Yuna’s phone lay on the ground. Her eyes trembled as she tried to make sense of it all. Yeah, she’d heard everything.

“Yuna,” I called softly, stepping closer.

But she wasn’t looking at me. Her glare locked onto Wade. “What did you mean about my heart?”

Wade froze, lips pressed tight.

I jumped in, “Yuna—”

“Don’t!” Her voice cut through me like glass—sharp, defensive, and totally out of character.

She didn’t want my comfort. Only Wade’s answer. And from her face, she’d already guessed the truth.

Wade finally moved, giving me an awkward, apologetic glance. “You should go. Let me talk to her.”

I knew he was right, but leaving felt wrong. So I stepped off the balcony but stayed just out of sight, leaning against the wall, eavesdropping like my life depended on it.

“My heart…” Yuna’s voice cracked. “Whose is it? Is it… your ex’s?”

Oof. There it was. The bombshell.

Yuna might’ve been new to love, but she wasn’t clueless. Sure, she’d never dated before Wade, but those romance novels she devoured? They’d prepped her for drama like this.

“Yuna, please, calm down,” Wade begged, his voice shaky.

He knew her heart couldn’t handle too much emotional strain.

“Just answer me!” she shot back, her frustration bubbling over.

Yeah, I got it. If it were me, I’d be losing it too.

I shifted my weight, staring hard at my shoes. Nate had assured me her heart was strong enough for most things now—but this? This was a lot to drop on her.

Wade remained silent, clearly unable to bring himself to say the cruel words she needed to hear.

“So you were only with me because of this heart,” Yuna said, her voice breaking as it pounded her chest. “No wonder you showed up right after the transplant!”

Wade lunged forward, grabbing her hands in a full-on panic. “Yuna, stop! Please don’t do this!”

But the harder he tried, the worse it got. Every word, every frantic move just made the cracks in her heart deeper.

Yuna yanked against Wade’s grip, her anger igniting through her tears. When she couldn’t break free, she glared at him, eyes blazing. Wade dropped his head. “Yuna, I was wrong. I’m sorry… I… I…”

He trailed off. He wanted to tell her how he really felt, but the weight of his guilt was crushing whatever explanation he wanted to give.

Yuna wasn’t about to wait. “You’ve never loved me, have you? All those excuses—being older, not knowing me well enough—they were all lies, weren’t they?”

“No, that’s not true,” Wade insisted, shaking his head. “I do like you. I like your optimism, your smile, how you see the good in everything…”

The words tumbled out, raw and messy, like even he didn’t realize how much he felt until now.

My lashes quivered as I listened. Wade might’ve been drowning in guilt, but his feelings for Yuna were real. There was no way he could fake the emotion in his voice.

But deep down, his guilt wouldn’t let him admit the truth. He’d convinced himself it was all about Narelle’s heart, using that as a shield to hide from his own feelings.

“All those things you like about me,” Yuna whispered, her voice cracking, “do you only like them because they remind you of her?”

Her pain was unmistakable. Wade wasn’t just her first love—he was everything. Now, that everything was falling apart.

“No, Yuna! You’re you—I know that,” Wade tried, his voice breaking again. He reached for her.

But Yuna wasn’t having it. Tears streamed down her face as she yanked herself free. “You were going to leave me anyway, weren’t you? Fine. Go. Just don’t ever come back. I don’t want to see you again.”

With that, she bolted, her sobs echoing as she stormed inside.

Then she saw me. Her tear-streaked face twisted in hurt and anger, her eyes locking onto mine. The resentment was sharp.

I knew what she was thinking. She blamed me. Not just for knowing Wade’s secret, but for keeping it from her.