Chapter 727

It felt like another riddle waiting to be solved, but honestly? The less I knew, the safer we both were. Hayden kissed my forehead. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere—my little monster needs me.”

Little monster?! Okay, adorable. I grabbed my phone and immediately updated my chat app username to match. Steve noticed in about two seconds flat. “[Who are you planning to attack now?]” he messaged.

I smirked, thinking, ‘Monsters don’t attack—they just make sure no one messes with them.’

It had been a while since I’d heard from Steve. After Houston, all I knew was he’d sold his pool hall and gone off the grid. Considering how messy things got back there, I couldn’t blame him for bailing. Honestly, it was probably the smartest move.

I fired back two words: [Fighting demons!]

Steve replied almost instantly. [How have you been lately?]

Whether I was good or not didn’t really matter. If he’d been keeping up with the news, he’d already know. The fact he asked meant he hadn’t been paying attention.

[Not bad,] I typed back.

His response came quick: [Rea, sorry. I’ve owed you that word for a long time.]

I stared at the screen, caught off guard, when another message buzzed in: [I feel responsible for you losing Hayden.]

So that’s what he thought—that it was all on him. But he had no clue he’d just been a pawn, a spark for someone else’s twisted plans.

[You didn’t do anything wrong], I typed. [It was fate, and it’s for the best.]

I had no idea what Steve was up to these days, but it was clear he’d put some serious distance between himself and the chaos. He didn’t even know what was happening with me now, which meant he’d stepped way back.

If that’s how he wanted it, I wasn’t about to drag him back into the mess. And as for the possibility of Hayden being alive? That stayed locked up tight. All Steve needed to know was that I was fine. Stable, even.

When he didn’t reply, I didn’t push. Some conversations don’t need an ending.

Chapter 727

After the chat, I grabbed a few things and headed to Yuna’s kindergarten. But this time, she wasn’t out there leading games. Another teacher had taken her place.

“Excuse me, where’s Yuna?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

“She resigned,” the teacher said.

The words hit like a curveball. “Why?” I blurted.

“She’s going to college,” she explained, and just like that, my chest unclenched. Relief.

So, Yuna hadn’t quit her job to dodge Wade. If she really wanted to avoid him, college wouldn’t have been her next move—especially since he’d be there too.

I headed to her place and knocked. When she opened the door, her expression wasn’t exactly warm. Not surprised to see me, but definitely colder than usual.

She was mad. I knew why.

“Are you mad at me?” I asked, cutting to the chase.

“Yes,” she shot back, no hesitation.

“Will you hear me out?”

Yuna crossed her arms and sat down. “Go ahead.”

I laid it all out: Narelle’s story, Wade’s connection to her, and his whole confession about why he’d pursued Yuna in the first place.

“Yuna, I wanted to tell you,” I said, keeping it honest. “But with your health, I worried it’d be too much for you to handle. I thought I was protecting you.”

She placed a hand over her chest, her voice steady. “I’m not as fragile as you think. And if this heart is so weak, it doesn’t deserve to be in my body.”

Her words hit differently—not bitter, just raw and strong.

I smiled softly. “You’re right. This heart is in your body now. It’s yours—no one else’s.”

“Exactly,” she said, her tone sharp. “Because no one is trustworthy to begin with.”

That hit like a curveball. I looked at her closely, trying to read her expression.

She met my gaze head-on. “Keira, I trusted you. So much. But I never thought you’d lie to me too.”

Chapter 728