“No,” Matthew insisted, shaking his head. “Don’t let your thoughts run wild… I just think you should
focus on your work, and your future with Hayden.”
His voice grew weaker with every word. The nurse stepped forward, clearly ready to step in, but
Matthew stopped her with just a look. She sighed and said, “One more minute, at most.”
I knew how bad things were with him, and even though I needed to know what he was hiding, I
couldn’t push him now. His health had toe first. “We can talkter. You need to rest.”
But Matthew gripped my hand, tighter than I expected. “Rea, promise me.”
His desperation hit hard. The more he insisted, the more certain I became–there was something off
about my parents‘ ident.
Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
But I could see it in his eyes–he wasn’t going to say anything more. It felt pointless to push him.
With how fragile he was, I could only let it go, at least for now. “Alright, I.promise.”
The tension in his face finally eased, but he still didn’t let go of my hand. “Rea, look forward. Don’t
forget.
what I’ve said.”
Funny, I’d said almost the same thing to Wade not too long ago.
But how could I just let the past go like that?
My parents‘ death… I had to find out the truth. How could I visit their graves knowing I didn’t do
everything
I could?
The nurse came over and adjusted his oxygen mask, and Matthew’s breathing started to even out.
He was so tired, his eyes kept fluttering shut, like he could barely stay awake.
The nurse wouldn’t let him fall asleep yet, so I tried some small talk, but all I got were weak little
grunts in
response.
Finally, visiting hours ended, and as the nurse gave Matthew the okay to rest, I slipped out of the
room.
Wayne and Lindey were gone, leaving only Jace standing there, leaning against the wall, head
down, staring at the floor like he was lost in thought.
I walked over, and only then did he slowly lift his head, his eyes meeting mine.
We’de here together on a helicopter, but I hadn’t really looked at him. Honestly, ever since
everything. fell apart between us, I hadn’t been this close to him at all.
Now, standing just a step away, I could see him clearly for the first time.
He looked worn out, defeated, and thinner than I remembered. For a second, it was like he was
someone else–someone I didn’t even recognize.
“How’s my dad?” Jace asked, his voice rough.
“He’s alright, sleeping now,” I replied, then added pointedly, “Where’s your mom?”
“Her blood pressure spiked, so Wayne took her to the rest area,” Jace answered, his gaze drifting to
my shoulder.
I followed his eyes and saw the damp spot on the gray jacket–his jacket–now stained with my
tears.
Jace was always a neat freak, the kind of guy who’d take his clothes straight to the dry cleaner if
anything touched them. I knew the stain was probably bugging him, so I quickly said, “I’ll get it dry
cleaned.”
“No need,” he said shortly, then gestured toward a nearby room. “I’ll take you to my mom.”
He stopped, turning just enough to look at me.
“I left my phone at the hotel,” I said, feeling a wave of guilt. Hayden hadn’t heard from me in hours,
and I knew he’d be worried.
Jace’s gaze darkened a bit. “He called already. I exined everything.”
Instead of feeling relieved, a wave of unease hit me. After all, Jace was my ex, and I’d flown out
here with him without even telling Hayden. I couldn’t help but worry Hayden might be overthinking
it.
I still wanted to exin things myself, so I asked, “Can I borrow your phone?”
Jace didn’t respond right away, and the silence stretched ufortably. I took it as reluctance,
which instantly irritated me.
“You dragged me out here in the middle of the night. My boyfriend’s worried. I need to let him know
I’m okay,” I snapped, holding out my hand, fully expecting him to hand over his phone.
Instead, he swallowed hard, then walked toward me. For a second, I thought he was finally going to
hand it over, but no–he leaned in, his body hovering way too close to mine.