Chapter 283 

In the morning, I woke up to the smell of breakfast, and there was Hayden, already in the kitchen. 

He’d changed into a short–sleeve shirt and cargo pants; 

Apparently, he really liked this look. It gave off major special agent vibes, and honestly, it fit him perfectly 

It wasn’t just his build but all that training he did. I remembered him doing push–ups last night. 

I had to admit, his form was seriously on point. 

“Why are you staring at me? Eat,” Hayden said, catching me in the act. 

I grabbed a bite of the beef macaroni soup he’d made and, curious, asked, “Do you hit the gym a lot?” 

He scooped some more side dish into my bowl. “Nah, I work out on my own.” 

“No wonder your push–up form is so perfect, I blurted out before I could stop myself. 

He paused, then looked down. I thought he was embarrassed or something, but then he just asked casually, “You saw me?” 

Now it was my turn to feel awkward, so I just focused on my pasta and nodded like I’d suddenly forgotten how to talk. 

Hayden’s cooking skills were no joke, though. I usually wasn’t into macaroni soup, but this beef one was actually amazing 

“Hayden, if you ever get tired of engineering, you should totally be a chef,” I said, half–joking. 

Then I laughed. “You’d still be a ‘Master‘ of something. 

Hayden actually nodded. “Yeah, maybe.” 

I snorted. “You just go along with whatever I say, don’t you?” 

“A guy should listen to his wife,” he said, dead serious, leaving me speechless. I felt my face heat up immediately. 

Hayden chuckled softly. I playfully smacked his shoulder. He leaned in and whispered, “You’re really adorable when you’re blushing, you know that?” 

“Stop talking,” I said, reaching up to cover his mouth. 

He dodged and grinned. “But it’s true.” 

“You’re still talking…” I groaned, giving him a dramatic pout. 

Just as we were messing around, my phone rang. 

I realized how, for all their convenience, phones can be super annoying–always interrupting at the worst 

times. 

Still wrapped up in Hayden’s arms, I pulled out my phone. The screen lit up with the name Jace Johnston. 

I let out a sigh of relief, thankful I’d already changed his contact name. It used to be “My Mr. Johnston.” If 

+25 BONUS 

Chapter 243 

Hayden had seen that, who knows what kind of awkwardness would’ve followed. 

“Answer it,” Hayden said, releasing me and heading to clear the table. 

Watching him busy himself, I finally picked up. “Hello?” 

There was a long silence on the other end. I knew Jace had heard me; my cold, detached tone probably threw him off. 

“If you’ve got something to say, just say it,” I added. 

“Didn’t we buy some kind of insurance together once? Jace finally asked. 

His question brought back memories of an event from four years ago. It was something an insurance company put together–a “Love Insurance policy for couples. 

Jace and I had just started dating then, so we bought a policy. It promised that if the couple got married, the insurance amount would double. You could either cash it out or turn it into a marriage insurance policy. But if the couple broke up, the whole thing was voided. 

Now that Jace and I had split, it was pretty much useless. I had no idea why he was bringing it up now. 

“Yeah, but it’s not valid anymore,” I replied, keeping my tone flat. 

“Not valid?” Jace sounded genuinely surprised. 

I was about to explain why it was void when Hayden called out, “Kiki, I warmed up some milk for you. Do you want it now, or should I pack it to go?” 

I wasn’t sure if he did that on purpose, but I was pretty certain Jace heard him. 

Because right after, Jace asked, “Are you living with Hayden?” 

His voice was all mixed up with surprise and anger. I snapped back, “You can keep your side chick in the penthouse we were supposed to get married in, but I can’t live with my boyfriend?” 

There was this long, awkward silence before Jace just hung up. 

I stared at my phone for a second, still processing, then headed outside. Hayden was there, holding the cup of milk. “You should take it with you,” he said, handing it over. 

I couldn’t help but think about how his words hit Jace like a truck. I called out, “Hey, Hayden.” 

“Yeah?” He glanced at me. 

I stepped closer.