Chapter 430

The baby was born prematurely—seven and a half months. He lay in the incubator, nearly translucent. Just looking at him made my heart ache. Lena couldn’t say if the baby would make it. It was all up to fate now.

Tanya didn’t actually succeed in jumping, but her baby sure paid the price. And she didn’t get out unscathed either. Her uterus ruptured, she bled out like crazy, and they had to do an emergency hysterectomy just to keep her alive. Barely. She was lucky to be alive.

Honestly, I didn’t care about her anymore. But the baby… that poor kid. Desmond’s parents didn’t even acknowledge him, and now he was fatherless. With Tanya as his mom? Yeah, the future wasn’t looking too bright. If she cared even a little, she wouldn’t have kept putting him at risk with her wild decisions.

When Hayden showed up at the hospital to get me, he looked… furious. Lena bumped me with her shoulder. “Uh-oh, your man’s pissed.”

Yeah, I saw it. “You’re still tangled up in this Jace mess,” Lena muttered. “Of course he’s upset.”

I opened my mouth to explain, but Hayden was already at my side, staring at me in total silence. It felt like the air between us had thickened, dropping the temperature a good ten degrees. Hayden, who was always calm and chill, now looked at me like he didn’t even know what to say. I’d never seen him like this before.

And okay, I knew it—I was fine, but today could’ve gone bad. Really bad. I could’ve been the one in that hospital bed.

I stepped closer. “I’m okay. Nothing happened.”

Still, nothing from him. I reached for his hand. “I swear, I’m done with their drama. For good this time.” Lena cleared her throat, stepping in with her usual sass. “Hey, Hayden? Your girl’s had a day. Maybe ditch the silent treatment and give her a hug, yeah?”

Hayden didn’t pull me in like she suggested. Instead, he turned to Lena. “You sure she’s okay?”

“Positive. I’d stake my whole career on it,” Lena winked at me. She always had my back—my best friend through and through.

Hayden just stared at her, then finally turned back to me. “This is the last time.”

“Yes, sir!” I teased, grinning as I wrapped my arms around him. He rested his hand gently on my head, and all the tension finally melted away. Relief, fear, and this raw vulnerability that made my eyes sting.

Suddenly, I felt everything. I pressed my face into his chest, letting his warmth surround me. Way too…

“I’ll leave you guys to it,” Lena said, stepping…

But then she stopped, her expression turning serious. “Actually, there’s something you both should know.”

Still wrapped up in Hayden, I glanced at her. “What’s up?”

She shoved her hands into her pockets. “Nate’s leaving.”

I blinked, totally thrown. “Wait, what?”

Lena shrugged, trying to play it off like it was no big deal. “Yep. He’s moving away.”

“But what about you guys?” I asked, not getting how she could be so chill. They just started dating!

“I’ll be fine,” Lena said, managing a small smile. “You know me.”

“Lena, you’re in a relationship now.”

“Yeah, and work is work. They’re separate,” she said, her tone all matter-of-fact, but I could tell this was harder than she let on. Long-distance wasn’t easy for anyone.

“When’s he leaving?” Hayden asked, cutting into the conversation.

“Day after tomorrow, early. So if you’ve got any concerns about Yuna’s recovery, better talk to him soon,” Lena reminded us.

Hayden and I exchanged a look, both of us feeling the weight of that news. Then he turned back to Lena. “Tomorrow night, we want to take you and Professor Neumann out to dinner.”

I quickly added, “As friends, of course.”