Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

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It seemed that, aside from Yara, Ron was another person who truly knew Hayden.

At least, he knew more about the dangers Hayden had faced than I ever did.

But I wasn’t ready to dig into Hayden’s past struggles. Just thinking about the pain he might have endured made my chest tighten. Knowing more would only make me miss him more.

“I don’t believe it,” Ron said again.

I got it. Deep down, I didn’t fully believe Hayden was gone either. To me, it felt like he’d just gone somewhere out of reach.

“Then let’s just think of it as him taking a long trip,” I said softly, shaking the little bell on my bracelet.

Its crisp, clear chime filled the silence, soothing the ache in my chest like a gentle touch.

How strange. How wonderful.

This little bell, the one Hayden left me, felt like a lifeline pulling me back from the edge.

“Let me process this, and then I’ll give you something,” Ron said suddenly.

“What is it?”

“You’ll see when I give it to you,” he replied before walking away.

I wanted to call after Ron, to say something–anything–but the look on his face. stopped me. His usual cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced by a helpless, hollow loneliness, like someone who’d lost their whole world.

So, I swallowed my words.

To me, Hayden was the love of my life. Losing him felt like a piece of my soul had been ripped out. To Ron, Hayden was like a brother, his closest friend. For him, it must have been like losing a part of himself.

After Ron left, I stayed in my office, absently shaking the bell on my bracelet. The

soft chimes kept me company as the hours dragged by

By noon, I left the company and headed to Demi’s house. I’d tried reaching out to her yesterday after coming back, but her phone had been off, and she hadn’t responded to my messages. No texts, no replies.

When I asked around, I learned she’d quit her job.

With no other option, I decided to go straight to her place.

Mrs. Young opened the door. Her cautious expression was clear as she asked, ” Who are you?”

“Mrs. Young. I’m Keira Kay.”

She froze for a moment, then tears welled up in her eyes. “Ms. Kay…”

It made my chest tighten. Whatever was going on with Demi, it wasn’t good.

As Mrs. Young led me inside, she said, “We don’t even know if she’s alive or dead anymore. If you know where she is, please, I beg you–convince her to come home.

If I knew where Demi was, I wouldn’t have come here. But I couldn’t add to Mrs. Young’s worry, so I nodded. “I’ll do my best to find her.”

I decided to ask the question that had been haunting me. “What happened to Demi? Why would she try to take her own life? Do you know?”

Mrs. Young shook her head. “She didn’t say a word to us. We’ve been trying to figure out what happened, too.

“Did she ever tell you anything about her boyfriend?” I pressed gently.

“No,” she said, her voice breaking with frustration. “Do you know where her boyfriend is? Maybe she’s with him. Please, find him!”

“I’ve never met her boyfriend. But I’ll ask around. I’ll find someone who can help me track him down.”

It wasn’t just pity for Mrs. Young that made me want to help–I genuinely wanted to find Demi and figure out what had happened to her.

My life was a wreck right now, but if I could help Demi find her way out of the darkness, it might bring a little light back into mine. First, though, I had to find

her.

In the past, I would’ve called Steve for something like this. But this time, I needed to rely on someone else.

I glanced down at my wrist, giving the little bell a soft shake. The sunlight caught on it, making it shimmer–a quiet reminder that its material wasn’t anything ordinary.

“Hayden, give me strength to avenge you, I whispered under my breath.

Without hesitating, I pulled out my phone and called Wayne.