Chapter 384

Sasha sounded sincere. I could tell she was lonely; otherwise, why would she vacillate between hostility and friendship?

“I don’t have many friends,” Sasha said, stepping closer. “Thorsten doesn’t let me make any. But I can tell he treats you differently. So, if I become friends with you, he might be okay with it.”

I remained silent.

“I really don’t have any ulterior motives. I just want to be friends. And Milly really likes you; she talks about you all the time,” she added, playing the “my kid likes you” card.

“I know you probably don’t think much of me,” she continued, her voice softening. “But can’t we at least try? For Milly’s sake?”

Gone was her earlier cockiness. Now, she seemed almost vulnerable, pleading.

I gave her a polite but firm smile. “I’m busy. I don’t have time for new friends.”

I didn’t want to be cold, but getting involved with Thorsten’s associates? That was a mess I wanted no part of. No good could come of it. More importantly, I had zero interest in his world of drama.

Sasha’s hopeful expression faded. She let out a bitter laugh, lowering her head. “I get it. I’m not the kind of person you’d want to be friends with.”

Her attempt at eliciting guilt was transparent. But Sasha didn’t know me. If anything, her manipulation only decreased my sympathy.

Without another word, I turned and walked away, feeling her gaze on my back.

Later that evening, my phone rang. It was Lindey. “Rea, did you know Jace is back?”

I thought of the figure I’d seen in the car last night and replied, “Yeah, I know.”

“Has he come to see you?” Lindey asked.

“No,” I said. “Why? Is something wrong?”

Lindey huffed. “I haven’t seen him at all. How could something not be wrong if I can’t even get a glimpse of him?”

I knew why she was calling. She was angry that Jace was back and hadn’t visited her.

“He’s probably handling other things first. I’m sure he’ll come by later,” I said, falling into my old habit of making excuses for him.

“Handling what? That widow, obviously,” Lindey muttered, her irritation evident.

I stayed quiet.

“He’s been completely bewitched by her. He’s forgotten all about his parents,” Lindey snapped.

I remained silent.

“Sometimes I wonder how I ended up with a son like him. If I’d known he’d turn out this way, I should’ve—” She trailed off, her anger simmering.

“Lindey,” I said gently, “don’t get yourself worked up. It’s not good for your health, and Matthew’s already not doing well. You need to stay strong for him.”

“You’re the only one who really cares about me. If only you were my real daughter,” Lindey sighed.

“I am your daughter,” I replied softly, trying to comfort her.

She sighed again. We both knew my words were just that—words. Polite, but untrue. If I were truly their daughter, I’d be at Matthew’s side constantly, instead of managing my own life.

“Rea, don’t bother going after Jace. Don’t try to talk sense into him either. Let’s see how stubborn he really is,” Lindey said.

“Okay,” I agreed.

After a final sigh, Lindey reminded me to visit Matthew when I could, then hung up.

Later, I asked Lena, “Has Tanya come by lately?”

“Nope. And even if she does, she’s not coming to me,” Lena replied, giving me a curious look. “Why? Bored without her drama?”

“You think I have time for that?” I rolled my eyes before telling her about Jace’s return and his failure to visit Matthew.

“Stay out of it,” Lena said flatly. “You don’t need to waste your energy on their family drama.”

I knew she was right. But some people are impossible to avoid. Despite my best efforts, I ran into Jace again the day of Yuna’s transplant. He stood in the crowd, watching from a distance as Hayden and I held Yuna’s hand. Our eyes met briefly, a fleeting glance. As Yuna was wheeled into the operating room, I felt Hayden’s hand grow cold in mine.