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

Chapter 836

Husband?

The first face that popped into my mind was Hayden's,

But I'd never seen this mother and daughter before. They had to be new neighbors, so how could they possibly know him?

"Miss, we live on the 9th floor!" the little girl chirped happily,

The 9th floor. Right above me. That's where Tanya used to live,

"How long have you been here?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

After all, I hadn't been living here very long. Things with Hayden had fallen apart not long after I moved in, and he'd only visited a handful of times under his "Xander persona".

The woman started to answer, but her phone rang.

"Daddy's calling!" the little girl squealed. "I want to answer it!"

"The signal's bad in the elevator," her mom said gently. "Let's wait until we're outside, okay?"

"No! Daddy will worry if we don't pick up!" the girl protested.

I watched them from the side, warmth flickering in my chest. They were such a happy little family.

My hand drifted to my stomach. I had a baby now, too. A little life growing inside me. And I wanted my baby to feel that kind of love-the kind that comes from a family. But where was Hayden?

dinged, announcing my floor. I gave them a small smile as I stepped out. I wanted to

waving enthusiastically. "When your baby girl is born,

"Okay, see you!"

doors slid shut, taking them up

the mother's comment stayed with me. Had she met Hayden before? Or maybe even me? The thought gnawed at me, though I eventually convinced myself they must've moved in long before I even noticed. When I reached my door, I unlocked my apartment with the facial recognition

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Chapter 836

I saw them men's dress

skipped a beat. Hayden was the only one who should've been able to get in here, But after we split-before his "death"-I'd packed

someone have

panic shot through me. My instincts kicked in, and I spun around, reaching

open it, a deep voice stopped

"Where are you going?"

my chest, my brain buzzing

And there he was.

11

Hayden.

my living room, casually dressed in gray loungewear, his short hair framing his sharp features. Sun-kissed skin, strong bone structure-he looked exactly like I remembered, yet there was something about him that felt impossibly distant. It felt surreal, like my desperation had conjured him out

reaching out to lightly tap my nose. "Don't recognize me? Or

I

I managed, my

else would I be?" His smile

he