Chapter 836

That's when I saw them men's dress shoes sitting by the door.

My heart 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 up all his things, including these shoes,

Could someone have broken in?

A wave of panic shot through me. My instincts kicked in, and I spun around, reaching for the door to leave.

But before I could open it, a deep voice stopped me cold.

"Where are you going?"

My hand froze on the doorknob. My heart thundered in my chest, my brain buzzing like it had short-circuited. Slowly, I turned.

And there he was.

Hayden.

He was standing in 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 of thin air.

He stepped closer, reaching out to lightly tap my nose. "Don't recognize me? Or are you just pretending not to?"

A tidal wave of emotions surged inside me. I swallowed hard, trying to keep it all down.

"Are you... Hayden?" I managed, my voice trembling.

"Who else would I be?" His smile was faint but unreadable.

I blinked, my mind racing. At DracoLux, he was 'Xander. During Lena's kidnapping, he'd been cold.

Thinking of Lena, my emotions snapped. "Were you the one who kidnapped Lena that day?

Hayden's smile faltered, just for a second. That tiny pause was all I needed to know the truth.

"Why would you do that?" My voice cracked, rising with anger. "Why would you take Lena? I told you to take me!"

Kiki, calm down," he said, stepping closer, his hands raised in a soothing gesture. "Let me explain, okay? Let's sit down first."

I yanked my arm away from his reach. "Where Lena? What happened to her?"

"She..." Hayden hesitated.

My chest tightened, Panic clawed at me. "Where Is she, Hayden? What did you do to her?"

Hayden didn't answer. The look in his eyes made my heart plummet.

I grabbed his arm. "Say something! What happened to Lena? Tell me! Is she-"