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

events of

danger seemed aimed at

a trap for Hayden. That's why, during the kidnapping, I'd been the

done, he had no reason to stop Wayne. The

crocodile pit served two purposes for Jace: one, to 'prove' how much he loved you, risking his life and all that. And two, to clear suspicion. Who'd suspect

connecting the dots. "So you thought 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 go?" "There was some of that," Hayden admitted, his tone leaving

trying to read his expression, but his face stayed calm as ever. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the doctors finish wrapping his wounds

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+25 BONUS

pretty nurses handle that," I teased, gesturing to

unflinching. "I didn't want any woman

1 froze, blinking.

just rizzed me out

smacked his arm lightly. "Be

softened. "Everything he did

feel special, but I wasn't delusional. This wasn't just about me. It was about control, ambition,

I focused on what mattered-the guy sitting right in front of me. But the memory of that moment, when Hayden had stood there, cold and unbothered as

love me and still act so indifferent, like it didn't matter if