Chapter 531

But right now, I couldn’t push him away—I needed something to hold onto, even if it was just for a little while. My whole body felt weightless as Hayden lifted me in his arms. Lindey’s voice trailed after us, desperate, “Rea, Hayden, you two—”

“I’m taking her home. Whatever she decides, we’ll deal with it later,” Hayden said, his voice hard as stone, then carried me out in long strides. When he set me down in the car, I clutched his shirt, burying my face in his shoulder as everything finally cracked open, and I broke down, sobbing into him without holding back.

Hayden didn’t flinch, letting me cry as my tears soaked through his clothes. I cried so hard, I couldn’t even catch my breath, and he ended up taking me straight to the hospital. Lying there, I eventually calmed down, but my mind was still a storm.

What was I supposed to do next? Turn Matthew in? Get him arrested to somehow avenge my parents? But would that even feel like revenge? It’d just be justice against a terrible man. And even if I did it, it wouldn’t bring back anything I’d lost.

Thinking like this, a wave of helplessness hit, leaving me feeling like a tiny boat lost at sea. Even if Matthew and Thorsten were locked up, or worse, it wouldn’t fill the hole they’d left. I’d never felt this lost before, like everything around me had dissolved into nothing.

“Want some water?” Hayden’s voice was gentle when he saw I was awake. My eyelashes fluttered. “Hayden, tell me… what should I do?”

He propped me up, handing me a glass of water. “First, drink.”

But I didn’t take it. I just stared at him, like he was the only solid ground left to stand on. He brought the glass to my lips. “Your throat’s hoarse.”

Hoarse? I hadn’t even noticed. But even then, I didn’t drink. He sighed, his eyes softening with a kind of helplessness. “Be good.”

Those two words made my heart ache, and tears spilled over again. How long had it been since he’d spoken to me like that? I thought he never would again.

I opened my mouth and took a small sip, but as soon as I swallowed, I started coughing. Hayden quickly set the glass down and pulled me close, rubbing my back until the coughing stopped. I took the chance to hold him tighter, pressing my face against his chest.

He stiffened, but then I heard him murmur, “We’re enemies now, Keira… the kind with a blood feud.”

My heart twisted; I knew exactly what he meant. I didn’t respond, just held onto him tighter, refusing to let go. He didn’t say another word or push me away. We stayed there, tangled together, letting the quiet warmth settle between us—the first peace I’d felt in forever.

Then my phone started ringing. Hayden gently reminded me, “Your phone’s ringing.” I didn’t want to answer. I stayed silent. “Keira,” he said softly.

That name felt like a punch. He used to call me Kiki. A sharp pain twisted through me as I thought of his father, the man who’d destroyed my family. My voice cracked as I whispered, “Hayden, if only I’d never met you… things would’ve been so much easier.”