Chapter 234
The world went dark under Hayden’s touch, but I felt strangely calm.
His warmth, his closeness–it was more comforting than any light could be..
“Wish for anything. From now on, I’m here, and I’m gonna make your wishes come true,” he murmured in my ear, his voice low and soothing.
The soft music playing in the background seemed to ease the tightness in my chest, bit by bit.
A wish?
What was there left to wish for?
After my parents died, I stopped making wishes altogether.
Then I had Jace, and I guess all I wanted was for us to last. But that was more of a hope than a real wish. And now, if I had to wish for something…
I dug deep, trying to figure out what I truly wanted, but even I didn’t know.
Eventually, I thought of my parents, of the accident, and whispered, “I wish I could find out the truth about my parents‘ car crash,”
*Ill make it happen,” Hayden said, no hesitation at all.
I laughed softly and pulled his hands away from my eyes. “Then why bother with wishes? I could just ask you directly.”
“Exactly, you wasted a perfect chance,” he teased, lightly tapping my head.
I gave a smirk. “I stopped believing in that stuff a long time ago.”
I turned back to the glittering lights outside. “After my parents died, I stopped believing in blessings or any kind of protection.”
Hayden’s hand found its way back to my head, this time gently rubbing it. “Then believe in me from now
- on.
He wanted to be my guardian, my protector.
But what he didn’t get was, I only trusted myself to keep me safe.
The lights outside exploded back to life, lighting up the night sky like fireworks. The park’s lights kept changing, never repeating the same pattern, always surprising, always magical.
Just the lighting alone had cost a third of the park’s entire budget.
“Heart of the Ocean‘ is one of my favorites,” I admitted, letting myself get swept up in the moment. “There’s even better coming up.” Hayden said, his confidence unshakable as always.
The next sequence was even more breathtaking, each display more stunning than the last. I was so mesmerized by the show, I didn’t even notice when Hayden wrapped his arms around me from behind. I’d almost forgotten about Jace in the opposite cabin.
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Chapter 234
I spun around, ready to share my excitement with Hayden, but then I saw him.
Jace was standing in the other cabin, just staring at me. I couldn’t make out his expression, but his stillness said it all.
He looked calm–too calm, like all the life had drained out of him.
My whole body went rigid.
Even though I’d let Jace go, he still had a decade of my life. I couldn’t just see him as some stranger, especially not when he looked like I’d stabbed him right in the heart.
Hayden noticed me tense up. He didn’t say anything, just tightened his hold around me. Then, in that soft, almost hypnotic voice of his, he whispered in my ear, There’s one last special light show, just for
“Huh?” I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts.
Hayden pulled out his phone and tapped a few buttons. Suddenly, all the lights went out.
you.”
The vibrant, colorful world plunged into total darkness. It wasn’t like when he’d covered my eyes earlier. This was like falling into a black hole, and panic clawed at me…
I grabbed onto Hayden instinctively, my heart pounding Before I could say anything, the darkness disappeared as quickly as it came.
The lights came back on, flooding the park in a deep ocean blue, turning everything into a sea of shimmering waves. The lights moved and flowed like real water, creating a three–dimensional effect that was more stunning than anything I’d seen in the renderings.
“Is this new? After-” I started to ask, but my words got stuck as the ocean lights shifted again.
From the blue depths, a four–dimensional figure emerged. The light grew brighter, and I saw her–a little girl with her hair in a bun, wearing a ball gown.
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