Chapter 800

"It's nothing!" Lena said, shoving her phone away.

Which, of course, meant it was definitely something. But if she wasn't ready to talk, I wasn't going to push. Probably something to do with Nate.

That lingering connection-the one where things are over but not really over-was something I understood too well.

Like me and Jace. Even after all this time and starting over, there were still threads that tied us together. It wasn't love anymore, but the history, the complications... those don't just disappear.

***

When Lindey found out I was pregnant, she showed up with a basket of supplements.

"This is wonderful! You're going to be a mom!" she gushed, her joy practically lighting up

the room.

"Rea, the hospital's no place to stay. You're not eating right here. Come home and let me take care of you," she added.

Her excitement wasn't about me being the daughter-in-law she'd once wanted. It was because she still saw me as the daughter she'd raised, even though this child had nothing to do with the Johnston family. Yes, they were involved in my parents' deaths-I'll never forget that. But I also can't deny the care they gave me during the ten years I lived with them. Guilt-driven or not, it was real, and I benefited from it. "Lindey, you already have your hands full taking care of Matthew. Adding me to the mix would be too much," I said gently. "And honestly, being at the hospital is better-if anything happens, the doctors are right here."

This wasn't about my anger over the past. It was about Jace and Wayne. Jace's feelings for me still lingered, and Wayne's... well, they were way too intense. Moving back into their home would've been a disaster waiting to happen. But honestly, the past had left scars I couldn't ignore. There was a wall between me and the way things used to be-a line I couldn't cross, no matter how much Lindey cared.