That evening, I left home. Hayden wasn’t around–his windows werepletely dark.


    By the time Wayne called, I was already at the train station, sitting in the waiting room.


    I decided against flying. Took the high–speed rail instead. Sure, it was a couple hours longer, but I


    liked the idea of staying grounded. It felt safer.


    “Rea, your car’s fixed. Where are you? I can drop it off,” Wayne’s voice came through, warm as


    always.


    I nced around the station–people were either glued to their phones or zoned out. “Just leave it at


    the shop. I’ll pick it upter.”


    There was a pause. I could feel his concern before he spoke again. “The mechanic said your car


    was tampered with.”


    My stomach dropped, even though I knew it already–it was me who arranged the whole thing.


    “Seriously?” I faked surprise.


    “Has anyone else driven it recently?” Wayne asked, sounding more worried now..


    I bit my lip, trying to think fast, but Wayne jumped in before I could. “Whoever did it wasn’t trying to


    hurt you. They just wanted to mess with you a bit. Lucky it broke down at home. Could’ve been


    worse if it happened on the road.”


    That let me off the hook. “Got it.”


    There was another pause before he asked, “Are you out somewhere? Sounds kinda noisy.”


    “Yeah,” I said, keeping it vague.


    He picked up on the hint. “Take care, Rea.”


    And just like that, he hung up. I let out a long breath.


    Lately, I’d been seeing all these videos about simplifying life, and one thing really stuck with me:


    cutting out unnecessary social obligations. Now I got it.


    Sometimes, people caring about you can feel like a heavy weight. The more they care, the harder it


    is to breathe.


    Still, I shot Lena a text letting her know I was heading out of town.


    As expected, the busy doctor didn’t respond. And for the first time, I kind of understood why Lena


    never bothered with dating.


    I remembered her once saying no one would want to date someone who barely had time to answer


    a text. Even if something did start, it wouldn’tst. You can’t build a rtionship on scraps of


    attention. Love needs time to grow.


    Back then, I teased her for being like an ostrich, hiding from life. But now, I kind of saw her point.


    Why start something if it’s just going to end anyway?


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    I took thest train out to Chiverton. My real destination was Pencetown, this tiny spot just outside


    Chiverton where Hayden’s sister lived.


    It wasn’t a nned trip–more of a spur–of–the–moment thing. I wanted to learn more about


    Hayden, figure him out a little better.


    Yeah, I had feelings for him. But I’d been burned before, and I wasn’t about to dive in headfirst


    without knowing what I was getting into. This time, I wanted control.


    By the time I got to Chiverton, it was crazyte. Instead of crashing at Macy’s ce–where she’d


    definitely insist on hosting me–I checked into a hotel and knocked out.


    The next morning, around ten, I finally headed to Pencetown. It didn’t take long to find Hayden’s


    house.


    As soon as I saw it, I regretted noting sooner.


    I regretted not knowing this ce existed.


    The courtyard was straight out of a Pinterest dream–trees, flowers, a grapevine, and even a swing.


    The house itself was this cozy gray–brick cottage with blue–tiled roofs and a veranda lined with


    string lights swaying in the breeze.


    It was like stepping into another world. And right across from the courtyard was this huge river with


    an old stone bridge stretching across it.


    If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t have believed a ce like this even existed. It was like a scene


    from a fairytale.


    Too perfect to be real.