Chapter 26
Chapter 26
55 vouchers
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It was the day Kayla’s mother was coming back. In Kayla’s last life, it was on this exact day that her mom, instead of going straight home with her dad, made a quick stop at the mall and ended up dying in a car accident.
After that, her dad changed completely. He became distant, irritable, and increasingly cold toward Kayla.
When Jackson found out Kayla had bullied Marianna, he became even more furious than Tristian. He cut off all Kayla’s allowance and locked her up for a whole month.
Kayla never understood why her dad suddenly treated her so cruelly. But after everything that happened later, she started to have her suspicions.
However, those were suspicions, and she needed an investigation to verify them.
Before that, though, one thing was clear: she had to make sure her mom stayed safe and avoided the accident.
Her mom was the only one in the entire family who had ever truly loved her and cared about her.
Kayla packed her things as fast as she could. Every movement screamed urgency.
Payton stepped forward, gently grabbed her wrist, and asked, “What could possibly be more important than your own life? You’re still doing the IV.”
Kayla froze for half a second, then slowly looked up at him, her eyes steady and filled with something deeper. “Because she is my life.”
She shook his hand off and added sharply, “And don’t think that just because you helped me today, you get to tell me what to do.”
If distance was what she’d chosen, then she had to keep it that way. The further Payton stayed from her, the safer he’d be.
Payton froze slightly. After a pause, he finally asked the question that had been eating at him, “Do you… really hate me that much?”
He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but from the moment he saw Kayla yesterday, she had been avoiding him deliberately.
They weren’t close to each other, but she had never been this distant before.
Payton was confused by how Kayla treated him these two days.
Kayla had her back to Payton, but when she heard the faint note of hurt in his voice, something twisted inside her.
She shook her head, as if shaking off the thought in her mind, and replied, “You’re overthinking it.”
But her voice was flat, detached, and utterly unconvincing.
Payton clearly wasn’t satisfied with her answer. He stepped closer and asked, “Did I do something to offend you?”
He thought, confused, ‘We barely knew each other before. Unless she found it out?”
Kayla pressed her lips into a thin line. She seemed to be weighing something. Then, she turned around with a mild smile, but her eyes were icy. “What, you think saving me today gives you an excuse to get close?”
There was sarcasm in her tone, like she was accusing him of using kindness as a bargaining chip.
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7:33 pm
Chapter 26
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12 55 vouchers
Payton was caught off guard by her accusation. His brows drew together as he explained, “That’s not what I meant.”
But Kayla didn’t give him a chance to explain. She reached into her bag, pulled out her wallet, and looked at him with cool disdain. “Just tell me how much you want.
“You helped me because I’m a Sexton, right? I won’t let you go unpaid. 15 grand? 30 grand? Or do you want to name your price?”
Kayla had already decided that if he asked for more, she wouldn’t mind. After all, in her last life, she owed him far more than money.
Payton’s face instantly turned cloudy. He retorted, “Kayla, what kind of person do you think I am?”
Kayla’s heart skipped a beat. She knew what she’d just done was disrespectful and even cruel. It was the kind of behavior that screamed ungrateful and heartless, but she didn’t care how Payton saw her.
If thinking she was arrogant, spoiled, reckless, and unworthy kept him away from her, then she was willing to play the villain.
Swallowing the guilt rising in her heart, Kayla tried to pull some cash from her wallet, but her trembling fingers just wouldn’t
cooperate.
Frustrated, she threw the whole wallet at Payton’s chest and snapped, “You saw me bully Marianna yesterday, didn’t you? As you see, I am an arrogant and spoiled bully.
“If you’re not after my money, what the hell are you after? Don’t tell me you saved me out of the goodness of your heart. You think I’d believe that crap?”
She threw out the ugliest words she could muster, but the guilt only clawed deeper inside her.
She knew Payton wasn’t that kind of person. But if cruelty was the only thing that would drive him away, then she’d wield it like a weapon.
Payton’s face flushed with frustration. “What if it was just a coincidence?”
Kayla let out a cold laugh. “Coincidence? Please. I don’t believe in coincidences. They’re just pretty names for someone’s calculated setup. Don’t try to fool me.”
Payton’s eyes flickered, and his lashes dropped just enough to hide a flash of guilt.
Kayla didn’t notice that. All she saw was his face growing paler. That was good. That meant her words worked.
She forced a cold smile and added, “So take the money and get the hell out of my face. I’m sick of looking at you.”
With that, she turned and walked off, her steps fast and firm.
However, the moment she turned around, a single teardrop slipped down her cheek, falling silently to the ground. That teardrop carried everything she couldn’t say–regret, pain, helplessness.
Payton was one of the few people who ever showed Kayla kindness in that whole school, and it destroyed him. He paid the price for helping her. And now, she destroyed that kindness on purpose.
Kayla’s chest ached with a mix of relief and bitterness. She thought bitterly, ‘He probably hates me now. Maybe that’s for the best. At least this way, he’ll never get dragged into my mess again. He won’t end up a casualty in Marianna’s games!’
Behind her, Payton stood frozen, watching her figure grow smaller and smaller as she disappeared into the darkness.
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7:33 pm
Chapter 26
155 vouchers
Finally, he looked down at the pink wallet lying at his feet. His anger flared for a moment, and he almost stomped on it. However, his foot hovered in the air but never came down.
After a few seconds, he let out a sigh and bent over, gently picking it up. He brushed off the dirt with his sleeve, an inexplicit emotion riding in his mind.
When he opened it, he found neatly stacked bills, a few credit cards, and a photo tucked in the side pocket, which showed a smiling girl resting her head on the shoulder of a stunning woman.
The girl’s eyes sparkled with joy, her grin was sunlit and carefree.
It was Kayla, but not the Kayla he’d just met. Not the cold, distant girl who spat venom at him. This Kayla was glowing and radiant.
By the time Kayla stepped out of the school clinic, night had already fallen. A gentle, heavy stillness had settled over the world like a velvet curtain.
The noise and chaos of the day had faded, leaving behind only the quiet glow of scattered streetlights and the whisper of distant traffic.
From a distance, Kayla spotted the familiar car parked by the curb. Ariel was slouched over the wheel, clearly fast asleep from how long he’d been waiting.
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