Chapter 522

“Hey there, Mr. Hart!” I threw on a polite smile, like he was any other coworker. Hayden didn’t say a word. We brushed shoulders as I walked past, and as soon as I was out of sight, my smile faded, leaving a tiny spark of bitterness. I hopped into the company car and headed to the address Sasha gave me.

When I got there, she hadn’t shown up yet. I shot her a message, and she told me to grab a seat and wait.

While I waited, I checked my phone. There was a new text from Yuna. Scrolling up, I saw a string of messages from her—most of them apologies and her defending Hayden. I’d only replied once and hadn’t answered since.

Yuna: [Keira, please answer me? Hayden’s practically put me on house arrest; I can’t leave the house.]

I stared at her text for a second, then replied: [I’m fine and back at work. As for Hayden and me, you don’t need to worry about it.]

She replied instantly: [He loves you, I swear it.]

I didn’t respond, but she kept going: [He tried cooking for you, got distracted, and burned his arm.]

I thought about the food he’d brought over and thrown away. I still didn’t reply.

Yuna: [He stayed outside your door all night. Didn’t even sleep, just smoked by the window.]

Yuna: [I don’t know what happened between you guys, but please, give him another chance? It’s painful seeing you both like this. I’d trade a lifetime of loneliness if it meant you two could be happy together.]

Her last message made me laugh, albeit a little sadly, as it reminded me of her unrequited crush on Wade!

I typed back: [Has Wade reached out to you?]

Yuna: [No!]

I hesitated before replying: [I’ve told you everything I know about him. Maybe it’s time to let go.]

Yuna: [I’ll try.]

Which was her way of saying she got it, but I knew she wasn’t quite ready to move on. There wasn’t much else I could say, and I saw the “typing…” bubble pop up on her end.

Before her next message came through, Sasha arrived. She glanced at the empty table. “Why didn’t you order anything?”

Without waiting for my answer, she flagged down a server and ordered two glasses of juice.

“When’s he supposed to get here?” I asked, skipping the chit-chat and going right to what I needed.

She checked the time. “Any minute now.” Then, lifting her glass, she tapped it against mine with a small smile. “Don’t worry. He’ll definitely show.”

I took a sip, smirking. “You’re fast—I thought this would take a couple of weeks at least.”

Sasha looked away for a second, her smile a little forced. “When you ask for my help, I take it seriously. That makes things move faster.”

Her words hit me, and I felt a little guilty about the way I’d judged her at first.

“Thank you.” I raised my glass to hers again.

She laughed. “A toast with juice? Guess that means we’re supposed to drink the whole glass!”

But we just took another sip. “Has Thorsten eased up about your pregnancy?” I asked.

She nodded, avoiding my eyes. “He has.”

Remembering her story about why her daughter was even allowed to be born, I teased, “What, did his wife have another dream?”

But Sasha didn’t laugh. She looked up, her expression…