Chapter 574

Hate? Yeah, but honestly, it was deeper than that. Not that it was any of her business. Still, the way she asked—so direct—told me she was a little insecure, like she was wondering if I still harbored some hidden feelings for Hayden.

I gave her a smile, but it wasn’t exactly friendly. “Miss Drago, we barely know each other. Who I love or hate is definitely not your problem. As for Hayden? He knows exactly how I feel.”

She wasn’t letting up. “He might know, but I don’t.”

I gave this bold, confident woman a once-over and said, “Afraid I’ve got some leftover feelings for him? You can relax. Even if Hayden came crawling back to me, begging on his knees, I wouldn’t give him a second glance.”

“You’re cold,” she said with a teasing smile.

I shot her a sarcastic smile. “What did you expect? Were you hoping for a love triangle or something?”

Before she could answer, I added, “Trust me—you’ll never have to worry about that. Not in this lifetime.”

I spun around to leave, but there he was. Hayden. Right in front of me. His eyes locked onto mine like lasers, and I could tell from his face he’d overheard every word.

Fine by me. He needed to know—when I loved him, he was everything. Now? He didn’t even make the cut.

We just stared at each other for a second, but I didn’t say anything. I just turned on my heel and walked away. But then, just around the corner, I stopped cold. My chest was tight—like someone had squeezed the air out of me. Turns out, hurting him hurt me too.

“Feeling a little unsettled?” Yara’s voice floated over.

I glanced up to see her and Hayden walking my way, and I wasn’t about to face them again. I ducked back into the shadows.

I couldn’t catch Hayden’s response, but then I heard Yara, still talking. “You should tell her. That way she wouldn’t—”

Hayden cut her off, his voice ice-cold. “Focus on what you need to do. The rest is none of your business.”

Yara huffed, “You’re so… I’m just trying to—” But then their voices faded as they walked off, and I couldn’t hear the rest.

I stayed hidden, her words still echoing in my head. They’d been talking about me. Yara said Hayden should tell me something… but what?

The accidental eavesdropping got my mind racing. With a mix of confusion and curiosity, I went back to my seat. Hernan was still there, glued to his phone.

As soon as I sat down, he looked up. “What took you so long? Thought you might bail on us.”

“Could I even get away?” I shot back.

Hernan knew I was trapped. He let me roam, but only because he knew I couldn’t escape his grip. And with Steve as his ace in the hole, any attempt to leave would only put him in danger.

“Why don’t you try and see?” he teased.

I ignored him, my eyes shifting over to Hayden. My brain was still stuck on what I overheard. Was he hiding something from me? Also, Yara didn’t sound jealous when she talked to him. She was just… cool. Too cool.

I glanced back at them. And right then, I saw her lean in close to him, whispering something in his ear. I knew Hayden. He always kept his distance from other women—I’d seen it when Demi was around. But with Yara? No signs of discomfort. So what the hell was going on?

“Still not over him, huh?” Hernan’s voice broke through my thoughts, like he was reading my mind. “But he seems pretty… indifferent to you.”

I shot back, “You’re the one he cares about. Happy now?”

Hernan threw his head back and laughed. Loud. Like he didn’t care who heard.