Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Abigail could barely open her mouth. Her hands and lips seemed to tremble in sync with each other. She didn’t even know how she could still handle the pain in her chest. Tears slowly streamed down her face as she stared into Grayson’s eyes.

“Let’s break up, Grayson.”

Silence enveloped both of them. Grayson remained quiet as he looked at her, trying to decipher if he heard her correctly.

“What? What did you just say, Abigail?”

“I said, let’s break up. I can’t do this anymore. I’m tired.”

Grayson scowled. “But I told you that I don’t have a relationship with that girl!” he replied.

Abigail shook her head. “But you still love her, right?”

“It doesn’t matter if I still love her or not! What matters is that you’re my girlfriend right now. I love you, Abigail.”

“No. It matters to me, Grayson. It hurts me a lot every time I’m reminded that your heart also belongs to someone else.”

Grayson didn’t know what to say. Abigail wiped her tears and tried to smile.

“I’m giving you time to make up your mind. If you really love me, I want to make sure that your heart is completely mine. We won’t last if you love me and someone else,” she said before grabbing her handbag and standing up.

“Goodbye, Grayson. Thanks for everything.”

Abigail quietly went out of the coffee shop. Meanwhile, Grayson remained frozen in his seat, unable to process what just happened. He used to be confident about Abigail’s love for him. He thought that she would never be the one to end their relationship, but he was wrong.

Kendall, on the other hand, was standing right in front of the café, giving the couple some privacy as they talked. She stood up straight when she saw Abigail coming out. Her eyebrows furrowed when she noticed the sullen demeanor of the woman. Abigail didn’t even notice Kendall since her eyes were solely focused on her car.

“Abigail!” Kendall called.

The woman turned to her. To Kendall’s surprise, Abigail ran towards her and enveloped her in a tight hug.

“I will miss you, Hailey,” she sobbed.

Albeit confused, Kendall wrapped her arms around Abigail and gently patted her back.

“What happened? Are you and Grayson, okay?” she asked.

Abigail didn’t answer and just kept sobbing on her shoulder. After a while, she removed herself from Kendall and went back to her car, not uttering even a single word. She looked at Kendall again, waved at her sadly, and drove away from the coffee shop.

Kendall sighed deeply. It seemed like she already figured out what happened. Soon after, Grayson went outside. Kendall quickly climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

She glanced at the man beside her. His face was painted with nothing but emptiness. His eyes were moist, and he would sigh from time to time.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Just drive."

Kendall quietly obeyed. She let him have his silence. She continued driving for a long time, unsure where the car would take them. After thinking it through, she turned the car around and drove back to UM.

"Let's go to a bar," Grayson blurted out after a long moment of silence.

Kendall nodded her head. She drove to the bar that Grayson frequented the most. As soon as they arrived there, Grayson told her to just wait outside. He fished out his phone and typed something before placing it beside his ear.

“Cady, it’s me. Let’s meet.”

Kendall was surprised by what she heard but didn’t comment. Sadness was evident in the man’s eyes, so she let him do whatever he wanted. She waited outside the bar patiently. After a few minutes, she saw Cady getting out of a taxi.

The woman looked sexy and sophisticated in her dress. It seemed like she really prepared herself for this. If Kendall would be honest, she would almost look like Abigail. Only that the latter was sexier than Cady. And Abigail was smarter.

Cady waved at her as soon as she saw her.

“Hi, Hailey!” she greeted.

“Hi. Grayson’s waiting for you inside.”

“I know. I’ll go now. See you later!”

Kendall waited for a long time. She even fell asleep for more than an hour in the car, but the two still haven’t come out! It was almost midnight. She had already decided to get some fresh air when Grayson and Cady suddenly went out of the bar. Both were wearing happy expressions with their hands clasped with each other.

Kendall narrowed her eyes and looked at the two, who were seated at the back of the car, through the rear-view mirror. She stared at Grayson’s face. Like magic, it was as if sadness vanished from him all of a sudden. He couldn’t even take his eyes off Cady.

Grayson suddenly raised his head and caught Kendall staring at him. His expression turned serious in an instant.

“Bring us there.”

Kendall didn’t understand what he meant at first. Slowly, realization dawned on her after staring into his eyes for a while. She felt hesitant, but she knew she had no choice.

Kendall nodded at Grayson.

“Oh, Hailey! Do you want me to say hi to my brother for you?” Cady teased.

“S-sure. I mean, I kind of talked to him today.”

“Really?” Cady’s smile widened. “Are you two that close?”

“Uh… Not really,” Kendall replied awkwardly.

After that, silence filled the car. Grayson and Cady remained quiet in the back, but their hands were still clasped together. Cady’s cheeks were flushed in embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Kendall’s expression was serious. She was too deep in her thoughts. She kept on thinking about Grayson’s decision.

