Chapter 841

“Who else?” Hayden’s voice was low, like the night itself, pulling me in. “I was possibly… my fate up in the air, and you still kept the baby.”

Oh. So, that’s what this was about; he thought I’d been silly.

“I don’t know if it was silly or not,” I shot back. “But this is my baby. The baby came to me, and I’m going to love them with everything I’ve got.”

Honestly? I’d never thought of him as our baby. He was mine, plain and simple.

“Alright,” Hayden said softly, then kissed me. “From now on, we’ll love him together. I… thank you.”

Thank me? For keeping the baby? For trusting him? Either way, it didn’t matter.

After everything—the heartbreak, the revenge plots, the power games—I finally felt light. Like none of it really mattered. What mattered now was living a life that felt like mine.

The next morning, I woke up alone. My chest tightened. Had he disappeared again? Panic surged as I called out, “Hayden!”

“I’m here.” His voice came from outside the room, instantly grounding me.

A second later, he walked in, watching me as I pressed my eyes shut again. “Still sleepy?”

I grabbed his hand, pulling it to my cheek. “I thought you left me again.”

He brushed his fingers over my face. “Never. I’m not going anywhere.”

I opened my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Promise me. Every time I wake up, you’ll be here.”

“Promise,” he murmured, lifting me effortlessly. “Now, go freshen up. Breakfast is ready.”

Skipping meals? Yeah, not happening with Hayden around.

He carried me to the bathroom, already playing the doting boyfriend—filling my cup with mouthwash, squeezing toothpaste onto my brush. It was over-the-top sweet, but I knew this was his way of saying, “Sorry for everything.”

Breakfast was next level: buttery croissants, roasted potato salad with arugula, and my favorite vanilla custard.

“Don’t tell me you pulled an all-nighter to make this?” I teased, eyeing the spread.

He used to cook for me all the time, but this? It felt extra.

“Nope. Just woke up early,” he said, shrugging like it was no big deal. Classic Hayden.

As I forked a bite of custard, I asked, “So, where are you off to after this? Yuna?”

Over the past few days when he was gone, Yuna hadn’t been as panicked, but I knew she must’ve still been worried.

“She can wait,” he said after a pause.

Wait? For Hayden, the guy who doted on his sister like she hung the moon, that was… odd.

“You already saw her, didn’t you?” I guessed.

It had been a while since I last saw Yuna, and she hadn’t reached out either. She was probably buried in college stuff—or still annoyed at me for keeping her in the dark about everything.

“No.” His eyes locked on mine. “You’re the first person I came to see.”

I believed him. “Then go see her already.”

“I will,” he said. “After I see someone else.”

“Who?”

Hayden hesitated for a beat, then said, “The person you trust most.”

My fork froze mid-air. Oh. I got it right away. Smirking, I asked, “What’s this? Are you jealous?”