Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

Hello 398

Chapter 398

The familiar scent of him hit me, and so did that suffocating feeling.

I stood frozen for a moment, until his low voice cut through the tension. "Do you really care about him that much now?"

My fingers curled at my sides. There was a time when I cared this much about Jace, too. I used to text him just to let him know I was having dinner with Lena, even though he never really appreciated it.

And now, when my care was for someone else, he had the audacity to get upset and ask me this?

"Yeah, I do. Of course I care about him. He's my man. Why wouldn't I?" I locked eyes with him as I said it, letting it sting.

A direct hit, a trick I'd learned from him.

Even though Jace and I had been over for a while, it didn't erase the pain he'd left behind.

There were moments when those scars still burn.

So if I can throw a verbal punch and make him feel even a sliver of what I went through, why not?

Of course, that only would work if he still cared. Otherwise, my hit wouldn't land at all.

in. A sure

everything I needed to

Interesting.

would've guessed that, even after publicly moving on with someone else, he'd still be hung

1. me. His ex.

to, I could dig in, a small way to ease the sting from the wounds he had

I needed to find a phone and

had dropped everything-left his recovering sister-to travel miles with me for that pool game because of me. And now, without a word, I'd run off... worse, with my ex. No matter how much Hayden loved me or trusted me, I knew this would hit hard. It was the same way Jace used to ditch

pain too well. It's not

make Hayden feel the way I

my

against him, instinctively, but

he said. "I deserve it. I

Wait, what?

25 1

Chapter 398

Punishing him?

Hayden to punish him? To get back

couldn't believe what I

come to terms with the fact that we were over-that he'd accepted I was with Hayd and we'd both

let out a mocking laugh.