Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 473

+25 BONUS

I'd only really taken a good look around this hospital room twice-once when I was searching for Hayden, and now, while trying to figure out what to pack.

Wayne crouched in front of me, his voice soft. "Rea, how are you feeling? Any discomfort?"

I was about to shake my head when a knock interrupted us. Jace walked in with the doctor.

"Let the doctor check you over. If anything happens on the plane, it'll be hard to deal with," Jace said, hist gaze briefly flicking to Wayne. I noticed the slight crease in his brow.

As the doctor moved closer, Wayne stood up and stepped aside, naturally giving him room.

The doctor listened to my heartbeat, took my blood pressure, and ran through a full exam. "You're recovering well," he finally said. "Everything looks normal."

"Thank you, doctor," Jace said, sounding genuinely grateful.

Wayne chimed in, "I'll walk the doctor out. I need to pack, too. Jace, stay and talk to Rea."

The door clicked shut behind them, and just like that, it was me and Jace. Alone.

Neither of us said a word. We just sat there, wrapped in silence. I stared into space, lost in thought, while Jace's eyes stayed fixed on me.

forever, he finally broke

him, knowing my eyes were distant, glazed over

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have come to Houston. You wouldn't

have had to give so much blood to save me... and Hayden wouldn't have misunderstood." I blinked, then lowered my eyes to the second button on his shirt. "There's no need to apologize. Isn't there that

softly, "why did you do it?

small, bitter smile. "Because

yourself? I know what happened-if you

for him. I smiled again, but it didn't reach my eyes. "If you're gonna help someone, you might as well go all the

already given you so much, might as well finish

I stopped halfway and you didn't make it, what was the point of

thought crept in I slowly lifted my eyes to meet his. "Don't overthink

narrowed a bit, "Really? Even

a little too quickly, a

flash of disappointment in his eyes. I knew exactly

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guilty," I said, hoping to stop whatever spiral he was about to fall into. "I saved you because we

I'm in your life-to help when

together, shared meals, lived under the same

split up, you've built so many walls around yourself. You won't

now. If I let you hang on to hope, I'd be just as bad as you were

pull any punches. He needed to hear it. Only then could he understand that the hurt he felt now? That's what