Chapter 215
+25 BONUS
Chapter 215
After visiting his place, I was pretty sure Yuna had spilled everything to Hayden.
“If you like it there, in the future…” Hayden started, then trailed off, leaving me hanging.
I gave him a look. “In the future, what?”
He swallowed hard before speaking again. “In the future… we could retire there.”
“By myself?” I blurted out, not even thinking.
“I’d come with you–if you wanted me to,” he said, totally straightforward.
And just like that, I started pulling away again. The future? Seriously? Especially something as far off as, like, growing old together.
“I found a specialist for Yuna. You should get me her medical records,” I said, switching the topic fast.
Last night, I was silently judging Lena for dodging the truth, but wasn’t I doing the exact same thing?
I was burying my head in the sand too, but I had my reasons. I wanted to keep Hayden on his toes, not let him in too easily.
Lena once told me that the reason Jace always brushed me off and never took me seriously was because I made things too easy for him.
People don’t appreciate things they don’t have to work for. If someone hands you a piece of fruit, you might not even bother with it if you’re not hungry. But if you buy it yourself, even if it’s not great, you’ll probably eat it just because you spent money on it.
Hayden went quiet, and I thought back to what Yuna had said. I knew he was worried.
“I’ll have the specialist look at her records first. Once we understand the surgery risks, you can make the final call,” I said, giving him the power.
“I’ve already talked to some people. Her surgery’s really dangerous. Way more than normal heart surgery, mostly because of her rare blood type and…” He stopped, like he wasn’t sure he should keep going. “She’s got other health problems too.”
I was caught off guard. Yuna had only mentioned her blood type–nothing else.
“What other problems?” I asked, not sugarcoating it.
I needed to know everything, to make sure the doctors had all the info when they looked into her condition.
Hayden stepped to the side, gripping the railing.
followed, watching his face, my chest tightening. “Hayden…”
“She has a brain tumor,” he whispered, barely audible. “And it’s inoperable.”
1 wasn’t an expert in medical stuff, but even I knew a tumor in the brain was bad news.
I stared at his cold, handsome face, my mouth opening, but no words came out. “When did they find this?
+25 BONUS
Chapter 215
Or…?”
“It’s congenital,” he said quietly.
Congenital. Her heart condition was congenital, and now this too.
So Yuna, this sweet, innocent girl, had been set up for a life of struggle from the moment she was born. “The doctors said she wouldn’t live past twenty,” Hayden’s voice was so low it was like the air around us got heavier.
That’s when it hit me–I hadn’t even asked Yuna how old she was during all the time we’d spent together. I glanced at Hayden, my stomach twisting. “So, how old is she now?”
“Nineteen.”
One year left. My heart sank. How could someone so full of life have so little time?
“No way. That can’t be right. She’s healthier than all of us. Those doctors don’t know what they’re talking about,” I said, refusing to accept it, pushing against the truth.
Hayden dropped his gaze, his voice thick with sorrow. “I want nothing more than for her to live a long life. If I could, I’d give her mine.”
His words hit me like a gut punch. I stepped closer, resting my hand on his wrist, wanting to say something–anything–to make it better, but I was completely lost for words.
1
In the end, I just tugged his arm, and when he finally turned to face me, I pulled him into a hug.
な
