Chapter 268

What happened to Jace? Why was he covered in blood? Was he hurt? Dreams like this usually mean something. The night before my parents' car accident, I had a terrible nightmare—I dreamt my two front teeth fell out, blood pouring everywhere. I woke up crying hysterically. The next day, my parents were gone forever.

A wave of panic hit me so hard I barely noticed Hayden watching. It wasn't until he gently wiped the cold sweat from my forehead that I snapped out of it. "Did you have a nightmare?" he asked.

His words pulled me back to reality, making me realize he'd heard me calling Jace's name in my sleep. I didn't want him to misunderstand, so I said, "I dreamt Jace was standing by the bed, covered in blood. I kept asking what happened, but he wouldn't answer."

"It's okay. Dreams are usually the opposite of reality. If you're worried, you can call him now," Hayden said, surprising me. Shouldn't he be upset? If it were Jace, he'd definitely be jealous.

I glanced outside; the sky was just beginning to lighten. I snuggled closer into Hayden's arms, closing my eyes. "I'm tired. I just want to go back to sleep," I murmured.

"Go ahead," he murmured, gently stroking my hair. He was as calm and caring as ever, showing no sign of anger or jealousy. I was too exhausted to think straight, and before I knew it, I'd drifted off again.

Half-asleep, I felt Hayden kiss my forehead and whisper, "You're still worried about him." I wanted to say something, but it felt like my mouth was glued shut.

When I finally woke up, it was already nine a.m.—way too late for work. Hayden was gone, and as I tried to move, my whole body ached as if I'd been run over by a truck. So, those books were right about the aftermath.

I just lay there, letting flashes of last night with Hayden, the nightmare, and his whispered words swirl in my head. I squeezed my eyes shut. Of course, the first real night with Hayden, and Jace has to show up in my dreams, bloody and haunting. The image of him like that still freaked me out. Even though Jace and I weren't together anymore, he'd been in my life for ten years. He was more like family than anything.

I grabbed my phone and dialed a number, but not Jace's. I called Wayne instead. Ever since Wayne confessed his feelings and I gently refused, he'd kept his distance, giving me space. I felt guilty even calling him now, but I needed to know if Jace was okay.

"Rea," Wayne's gentle voice answered.

"Wayne," I said softly, "How have you been?"

"Good. What's up?" His tone was light and cheerful, which made me relax a little. If something had happened to Jace, he wouldn't sound like that.

"Not much. Just wanted to see if there's any update on when the amusement park is opening?" I asked, grasping at an excuse.

Wayne was smart enough to know I was making small talk. If I really wanted to know about the amusement park, I could have asked Demi.

"Jace hasn't given a final date yet," Wayne answered honestly.

I frowned. Before the lighting issue, the opening date was set. That's why I'd been so frantic to fix it. Now that it was sorted, they should have been back on schedule. The park was supposed to open in a week. But from what Wayne was saying, it didn't sound like anything was moving forward. There was still so much to do before opening day, like promotions and ads, but I hadn't seen a single one.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, feeling a knot of concern tighten in my stomach.

"There's no problem," Wayne said firmly, like the guy in charge.