Chapter 335

“Keira, you’re really clingy with Hayden,” Yuna teased, a playful smirk on her face. I felt awkward, but she added, “But I really like it.”

“You little brat,” I retorted, feigning a glare. She giggled.

I left her hospital room and looked down the hall. It was empty. Hayden must have found a quieter place to take his call. I headed toward the stairwell.

As I approached, I overheard Hayden’s voice: “The shop’s gone, but the mechanics should still be around. Track them down… Yes, it’s necessary. I need to give Keira an answer, and clear my dad’s name.”

My chest tightened. I’d been considering reopening the investigation into the brake failure that caused the accident. I hadn’t told Hayden, but it seemed he’d already started his own inquiry.

His call ended, but before I could approach, his phone rang again. I paused. The stairwell door was ajar, and I saw Hayden holding a cigarette. “Yeah, I’m back. She’s here… What, can’t handle things without us? Relax. Don’t come; it’d blow the cover… Yeah, I’m still working on the code.”

I knew he was talking to Ron. The way Hayden spoke made it clear who was truly in charge: Hayden. A rich guy with the last name ‘Hart’… I felt deceived. But Hayden swore he wouldn’t lie to me. Why would he keep this from me?

As he finished his calls, Hayden saw me waiting. He approached, his voice gentle. “What are you doing out here?”

“I was looking for you,” I lied, “but I couldn’t find you.”

“I was on the phone,” he said, his eyes searching mine. “How’s Mr. Johnston?”

“Lung cancer,” I replied, the words catching in my throat. We both knew what that meant. Money couldn't change the outcome. A colleague, only thirty-three, had died from it in less than a hundred days.

Even though Matthew wasn’t my father, he’d treated me like his own for a decade. I wasn’t ready to lose him.

Hayden sensed my distress and pulled me into a hug. “Medicine’s come a long way. There’s still hope. Cancer treatments have improved.”

Chapter 305

I rested my head on his shoulder. “I’m so scared of losing people right now… It feels like they just keep slipping away.”

“That’s life—loss and renewal,” Hayden murmured, stroking my hair.

“Now I get why you’ve been scared for Yuna’s surgery. I’m… I’m feeling the same fear.” My voice faltered. I didn’t need to say more. Hayden understood.

He kissed my head. “She’s strong, and we love her. She’ll make it through.”

I hoped so, more than anything. I closed my eyes and prayed silently.

As we stood there, a soft cough caught my attention. I opened my eyes and saw Lena nearby. She winked at me. “Mr. Hart, Professor Neumann is looking for you.”

Hayden released me, but I held his hand for a moment. Nate was probably about to confirm Yuna’s surgery details. Hayden didn’t need me to say anything. He gave me a reassuring look before leaving to find Nate.

Lena approached, her expression serious, a stark contrast to her usual joking demeanor. “Yuna’s surgery might not happen…”