Without any word, Kendall swerved the car to the side of the road and stopped. She got out of the car and after a few deep breaths, she started walking away.

Surprised, Grayson went out of the car and followed Kendall.

“Hailey! Where are you going?”

“Leave me alone. You can drive on your own.”

“What’s the matter with you?”

“I can’t do it, Grayson! I can’t take my friend’s sister to the place you want!”

“You’re acting like this because of Noah?” he scoffed.

“Yeah! Is it bad if I showed care for my friend?” Kendall fired back. “Oh! I know! You can’t understand me because you’re different. You only think about yourself! You don’t give a damn about hurting others!”

“What is wrong with you, Hailey?”

Kendall glared at him.

“Because you’ve already broken the heart of someone, but you’re still unsatisfied! You really want to crush it in pieces!”

Grayson sighed and stayed silent for a while. “I understand why you’re feeling that way. Look, I’m sorry if you feel hurt because of what I did to Abigail. But I already made a choice, Hailey. I still love Cady.”

Kendall moved toward him.

“I’m not saying that your choice was wrong. But at least have some respect and shame for the person you hurt just a while ago!”

“Fine! I’ll do whatever you want, but what difference will it make? One way or another, I will still hurt Abigail! Is it bad if I badly want to make up with the girl I love more?”

Kendall stared at him in disbelief. She shook her head before smirking at him. “It’s hard to talk to you right now. And I’m not the place to tell you such things either,” she said before turning around and walking away again.

“Where are you going?” Grayson asked as he followed her.

“I need some air. Just go.”

However, Grayson grabbed her arm.

“Go back to the car, Hailey.”

“Let me go! What, you can’t drive now?”

“It’s not about that, Hailey.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll follow you later. I just can’t drive you there. Your little slave will still be there to look after you,” Kendall answered sarcastically.

“Fine! We won’t go there anymore! Let’s go home. Just go back to the car.”

Kendall stopped in her tracks and looked at him. She wanted to make sure first that this man was telling the truth.

“Let’s not fight anymore, okay? We’ll bring Cady home,” Gray softly said.

Sighing, Kendall got back to the car and started driving again. Cady looked at the two in confusion.

“What happened?” she asked Grayson.

“I’m taking you home.”

“Huh? Why?”

Grayson didn’t reply. Instead, he transferred his gaze to Kendall, who was busy driving.

“I forgot that my grandfather’s going home tonight. I need to go home. Don’t worry we still have a lot of time to spend with each other,” Grayson calmly explained before leaning to Cady’s forehead to kiss it.

Not long after, the car stopped in front of Cady’s house. The couple was both busy saying goodbye to each other when Noah’s car arrived.

“Noah!” Cady exclaimed as she walked to her brother and kissed his cheek.

“Grayson, meet my older brother. Noah, this is Grayson, my b-boyfriend,” Cady said. Excitement was obvious in her tone.

“Hey, man. Nice to meet you,” Noah greeted as he held out his hand.

Grayson reluctantly accepted his hand for a handshake. “Yeah. Nice to meet you, too.”

Noah looked behind him. “By the way, is Hailey with you?” he suddenly asked.

“How did you know that she’s with us?” Grayson retorted coldly.

Noah paused and blinked. “Uh… She told me that you guys are always together. Y-yeah. That’s why I assumed that she’s with you now.”

"She's in the car," Grayson deadpanned.

Noah went to the car. He gently knocked on the driver’s seat window, slightly startling Kendall inside. A wide grin broke free from Kendall’s face when she saw who it was.

“Ins… Noah! You’re here!”

Noah chuckled. “We’ve been bumping into each other lately, huh,” he joked.

“I think we’ll see each other more often from now on,” Kendall quietly replied as she stole a glance at the people behind them.

“Oh! This has been the result of all those dramas?” he laughed.

Kendall rolled her eyes. “Yup! But at least your sister now has an instant guard because of this.”

Noah laughed again. “Nah, don’t bother yourself. She’s a big girl. She’s smart enough to decide for herself.”

“How are you? Is there any news about the group?” Kendall suddenly changed the topic.

The two of them moved farther from Grayson and Cady as they started talking about their job. They remained to talk in hushed voices. Grayson kept glancing at them.

After a while, he realized that Noah and Kendall’s conversation was getting more serious so he quickly bid goodbye to Cady.

“Hailey! Let’s go home!” he yelled irritably, completely forgetting the goodbye kiss he was supposed to give his girlfriend.

Kendall turned to Grayson, shocked by his tone. “All right, Inspector. We’re leaving. See you around,” she whispered to Noah.

“Bye. Drive safely, you reckless woman," Noah said in a teasing tone and laughed.

Kendall laughed quietly as she entered the car. Grayson, on the other hand, was giving her sharp glares. Silence filled the entire drive. Aside from their occasional deep sighs, there was nothing.

