Love's Second Chance novel Chapter 5

Zara never imagined she would be at Hayden's apartment on the day she broke up with Jonathan. Yet, she realized she had no energy left to worry about such things.

Hayden noticed the abnormal flush on Zara's face and instantly touched her forehead. It was scalding hot. "You have a fever."

His expression dimmed at Zara. It was odd that he seemed so upset when Zara was supposed to be the one who was ill.

Zara calmly held his gaze without directly answering his question. "You don't need to worry about me, Hayden. I just broke up with Jonathan. That's all."

Hayden stiffened but couldn't say anything because Zara had fainted by then. He instinctively reached out to pull her into his tight embrace. A helpless sigh left his lips a long while later.

Zara had been in the rain twice, so she had developed a fever for some time. Amidst her half-conscious state, she could vaguely sense someone was looking after her. That person had fed her medicine, wiped her sweat with a warm towel, and given her a warm hug that never seemed to end.

Her fever soon subsided, and she finally regained consciousness. That was when a weight pressed against her body, awakening her.

She gradually opened her eyes while inhaling Hayden's pleasant scent at the tip of her nose. Then, she felt a feather-like touch on her lips. Her eyes snapped wide open as she finally took in what was happening.

Hayden was kissing her...?

In the next second, Hayden looked up to meet Zara's shocked gaze.

What happened next was expected of Hayden, the most unattainably handsome man Zara knew. He remained unfazed when he got caught kissing her. On top of that, he even continued to hold her hand.

Zara's fever had just subsided, so she wasn't fully conscious. "W-Why did you kiss me…?"

Hayden stared into her eyes and was briefly silent before speaking up. "Because I have feelings for you."

That was when Zara's brain blanked, and she could no longer process anything.

As for Hayden, he cut to the chase and confessed his feelings for Zara. His eyes fixed on her unwaveringly as if he was determined to obtain her. "Zara, I've liked you since eight years ago and before Jonathan did. You and him got together before I could confess my feelings. Now that you two have broken up, I don't plan on letting you go again."

Shock filled Zara's mind as she thought, "Hayden's liked me since eight years ago? And he had feelings for me long before Jonathan did?"

Hayden inched closer to her. His cold expression, which had never been fazed by anything in this world, magnified in her eyes. Following that, he teased her with a playful and flirtatious tone that she thought only regular people had. "I'd like to continue our kiss. If you want, Zara, I can be responsible for everything."

Zara stared into his eyes. "How do you plan on being responsible?"

"I can make you my wife," he answered straightforwardly and with a stern expression. It was clear to anyone that he wasn't joking.

Zara studied him in silence. She reflected on her eight-year-long relationship, which she had proposed three times. In the end, all Zara got was an "I'm over it" from Jonathan. Meanwhile, Hayden was willing to give her the one thing she eagerly wanted with such ease.

The world seemed too much like a joke to her.

Even so, Hayden continued to gaze at her with deep affection. It forced her to be unable to look away, much less calm her mind and think.

"Only by being with me will Jonathan stop bothering you," Hayden pointed out.

Zara had to admit he was good at knowing people's deepest desires.

As expected, Zara ultimately shut her eyes, grabbed Hayden's necktie, and kissed him. "Bear the responsibility, then."

…

Jonathan awoke in his ward the next day, only to realize he was alone. Zara didn't come back.

He later heard that Zara had gone home to get changed. Yet, why hadn't she returned after an entire night?

Jonathan felt inexplicably irritated to see that Zara wasn't by his side when he was injured. He was about to call her when he saw the text she had sent him yesterday.

Her text read, "You first burned for me, yet your passionate flame was also the first to die down. Meanwhile, your interest in Harper developed slowly, but you couldn't stop it. Now, your feelings for her won't stop boiling over.

"How could I have believed someone like you would sincerely love me back then? Let's break up, Jonathan."

It was a short and simple text, yet it dealt a heavy blow to Jonathan. He couldn't even digest what she had texted at that moment. Was Zara breaking up with him?

A ringing filled his ears as he realized he couldn't accept it. The words "break up" cut deep into his heart and left behind a gaping hole.

He kept calling Zara's phone but never got through to her. With every call he made, Zara kept declining on the other end.

Jonathan's heart drummed in his chest, and his fear of losing Zara spread throughout his body. He couldn't care less about his injuries as he ripped the IV drip from his arm and was about to rush out.

That was when Cole and Harper came into the ward. They were shocked to see him getting out of bed.

"Have you lost your mind, Jonathan?" Cole snapped.

Yet, Jonathan didn't pay them any mind. He bellowed, "Get out of my way!"

He then tolerated the grueling pain from his injuries and rushed home. Alas, when he arrived home, he realized every item that had to do with Zara was gone.

His gaze trembled, the uneasiness in his heart almost swallowing him whole. He wondered if Zara was serious. Was she genuinely breaking up with him?

The more Jonathan thought about it, the more he panicked. He brought out his phone to call Zara again.

This time, the call connected.

Jonathan felt relieved and spoke up at once. "Zara? I—"

Before he could say anything else, a male voice rang out on the other end.

The latter had deliberately lowered his voice to say, "Last night wore her out, so she's asleep now. Don't wake her up."

That shook Jonathan to his core. He recognized the voice as Hayden's and wondered why Zara was with him.

His eyes reddened murderously. He balled his fists with so much might that he almost crushed his phone. "Where is she?"

Hayden took his time saying, "At my place. In my bed."

Jonathan's face turned stormy, and his eyes opened wide with fury. He snarled through gritted teeth, "Do you even know what you're saying, Hayden?"