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

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

of

as I moved into Wayne's villa. The danger seemed aimed at me, but somehow, Hayden and the

wasn't about me at all-I was just bait in a trap for Hayden. That's why,

no reason to stop Wayne. The easiest

how much he loved you, risking his life and all that. And two, to clear suspicion. Who'd

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

expression, but his face stayed calm as ever. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the doctors finish wrapping his wounds and quietly leave the

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+25 BONUS

let the pretty nurses handle that," I teased, gesturing to his bandages." Pretty sure they'd do a better

locked on mine, unflinching. "I didn't want any

1 froze, blinking.

rizzed me out

lightly. "Be serious. What else

softened. "Everything he

just about me. It was about control, ambition, and

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

How could you love me and still act