Chapter

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"You said you'd been suspicious of Wayne for a while. What about Jace? You were working with him, but when he was surrounded by crocodiles, you just... stood there. Why?" I finally asked, a question that had haunted me for ages. Even though Jace and I had ended things, that moment stuck in my head, like a bad movie scene I couldn't skip. I'd even dreamt about it.

I'd asked Jace once, but his answer didn't feel real. Hayden's answer? That's the one I needed.

"Testing him," Hayden said, cool and straight to the point.

"Testing him? He's Wayne's brother."

"He is," Hayden said, not budging. "But not entirely. There were... other reasons.

"Like what?" I pressed, trying to stay patient.

I was sitting sideways, avoiding his bandaged arm. His face was out of view, but his voice stayed steady.

"Because everything pointed too perfectly at Wayne, like it was staged," he explained.

His words pulled me back to

events of

Wayne's villa. The danger seemed aimed at me, but somehow,

about me at all-I was just bait in a trap for Hayden. That's why, during

knew that. But since you and Jace were done, he had no reason to stop Wayne. The easiest way to keep you apart was to make Wayne look. like the

Jace: one, to 'prove' how much he loved you, risking his life and all

Jace was faking it? Playing the victim to mess with me? That's why you didn't help him-you wanted to see how far he'd

as ever. Out of the corner of my eye, I

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that," I teased, gesturing to his bandages." Pretty sure they'd do

didn't want any woman but

1 froze, blinking.

rizzed me out of

his arm lightly. "Be serious. What else was Jace

softened. "Everything he did was for

I wasn't delusional. This wasn't just about me. It was about control, ambition, and power. I was just the excuse they used to fight their

of me. But the memory of that moment, when Hayden had stood there, cold and unbothered as I dangled in danger,

it, Hayden? How could you love me and still act so indifferent, like it didn't matter if I lived

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