Yuna nodded, then went on. “Keira, it’s wild, but I actually do like snooker now. I never cared about


    it before, but suddenly, it’s fun. And it’s not just that… ever since my surgery, my tastes in food, my


    opinions, even some random preferences–they’ve all shifted.”


    She looked at me, eyes wide with curiosity. “Do you think it’s because of the heart I received? I read


    somewhere that organ transnts can bring some of the donor’s habits along with them.”


    Her face was all lit up, hoping I had an answer.


    I’d heard stories like that on TV, and even if science says it’s a stretch, there are plenty of stories


    that make you wonder. Some people even say their taste in food changes after a liver transnt,


    like suddenly craving spicy stuff they couldn’t stand before.


    “Maybe,” I replied, ncing at her chest, where a stranger’s heart was now beating.


    “Oh, we got off track,” she realized, shaking her head. “We were talking about Hayden, right? Keira,


    I know he’s keeping an eye on you, no matter how distant he acts.” Yuna’s voice was so sure.


    I couldn’t stop thinking about that news report from earlier–about Bruno winding up in the hospital.


    And the kicker? The “ident” involved a snooker ball.


    If someone wanted to hurt him, there were a hundred other ways to do it. But a snooker ball? It had


    to be tied tost night, when Bruno had called me his “snooker girl” and thrown down a challenge.


    So… was it Hayden who’d handled him?


    Without thinking, I shot a text to Ron: [Wasst night’s incident with that Bruno guy Hayden’s


    doing?]


    His reply came fast: [Who else would it be?]


    Then, before I could even blink, he unsent it and typed something new: [I’m not really sure. You


    could ask him yourself.]


    I let out a dryugh and turned my phone off.


    “I don’t get all the details with you and Hayden,” Yuna said, her voice soft but steady. “But I know he


    loves you.”


    She paused, then added gently, “Do you want to tell me what happened?”


    I sighed. “My thing with Hayden? Yeah, it’s…plicated. There are parts I can’t even wrap my


    head around.” Like his dad’s part in my parents‘ ident. He caused it, sure, but was it really all


    about money?


    “If it’ll help you two get back together,” Yuna said, her face earnest, “I’ll tell you everything I know.”


    I paused, considering. “Ten years ago, you must’ve been around eight or nine. You should


    remember some stuff. Back then, was your family struggling for money? Like, desperate?”


    Yuna shook her head right away. “Nope, we weren’t rich, but we were doing fine. My dad had a


    steady job driving for some businessman, and we lived prettyfortably–especiallypared to


    other families around. Some kids were even jealous of me.”


    Thorsten had imed Hayden’s dad was paid to do it. But if they weren’t hurting for cash, why


    would he


    +29 BONUS


    go after my parents?


    And it didn’t make sense. My parents had been close enough with his dad for Hayden to hang out


    at my ce all the time. So, if Hayden’s dad actually took money to hurt them, only to end up dead


    himself… there had to be more.


    Yuna’s answer left me back at square one. I’d thought Hayden’s dad was desperate for money for


    Yuna’s treatments or some urgent expense. But clearly, I was wrong.


    Yuna looked at me, confused. “Why are you asking all this?”


    I couldn’t tell her the real reason, so I just kept digging. “Do you remember anything weird


    happening around then?”


    She thought for a second. “Actually, yeah. It involved Hayden.”


    My eyes widened. “Wait–Hayden?”


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She nodded. “That was the year he went missing.”


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