but not like this. You can't go alone in your condition," Jace said, glancing at Wayne. "You go with Rea."Wayne nodded. "Alright."I wanted to argue, but I knew better. In this state, they weren't letting me go by myself."What about you?" I asked, eyeing the bandage on Jace's head."I'm waiting for Steve. Once he's out, we'll head back together." Jace's answer made sense.Steve was stuck in a foreign country and had been through hell. If he walked out and no one was there for him, it'd crush him. But seeing Jace like this? That'd just make it worse."If Steve sees you like this, he'll blame himself," I warned."It's fine. I'll make up an excuse. I won't mention the accident," Jace said, still set on his plan.There was no point arguing, so I asked, "Can Steve still compete when he's out?""We don't know yet. Depends on his club and what Quartz Cue says," Wayne added.Deep down, I knew Hayden could handle this. No one would know better than him.Bu
I kept my eyes on Wayne, and his reaction told me everything."Rea," he said softly, "don't overthink this."Overthink? I wasn't, not until now.The way he said it just made me think harder. "Matthew and Lindey knew too, didn't they?" I asked, though deep down, I already knew the answer.They'd raised me for years—no way they wouldn't know my blood type."They took you in, cared for you like their own. Of course they knew," Wayne said, sounding like he was trying a little too hard to make it all seem fine.Right. It wasn't weird they knew. What was weird? The fact they never told me."Why aren't you saying anything? Please, don't take it the wrong way. My parents have always treated you like their own daughter. There's no hidden agenda," Wayne added, his voice sounding almost desperate now.But you know that saying—the more you explain, the guiltier you look?Yeah, that."Wayne, honestly, I hadn't thought much about it before you opened your mouth. But now?" I raised my brows
I'd only really taken a good look around this hospital room twice—once when I was searching for Hayden, and now, while trying to figure out what to pack.Wayne crouched in front of me, his voice soft. "Rea, how are you feeling? Any discomfort?"I was about to shake my head when a knock interrupted us. Jace walked in with the doctor."Let the doctor check you over. If anything happens on the plane, it'll be hard to deal with," Jace said, his gaze briefly flicking to Wayne. I noticed the slight crease in his brow.As the doctor moved closer, Wayne stood up and stepped aside, naturally giving him room.The doctor listened to my heartbeat, took my blood pressure, and ran through a full exam. "You're recovering well," he finally said. "Everything looks normal.""Thank you, doctor," Jace said, sounding genuinely grateful.Wayne chimed in, "I'll walk the doctor out. I need to pack, too. Jace, stay and talk to Rea."The door clicked shut behind them, and just like that, it was me and J
I didn't say a word.Jace leaned closer. "Rea...""Don't you think it's kinda low to say something like that right now?" My words cut through the air, stopping him cold.He froze, staring at me, his face turning red—shame and defeat written all over it. "Yeah... I've let my feelings cloud my judgment before. Hurt Desmond."And now, after you risked everything to save me, I've messed things up between you and Hayden too."And here I am, shamelessly trying to take advantage of the situation by saying something like that..."He shook his head, disgusted with himself. "I'm not just a bad person—I'm not even worthy anymore."Without another word, he turned and left.When Wayne and I headed to the airport, Jace didn't show up to say goodbye.At the airport, Wayne handled check-in while I sat quietly in the waiting area, feeling... hollow. So hollow it was like my soul had detached, floating somewhere far off. I had no idea where I was going or what I wanted anymore."Miss, are you
The man reached us and gave me a polite nod. "Sorry if my daughter's bothering you.""Tata's not a bother. Tata's cute," Tessa shot back, puffing up her cheeks like she was about to start a protest.I laughed, completely charmed. "Tessa's very cute. I like her a lot.""Tata likes her too," she added, still a little garbled but proud.I patted her head gently, then turned to her dad. "I thought her parents were, like, both foreign?"His expression darkened for a split second—so fast, I almost missed it.Realizing I'd probably overstepped, I quickly apologized. "I'm sorry..."He just nodded, then held out his hand to Tessa. "Come on, sweetheart, we have to board the plane.""But she should come with us!" Tessa pleaded, clutching my hand like we were already BFFs.I was about to explain that we weren't on the same flight when Wayne showed up, holding our boarding passes.He glanced around, taking in the scene, and extended a hand to Tessa's dad. "Hey there."The dad shook his h