Chapter 606

“Aah!” The sensation of falling tore a scream from my lips. “Real,” it had to be Jace – Hayden would’ve called me Kiki. A huge splash followed, and for a terrifying moment, I thought I’d hit the water. But there was no cold, no wetness. Instead, I heard frantic splashing below.

I opened my eyes to see I was still hanging, suspended above the pool. But Jace—he’d jumped in. He was fighting the crocodiles, locked in a brutal struggle for his life. In that split second of danger, Jace had acted without hesitation to save me. And Hayden… he hadn’t moved.

My heart, already shattered, felt like it was being encased in ice. Bruno had said his crocodiles hadn’t been fed for days, and now they were attacking Jace with the fury of starving beasts. Watching him fight, struggling against snapping jaws, I couldn’t stop the tears from pouring. There was nothing I could do but scream at Bruno. “Jace! Jace…!”

“Well, snooker girl,” Bruno taunted, thoroughly enjoying the chaos, “do you see now who really loves you?”

“Let him go! I know who put you up to this! Tell him if anything happens to Jace, I’ll feed myself to the crocodiles right after him!” I shouted, my voice thick with rage.

Bruno paused for a second, his grin faltering, but then he just laughed. No sign of stopping. Meanwhile, Hayden stood there, motionless. I turned to him, desperation flooding my voice. “Hayden, please! Go save Jace! Please, help him!”

Bruno cut in, his voice dripping with mockery. “If he goes in there, he’s only gonna get himself killed too. Seems like the one you love more is the one in the water.”

Bruno was still trying to stir things up, but it didn’t matter anymore. Hayden clearly didn’t love me—not even a little. If he did, he would’ve moved when I fell. He would’ve jumped in after me.

But Hayden just stood there, still as stone, even as Jace’s arm was caught in a crocodile’s jaws, the beast dragging him under. Jace was losing the fight, and it was only a matter of time before he was torn apart.

“Hayden, please!” My voice cracked. “Please, go save him. I’m begging you.”

But Hayden remained indifferent, colder than I ever thought possible. I couldn’t speak anymore. I could only cry, helpless.

“Looks like Agent Hart needs a little extra motivation,” Bruno said with a sly grin. He whistled again, and suddenly, the rope holding Yara was released, sending her plummeting toward the water.

The moment she started falling, Hayden sprang into action, dashing forward without a second’s hesitation. That instant, my heart shattered like glass. This was it. The final blow that destroyed everything.

When I had fallen, he hadn’t moved. When I begged him to save Jace, he stayed cold and still. But for Yara, he didn’t hesitate. He jumped to save her without thinking. That leap… it took not just his body but every last feeling I had for him, sending them into a dark abyss.

I couldn’t bear to watch anymore. I felt this surge of strength, this desperate need to break free. I clawed at the rope holding me, pulling and yanking with all my might, trying to tear it apart. I didn’t care if I fell—I just needed to reach Jace. It wasn’t that I wanted to throw myself to the crocodiles. I couldn’t let him face them alone.

But no matter how hard I struggled, the rope wouldn’t budge. Desperation fueled me as I screamed curses at Bruno. But then I heard sounds of fighting below. I looked down. Hayden and Yara were attacking the crocodile that had Jace’s arm in its jaws.

So, in the end, they hadn’t just let him die. There was still some decency left in them, after all. Bruno watched them, irritation flashing across his face. He wiped the smirk off and gave a cold chuckle before patting the massive creature beside him.

“Alright, big guy. Your turn.”