“Does he?” Wayne shot back.


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    Cole chuckled, waving Xander forward. “You tell me. Or do you need to look closer to figure it out?”


    Xander stepped closer, stopping just shy of Jace and Wayne. At this distance, they could see


    everything–every line, every feature, every little detail.


    And so could I. My breath hitched, and that voice deep in my chest screamed louder than ever: He


    was Hayden.


    “You’ve really gone all out for this. Where’d you dig up someone like him?” Jace sneered.


    Cole’s smile didn’t waver. “Fate,” he said casually, then turned to me. “Wouldn’t you agree?”


    I didn’t bite. My eyes stayed on Xander, searching, digging past the surface, desperate for even the


    faintest sign that he was Hayden.


    “Xander,” Cole said, finally cutting to the chase, “Ms. Kay has taken quite the liking to you. She


    wants to keep you. What do you say?”


    Xander’s answer was sharp and direct. “Mr. Drago, you know my rules. I don’t provide those kinds


    of service.” The implicationnded hard. Wayne and Jace’s faces darkened immediately, their faces


    darkened instantly.


    Cole turned back to me with an exaggerated shrug. “See? Told you. He’s not going for it.”


    Xander gave a polite nod. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.” He turned, ready to walk away.


    Lena gave me a firm squeeze that silently said: Don’t give up.


    “Wait,” I called out, rising from my wheelchair without hesitation.


    Before anyone could stop me, I closed the gap between us in two quick steps, reached out, and


    hooked my arm around Xander’s neck. Standing on my tiptoes, I leaned in, my lips close to his ear.


    “Rea, what the hell are you doing?” Jace’s angry voice cut through the room.


    “She’s flirting,” Lena quipped.


    While their voices shed in the background, my hand drifted to Xander’s neck, fingers brushing the


    back of it, searching. My heart pounded, but all I felt was smooth, unbroken skin. Nothing.


    I ignored his subtle attempts to pull away and kept going, my fingers tracing further up, even


    brushing the back of his head. Still, nothing. I leaned closer, desperate to see what my fingers


    couldn’t find–the mole that had always been there.


    But it wasn’t. No mark. No mole. No trace of him.


    Hayden’s mole had always been there–small, distinct, impossible to miss. But the guy standing in


    front of me? Nothing.


    My hand dropped, the realization hitting hard. That hope keeping me afloat shattered, leaving a


    hollow ache in its ce.


    He wasn’t Hayden.


    Lena slipped next to me, her hand curled around my arm. Her eyes met mine, quietly telling me she


    got it.


    “Mr. Drago,” Xander said suddenly, “I’d like to report a harassment. Thisdy justid hands on me


    without my


    consent.”


    1/2


    My chest tightened. If he were Hayden, there’s no way he’d pull this stunt–not when it could blow his


    cover. He said it without a second’s hesitation. That sealed it. He wasn’t him.


    Thest flicker of hope burned out, leaving this awful weight of disappointment.


    I’d convinced myself I’d found Hayden, built up this delusional fantasy, only to crash back down.


    Foolish. Like a clown chasing a ghost.


    And the look in Xander’s eyes–cold, distant, maybe even disgusted? Yeah, that drove it home. He


    wasn’t Hayden.


    I’d been stupid to think he was, just because they shared a face.


    “What are you calling the cops for?” Cole cut in. “Do you even know who Ms. Kay is? Having her


    hug you is a blessing you won’t get again in three lifetimes. See these two important figures?” He


    gestured at Jace and Wayne. “They’d kill for a hug from her, and even they don’t have the


    privilege.”


    Chaos was Cole’s yground.


    “Shut your mouth!” Jace snapped.


    “Am I wrong, though?” Cole teased as he poked the bear harder.