Kendall finally parked the car in the garage. She quickly climbed out and walked straight to the house. Grayson trailed behind her, quickly holding her arm.

"Let's talk,” he said in a low voice.

Kendall’s eyebrows furrowed. She easily noticed the annoyed look on Grayson’s face.

“Are you happy now?” he gravely asked.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“I said, are you happy that you ruined my first day being back with Cady?” he uttered in an angrier voice.

Kendall let out a mocking smile. “What about your last day with Abigail? Did you think about that, too?”

“Stop using Abigail as your excuse! This is all about Noah, isn’t it?”

“W-what? How did Noah become a part of this conversation?” Kendall asked in confusion.

“You like him, right? Isn’t that the reason why you care so much about his sister?” Grayson furiously muttered. The veins in his neck seemed like they were about to explode.

Kendall’s mouth went agape, not knowing what to say.

‘How dare he accuse me of such?’ she thought.

“Can you stop it with Noah? He’s not doing anything wrong to you!”

“He does! You’re acting that way because of him. You’re trying to break me and Cady up because of him! I knew you were acting like that earlier because of that man!”

Kendall blinked repeatedly. “Wait a minute. Since when did I try to ruin your relationship with Cady? I’m not even doing anything!”

“Yeah? What about that walking-out fiasco you did earlier?!”

“So, it’s my fault that you didn’t proceed with your escapade with your girlfriend?”

“You clearly went out of the car because you didn’t like the idea, remember?”

Kendall’s angry face moved closer to him. “I told you I don’t have the will to drive you and your woman. That’s all! Did I tell you not to go? You made that choice, so stop blaming me!”

“No! You left me with no choice, Hailey!”

“How? What did I do to make you decide that way, Grayson?”

"You got angry! You walked out! You were mad at me!"

“So what if I got angry? Am I your girlfriend’s nanny? Do I control your body? Should I open the door for you everywhere you go? Why are you so pressed about me being mad?!” She sighed repeatedly, catching her breath.

“Because I don’t want you to feel that way! It drives me crazy knowing that you’re angry at me! I don’t want you to hate me! I can’t stand thinking that you’re secretly carrying a negative feeling about me!”

Kendall froze on her spot. Grayson’s last words flashed in her mind repeatedly.

Grayson did the same. He gulped as he realized what he had just said.

Not long after, Kendall smiled at him as if she finally calmed down. “Let’s just forget this conversation happened, Grayson. Next time, you should just spend time with Cady whenever you want.”

She started walking again while Grayson followed her behind.

“H-Hailey… I said something, didn’t I?” he quietly said.

“No. I didn’t hear anything.”

“Stop pretending. Will you please face me and tell me what’s running through your mind?”

Kendall stopped. She turned to him. Her eyes were stern and cold. “Don’t include me in your collection of women, Grayson. Just don’t. Even if the world turns upside down now, whatever it is you’re thinking of is still not gonna happen. Ever.”

Kendall didn’t wait for his reply.

“Then why did you kiss me back?” Grayson suddenly blurted out.

For the ninth time, Kendall stopped in her tracks. It was as if a pail of cold water spilled on her entire body. Her heart started to beat faster, and her knees trembled. Heat flowed to her cheeks, making them red in embarrassment. Grayson wouldn’t guess how much she gulped just now.

A sudden thought popped into her head. She looked at Grayson, seemingly unfazed by his question.

“Why? Do you think you’re the only one capable of kissing the person you don’t like?” she coolly said.

“Hailey…”

“Look at yourself. Today, you broke a woman’s heart. But then you had a new girl in your arms right before the day ended. And now, you’re still unsatisfied. You’re confessing your feelings to another woman! Unbelievable…”

“I didn’t say I like you.”

“Oh! Yeah! Sorry, I misunderstood. But that’s much better, isn’t it? That way, I can sleep better tonight,” Kendall answered before walking away from him.

“All I’m saying is,” Grayson suddenly said. “Maybe I like you more.”

Kendall turned around in an instant. Her wide eyes stared at him. Grayson slowly walked towards her until they were only inches apart.

“Hailey…”

“G-Grayson,” she raised her hand and let it rest on his cheek. She smiled at him. Grayson returned the smile and caressed her hand gently until Kendall tightly grabbed his hand and twisted it with much force.

“Ah!” Grayson moaned in pain. Kendall glared at him.

“Are you kidding me or not?”

“No, I’m not!”

Kendall tightened her grip on him.

“Hailey! It hurts!”

“Are you kidding or not?”

“I’m not kidding!”

Kendall’s eyes turned sharper as she put more force on Grayson’s hand.

“Are you kidding or not?! Answer me correctly!”

“Ah! Y-yes! I’m just kidding! Let me go!”