+25 BONUM
“Baked pears. He specially ordered them in the middle of the night,” Gavin exined, cing the
still- warm bag of pears. “He said your throat sounded hoarse, so he got this to help.”
The warmth seeped into my palms as I stared down at the bag and tea. It was such a thoughtful
gesture- one that left me more confused thanforted.
Gavin had already started the car. “Ms. Kay, should I take you to Emberholm?” he asked, referring
to Willow Residences, where I lived.
Hearing that, I suddenly realized how Jace had found me outside my ce that night. Clearly,
Gavin had done some digging and passed the info along.
“No.” I said tly.
Gavin paused, his meeting mine in the rearview mirror. “Then… where should I take you?”
“Pull over,” I said quietly.
Gavin jolted slightly at my request but obediently pulled the car to the curb. He nced back, clearly
confused. “Ms…”
I cut him off. “I’m not going home. I’ll head to the surgical recovery unit.”
For a moment, I had been so caught up in everything that I nearly forgot–Yuna was still in the
hospital recovering.
Gavin’s expression shifted, like he understood. He knew about Yuna’s surgery, which meant Jace
probably did too.
“You haven’t rested at all. Are you sure you’re okay?” Gavin asked, though I wasn’t sure if he was
genuinely concerned or just worried about getting in trouble for not following Jace’s orders.
“I’m fine,” I said, reaching for the door handle.
“Ms. Kay,” Gavin called, his gaze dropping to the bag of baked pears in my hands. “Mr. Johnston
really does still care about you. If it wasn’t for my mistake… maybe you two would already be
married.”
He was still ming himself for what happened back then.
I didn’t want to get into it. With a faint smile, I replied, “He cares just as much about other people
too.” Gavin looked like he had more to say, but I didn’t give him the chance. Lstepped out of the
car. “Be sure to eat the baked pears while they’re still warm” he called after me.
I gave a quick wave and walked briskly toward the hospital building.
As the elevator carried me up to the recovery unit, I nced down at the baked pears in my
hands..
The soft, golden pears glistened in the clear ss bow a few mint leaves perfectly arranged on top.
They looked just as wless as the first time Jace had bought them for me. I’d loved them so much
back then that I’d even snapped a picture and posted it on social media.
But now, holding the same baked pears, a tightness formed in my throat, making it hard to swallow,
Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
When I reached Yuna’s room, I assumed she’d still be asleep. But to my surprise, she was sitting up
in bed, reading–not a romance novel this time, but study material.
“Keira, what are you doing here? Weren’t you and Hayden supposed to be at thepetition?”
Yuna asked, looking behind me as if expecting him to walk in..
“We didn’t go. Something came up, so I came back early,” I said, cing the baked pears on the
table and sitting beside her.
Yuna’s face immediately filled with concern. “You didn’t have a fight with Hayden, did you?”
Iughed softly. “No, we didn’t fight. If we had, trust me, I wouldn’t be here.”
“That’s not fair,” Yuna teased, a grin spreading across her face. “Even if you two broke up, you’d still
have to take care of me.”
She quickly realized what she said and smacked her mouth lightly. “But you won’t break up! No
way! You’ll always be my sister–inw.”
I grabbed her hand, pulling it away from her face. “Really, Yuna, we’re fine. Hayden and I are better
than ever. I came back because a family member of mine is seriously ill.”
Yuna still looked skeptical, so I added. “He just had emergency surgery. He’s in the ICU now.”
“Oh, thank God,” Yuna breathed, visibly relieved.
“How about you? How are you feeling today?” I asked, watching her face for any signs of
difort.
“Great!” Yuna said enthusiastically, motioning toward the stack of study materials next to her.
“That’s proof.
I picked up the book she’d been reading and flipped through it, raising an eyebrow. “Thinking about
going to college?”