Chapter 544

“Keira! Wait, you’re going to Houston too?” Yuna beamed, her usual sunshine self. She acted like she hadn’t seen any of the online news about Hayden. But I knew better. She’d totally seen it—she just wanted to keep things easy between us, like nothing had changed.

Sure, she was Hayden’s sister, but she had her own take on things. Our mess was ours, and it didn’t interfere with how I felt about her.

“You should probably start thinking of me as your ex-sister-in-law,” I said with a dry smile. “Since, you know… your brother’s marrying someone else.”

Her smile froze, her face dropping like she might actually cry.

“No.” She shook her head, eyes fierce. “You’ll always be my sister-in-law. I don’t care what Hayden does; that spot’s taken, and it’s yours.”

It didn’t exactly erase my heartache, but her words took the edge off, just a little. This girl… all the times I’d looked out for her? Worth it.

“Hayden still loves you, you know,” Yuna suddenly said, lifting her hand like she was swearing an oath. I couldn’t help but think of myself last night, raising my hand to swear in front of Hayden. Gently, I pushed her hand down. “Let’s skip the oath-taking. Just tell me, how are you so sure?”

“Well, okay, remember I told you he’s, like, not over you?” She hesitated, then went on, voice soft. “There was this one time he got super drunk. I went to check on him, just to see if he needed water, and… he was holding your stuffed animal. He even called me by your name.”

“He mumbled something about you waiting for him,” she added, “like he’d come back and marry you once he… finished whatever he was working on.”

My heart twisted. Was she serious? I didn’t know if it was true or if Yuna was just trying to make me feel better.

“And get this,” Yuna went on, “the only reason I’m even on this flight is because Hayden bought the ticket for me.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “Wait—so he knows I’m on this flight?”

“That, I’m not sure of,” she said, shrugging. “I kept bugging him about wanting to go to the match for days, and he kept saying no. Then, out of nowhere, he just bought me the ticket today. I think he knew you’d be here and wanted me to tag along so you wouldn’t be alone.”

And honestly? It made total sense. What were the odds otherwise? But if he didn’t want me anymore, why bother with all this?

I shook my head, knowing only Hayden could answer that. I glanced at Yuna, switching gears. “So… snooker, huh? I didn’t know you were a fan.”

Her cheeks turned pink as she leaned closer, whispering, “It’s not about snooker. Wade likes it. He’s going to the match, too.”

Ah. So she was here for her own little love story. Thinking about how Wade ghosted her after she confessed, I couldn’t help but ask, “So, he finally reached out?”

She nodded, her voice barely above a murmur. “He said he can’t return my feelings, but my confession made him really happy. And he’d be okay with being friends.”

“And you agreed?” I asked, already knowing what she’d say.

Yuna’s eyes met mine, steady and sure. “I like him too much. If friendship is all he’ll give, I’ll take it. Just being around him is enough for now.”

Poor girl. That kind of one-sided love—when you’re all in, knowing they’re not—is brutal, like a slow, constant ache.

“One day, you’ll regret this,” I warned softly.

“If I do, I’ll handle it then. Right now, I’m just happy to see him, to be around him like before,” Yuna said, looking totally at peace.

Seeing her so wrapped up in her feelings, I decided to let it go. I asked, “So… did Wade invite you to this match?”