I closed my eyes, finally letting the worry about him fade a little. “Where are you?”


    “I’m outside the apartment.”


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    My stomach dropped. I could picture him standing there, all alone at the old ce. He didn’t know


    I’d moved out. Of course, he went back there.


    I had moved out. Since I couldn’t get ahold of Hayden, he had no idea, so of course, he’d gone


    back to the old ce.


    “You didn’t have your phone on you. I asked Yuna, and she said you went home. Lena was in


    surgery, so I couldn’t reach her either,” Hayden exined.


    I took a deep breath, letting my eyes drift over my new, unfamiliar apartment. “I couldn’t reach you


    either.” “I know,” he replied, his voice soft.


    A bittersweet smile tugged at my lips.


    Before I could ask why he’d been unreachable, he added. “I’ll exin everything when I see you.


    Did you move?”


    Yeah, I had moved. And Hayden didn’t know about this ce.


    He’d talked about renting somewhere new and asked me to move in with him. I had said yes. But


    with him being MIA today, I ended up here instead.


    “Yeah, I moved your stuff too,” I said, ncing at his suitcase sitting by the door.


    He didn’t own much. The apartment he used to rent across from mine was mostly furnished by the


    landlord, so most of it stayed behind.


    He went quiet, and the silence made me nervous, so I changed the subject. “Take a cab to Jubnt


    Heights. I’ll wait for you at the entrance.”


    “Okay.”


    After hanging up, I changed my shoes and headed out. The apartment was new, barely finishedst


    year, and the neighborhood was really nice. I walked around for a


    my way to the entrance.


    bit, just taking in the fresh air, before making


    There was a fruit store near the gate, advertising discounts on fresh produce. I wandered in and


    grabbed


    a few things, figuring I’d kill time until Hayden got here. Just as I was about to pay, my phone rang.


    I’m at the fruit store,” I said. And as if on cue, I saw his tall figure appear in the doorway.


    I waved, and he strode over, eyes locked on me, making my heart race like crazy.


    I hesitated and said, “Do you want anything? I just got


    But before I could finish, Hayden grabbed my wrist, his touch sending a jolt through me.


    “No need. Let’s go home,” he said, his voice low and husky.


    I blinked, still processing the jolt of electricity his touch had sent through me, and let him pay for the


    fruit. He led me out of the store, and we walked in silence for a while, heading deeper into the


    complex.


    Finally, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I tried calling you, but your phone was off. I couldn’t find you,


    andst night… everything happened so fast. Matthew copsed, coughing up blood, so I-”


    I stopped myself. I had left him. Left without saying a word and went with Jace.


    I had


    my reasons, sure, but it didn’t change the fact that I’d abandoned him.


    “I know,” Hayden said, cutting me off.


    “I rushed back because of Matthew. His condition was serious,” I added, feeling the need to exin


    more, even though his calm responses weren’t helping my unease.


    “Yeah.”


    He was agreeing, but something still felt off. The fact that I couldn’t reach him earlier kept nagging


    at me, making me think maybe he was still upset. Maybe it had something to do with me leaving


    himst night. “So… why couldn’t I get through to your phone?” I asked.


    “I’ll tell you when we get to your new ce,” Hayden said, clearly teasing me.


    I stopped walking, not in the mood for games. “Why can’t you just tell me now?”


    He stopped too, turning to face me. His teasing expression dropped, reced by something more


    serious. “What’s wrong? Are you afraid I’m mad at you?”