Wayne’s grip on my hand loosened, his expression softening as the tension drained from his face.


    “Do you think even less of me now? His voice was low, almost like he’d given up.


    “It’s not about looking down on you, Wayne,” I said, locking eyes with him. “Back then, I chose Jace


    because he made my heart race, not because you weren’t good enough. But now… after


    everything? I’m just disappointed.”


    “Do you even know why I did all this?” he asked quietly.


    Iughed bitterly. “You were so clear–headed when you left four years ago. How did you end up like


    this, Wayne? Why are you losing yourself now?”


    Back then, when I got together with Jace, whatever path there was with Wayne had closed. Even


    after Jace and I broke up, Wayne and I were never going to be more than ‘siblings.”


    “You loved Jace for ten expected.


    1. s. I’ve loved you just as long.” he confessed, and his words hit harder than I


    But sympathy wasn’t what I felt–it was just a reminder of old wounds.


    Loving someone in silence? I understood that. But I still had to be real with him, no matter how


    much it hurt.


    “I loved Jace because I thought there was a future with him. But you? You knew it was hopeless


    and kept going anyway. That’s not love, Wayne–It’s foolishness. You were setting yourself up for


    pain.”


    I knew it stung, but it was the truth.


    And now, Wayne had tried to sabotage Jace and kept the truth hidden–for his own reasons. That’s


    what hurt the most.


    “Foolishness,” he muttered, repeating the word with a bitterugh. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”


    His tone was mocking, but there was a clear sting behind it–like he was calling me foolish for loving


    Jace for so long.


    There wasn’t anything left to say. But I gave him onest reminder. “You and Jace can fight all you


    want, but don’t ever use me as leverage again.”


    Hayden had been waiting for me outside. The second he saw me, he walked over and grabbed my


    hand, not asking a single question. He just led me away.


    Earlier, Hayden had yed the recording that exposed Tanya and Brad’s scheme. He had quietly


    gotten it for me after I’d voiced my suspicions about Wayne’s behavior and Tanya’s motives.


    Hayden had done the rest, investigating behind the scenes and showing up today with the proof.


    He never made a big deal about it, but he always handled the stuff that made my life easier.


    “Where’s Yuna?” I asked after a while, realizing we hadn’t found her yet.


    “She’s somewhere quieter,” Hayden said, his voice steady and reassuring.


    That made sense. Yuna was still recovering, and a crowded ce wasn’t ideal. I trusted Hayden’s


    judgment.


    “How much further?” I asked, feeling exhaustion creeping in.


    “Tired already?” Hayden teased, catching on instantly.


    I didn’t hide it. “Yeah.”


    “Want me to carry you?” he offered with a yful grin.


    “So what? Some people would love that kind of attention,” Hayden teased back.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    His joking made me smile. I pointed to a tandem bike parked nearby. “How about we ride that


    instead?” “Whatever you want,” he said, leading me over to it.


    We scanned the code and hopped on. At first, it was peaceful, but after a few minutes, I noticed


    more people riding alongside us, like we’d identally started a biking parade.


    “What’s going on? Are they following us? Do you think it’s because of earlier?” I asked, starting to


    get a little paranoid.


    Hayden just smiled, totally chill. “You scared?”


    “A little,” I admitted, ncing around.


    “Don’t be. I’m right here,” he said, giving me that familiar, protective look.


    looked at the other riders more closely and realized they weren’t acting weird. They were just…


    biking. two big deal.


    started to rx. Then a little boy pointed at us and asked, “Mommy, why do those bikes have words


    on The back? 1