The cold of the cell seeped into my bones, but I didn’t notice. All I could see was Hayden, his usually steady eyes now clouded with a storm I had never seen before. My hands still gripped his, and for a moment, it felt like the world outside the cell didn’t exist.“You…you chose not to?” My voice trembled, barely a whisper.Hayden’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t know what else to do. If I tried… I could have made it worse. But yes. I made a choice. One I’ve lived with every day since.”I shook my head, disbelief burning in my chest. “No. Hayden… I don’t believe that. You… you’re not that man. You couldn’t be.”He looked at me then, and I finally saw the weight he had carried—the guilt, the sorrow, the self-loathing. “Bella… you don’t understand. It wasn’t a clear choice. There were… complications. Things I can’t explain, things I wish I never had to remember. But now… it’s all catching up to me.”My heart ached. The idea that he had been holding this secret, living with a burden I couldn’
Last Updated : 2025-11-29
LOGIN
