"Yeah, no thanks—wouldn't work with you even if you paid me," I shot back.By the time Wayne strolled out, I was already leaning against my car, waiting. He'd saved me from that trainwreck of a meeting, and I wasn't about to bail without a proper thanks."Waiting to say thank you?" Wayne smirked, all smug.I grinned. "If you hadn't stepped in, I'd probably be in the hospital right now.""Doubt it," he replied with a lazy grin. "That kick you threw? Brutal. Even if his intestines aren't in a pretzel, he's feeling it."I laughed, remembering my infamous "Flying Legs" days back in school when I had a reputation for taking down jerks with a single kick."Guess your skills haven't dulled," Wayne said, amused.I wasn't in the mood for a trip down memory lane, though, so I switched it up. "Didn't expect you to be working with this company too.""Jace actually set it up awhile back. I'm just here for a site check," Wayne said, shrugging.I just chuckled, letting the conversation drift
What?!I blinked, totally thrown. Pregnant?! Where on earth did that come from?He was so close I could catch that clean, familiar scent of his. It made my breath catch, and this dull ache bloomed in my chest.Only now did I realize just how much his absence had hit me. The breakup had been like a slow-brewing cocktail—quietly simmering, only to knock me flat when I least expected it.But no way was I letting him see that. I forced a smirk, trying to play it off. "Mr. Hart, did you wake up from some wild dream or something?"His jaw tightened. "Just answer me."He wasn't playing around.Of course, the answer was no.I'd definitely know if I were. But why did he even think this? Did he hear some wild rumor? Or maybe he was worried a baby would make things messy?The more I thought about it, the more it ticked me off. Part of me wanted to watch him squirm."And what if I said yes?" I shot back, letting the words hang in the air as I watched his face.Hayden's eyes narrowed, an
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come around asking if I was pregnant and insisting on driving me to the hospital. Like, excuse me?He'd hurt me before, sure, but this? This was a whole new level. One sentence, and he'd just crushed me.But I wasn't about to quit my job just because we broke up. Thankfully, I had some fieldwork lined up, so I could avoid the office without raising any flags.Three days into fieldwork, Yuna called. I wasn't sure if she knew about the split, but I really hoped we were still good."Keira, I'm in trouble. Can you help me?" She sounded panicked, like two seconds from crying."Whoa, slow down. What's going on?""I'm at the library, reading, and my period just hit out of nowhere—my skirt's totally stained!" she said.I let out a sigh of relief. Here I was, expecting some disaster."Could you bring me a skirt? I'll send you my location. Meet me in the restroom when you get here," she added, her voice way stronger than it used to be.And by her tone? She cl
Yuna's cheeks turned pink as she bit her lip. "...Yeah."Yeah, right. She was totally lying.I just looked around and shrugged, trying to sound casual. "This place is pretty nice, actually. Maybe I'll start coming here to procrastinate whenever work gets boring."Yuna didn't answer, which was weird. Normally, she'd be all over the idea of us being study buddies.So, she wasn't alone. And from the way she was acting, maybe she'd even been here with...a guy?Could it be Wade?He'd mentioned he only came here sometimes, so maybe I was just overthinking."There's a lot of guys here reading," I said, testing the waters. "Kind of surprising, since I thought most guys these days were glued to video games or esports."Yuna perked up immediately. "That's not true!""Oh?" I raised an eyebrow but I kept my tone light. "So you actually know a guy who likes to study?"Yuna froze, totally busted.This girl had no poker face."N-No," she mumbled, trying to deny it.I couldn't hold back a
I chuckled. "The way you're acting... kinda feels like you might have a little crush.""Keira..." Yuna blushed, looking away, clearly embarrassed.Yep, I was right—she totally had a thing for him."Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. It's normal to be interested in someone at your age," I said, glancing over at a nearby couple studying together. They were sneaking each other little looks, wrapped up in that sweet, low-key intimacy.It reminded me of school days, watching couples like that and wishing Jace would do the same. I'd begged him to come study with me so many times, but he'd always bail after a few minutes. Maybe even then, deep down, I knew we weren't really a match. We just moved at totally different paces."Keira?" Yuna's voice pulled me back to reality.I shook off the memories and grinned. "So... are you gonna tell me this guy's name?"Okay, I really wanted to know if it was Wade.She hesitated. "Can I... not say?"I smiled, waving it off. "Of course, you don't
"Hayden, what's wrong with Keira? Is she sick?" Yuna's voice broke through the haze around me."Hayden, why aren't you saying anything? Keira wouldn't come home with me—are you two fighting?""How much longer until she wakes up?"I slowly opened my eyes, finding Yuna clinging to Hayden, her eyes red with worry. She must have been terrified when I fainted like that.Hayden's face was tense, his jaw set. "Stop overthinking. The doctor said she's fine.""Then what about you two? Are you fine?" Yuna pressed, clearly not buying it.Hayden hesitated. "I'll explain later.""Hayden!" Yuna raised her voice, almost scolding him. "So, you are fighting with Keira. Why? You promised you'd take care of her the way you do for me!""Yuna, there are things you don't understand. Please, don't make a fuss. Just go home, okay?" Hayden softened his voice, trying to calm her."No way. I'm staying until Keira wakes up," she said stubbornly.Hayden looked frustrated but kept his cool, trying to be p
Why else would he spend all those years helping everyone, scraping by just to pay for his own sister's heart transplant?And with Jace... if I hadn't given him blood, it would've been like watching him die right there in front of me.I couldn't figure out what was going on in Hayden's head, and I was done pretending I didn't notice. So, I opened my eyes, catching him off guard, making it impossible for him to hide that tenderness in his gaze.His hand, which had been gently tracing my cheek, froze. The warmth in his eyes flickered—too late to hide it.After a moment, he pulled his hand back, but I was faster. I grabbed it, holding tight. "Hayden, what are you doing? You clearly care, so why are you putting me through this?"Tears spilled over. I swear, I was one of those people who cried way too easily.I always told myself to stay strong, but my tears never got the memo. Fine—let them fall. If he was gonna see me cry, at least he'd know how much I cared, how much I loved him.M
Hayden just stared at me, silent.My heart was pounding like I was waiting for the verdict on some huge screw-up.Finally, after what felt like forever, he moved. He took my hand and said, "Keira, let go."And just like that, my heart dropped straight through the floor.Humiliation flooded over me, hot and stinging. I'd swallowed every last bit of my pride to try to fix things, and still... nothing.He'd made up his mind.He loved me, but he wouldn't be with me.That stubborn jerk.Anger and frustration boiled over, and before I knew it, I sank my teeth into his shoulder. Hard.He let out a grunt, but he didn't push me away—just stood there and let me do it.And the more I bit, the angrier I got. Part of me wanted to snap him out of whatever trance he was in, to make him wake up, make him change his mind.But even when my jaw started aching, he just stood there, stone-cold.I'd tried sweet-talking, promises, and now I was biting him with every ounce of frustration I had lef