Chapter 182

Was she actually planning to marry Jace? Why else would she ask such a thing? Just two hours ago, Jace was still trying to win me back. Then his words flooded back: “Even if something happens to me—if I get hurt, or worse—you still won’t regret it?” Is this his twisted way of making me regret everything? If so, he's lost it completely. He's being childish.

I looked at Tanya, feigning confusion. "Hmm?"

"I want to be with Jace, like… get married," she said, meeting my gaze.

I offered a small smile. "Is that so? Well, congratulations."

"But I'm worried his parents won't accept the baby," she added, her face clouded with hesitation and uncertainty.

I tapped my fingers lightly on the table, remaining silent. This wasn't my problem; I had no reason to interfere.

"Keira," Tanya said, her voice suddenly serious, "I know how much the Johnstons love you. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston treat you like their daughter, so…"

She paused, then continued, "So, can you help me?"

She didn't need to explain—I knew exactly what she was asking.

"No."

Tanya's face paled further. "Why? Is it because you resent me for ruining things between you and Jace?"

At least she was self-aware. I didn't deny it. "A little."

I'm human, not a saint. Tanya may not have been the sole reason Jace and I broke up, but she was certainly the catalyst. It was hard not to harbor some resentment.

But, honestly, I should thank her. She made me see the truth about Jace and me—allowing me to cut my losses before things worsened.

"Do you really think it was all my fault?" she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Keira, you and Jace would have broken up eventually, even if I hadn't appeared," she continued, as if she knew our relationship better than I did.

I chuckled, playing dumb. "Oh?"

Tanya held my gaze. "You and Jace were together for ten years. Sure, you had feelings for each other, but not romantically. What you felt was more like a familial bond. The only reason you ended up together was because his parents pushed the idea, and you went along with it."

She wasn't wrong. I'd considered that before. I used to wonder why Jace, while with me, would kiss someone like Tanya—a married woman, no less. I also wondered why, after leaving him, I didn't feel the gut-wrenching heartbreak typically associated with a breakup. The truth was, we simply didn't love each other enough. We were too comfortable, too familiar. Whatever love we had lacked fire.

"If he truly loved you, the kind of love that ignites at first sight, not the slow, dull kind, he wouldn't have kissed me, seeking excitement," Tanya said, her words striking a chord.

I offered a small smile. "So, what? Are you saying you were justified in being the other woman?"

"No," Tanya retorted quickly. "I was never the other woman. I didn't pursue Jace. He pursued me."

I didn't know—or care—who initiated it. But whatever she was trying to downplay, I knew her true intentions.

"So, because you don't think you broke up Jace and me, I'm supposed to vouch for you?" I asked.

"I'm begging for your help," Tanya said, her voice soft, almost pleading.

I pressed my lips together, studying her. She was delicate and soft—beautiful, certainly—but definitely not Lindey's type. Lindey was straightforward, possessing a natural and sophisticated beauty, a kind that exuded nobility.