Chapter 455

Jace let out a short laugh. “So, you really do resent me, huh?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said, though we both knew there was some truth in it. “But yeah, there’s definitely a bit of an imbalance. You wasted ten years of my life—my time, my emotions.” Since we were already on the subject, I wasn’t holding back.

“And what about my ten years?” he said quietly, his voice low. “Rea, I loved you all those years, too. I gave you my heart.”

I met his eyes for a second, then looked away. “I’m not denying that. But the second you slept with Tanya, everything you gave? Gone. You wiped it all out yourself.”

Jace’s jaw clenched in frustration. “Even criminals get parole, chances to redeem themselves. Why can’t I get one?”

“Because with me, there are no second chances,” I said just as the food arrived. He clearly wanted to keep talking, but I wasn’t having it. “If you want me to actually eat this, drop the past.”

His eyes darkened, but he stayed quiet. We ate in near silence, neither of us really tasting the food. The whole thing felt pointless.

After dinner, Jace drove me to the hotel and arranged for me to stay in the room next to his. As I was about to enter my room, I turned to him. “I want to see Steve as soon as possible.”

“I know,” Jace said, pausing for a moment. “If you need anything, just call me.”

This time, I nodded, not fighting him on it, and headed into my room. Just as I was closing the door, Jace called out, “Rea, do you really know Hayden?”

I stopped, confused. “What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer, just gave me a hard look before disappearing into his room. I frowned. What was that supposed to mean?

Once inside, I immediately tried video calling Hayden, but no answer. Maybe he was busy, or his phone was somewhere out of reach. I shrugged it off and snapped a quick picture of my room, sending it with a short message: [All settled in safely.]

Still nothing. As I stared at our chat, Jace’s weird question played on repeat in my head. ‘Do you really know Hayden?’

I thought I did. I knew his background, his family, his age, his finances. He’d always been open, and we even worked together now. Everything checked out. So why would Jace ask that? Was he hinting at something deeper? Was there something about Hayden I didn’t know?

I tried to shake off the doubt. Hayden was solid. His life was clean; he donated a chunk of his earnings to charity, and he’d never hidden anything from me. Plus, he trusted me enough to leave me in Jace’s care—who would do that unless they were completely confident? So, what else was there to know?

But Jace wouldn’t have thrown that out there casually. He wasn’t the type to stir up drama or play mind games, especially not like this. Was he trying to warn me about something?

Still, I couldn’t ask Jace for more. And I couldn’t let his words plant doubts in my head. If one cryptic comment was enough to shake me, Jace would think my relationship with Hayden wasn’t that solid in the first place.

Minutes passed. Hayden still hadn’t responded. A small flicker of unease started creeping in. I tried video calling him again. It connected, but the screen was pitch black. Instead of seeing Hayden, I heard voices.

“You wanted time, and I’ve given you that,” said a deep, gravelly voice—an older man, stern and authoritative. “Now, I’ve waited long enough. How much longer do you plan to avoid returning to the Hart family?”

My heart sped up. Who is this guy? And was he talking to Hayden? Hart family? The same Hart family? I gripped my phone tighter, barely breathing as I strained to hear more.

Then I heard Hayden’s voice, calm but tense. “You’ve waited this long; a little more time won’t hurt.”

Chapter 456