Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)
Hello 388

Three days later, Yuna was moved out of the recovery room.

No signs of rejection, no discomfort-her recovery was going faster than even Nate expected.

"It seems like someone else's heart suits her just fine," Lena said with a touch of admiration.

"Maybe the heart's original owner wasn't ready to leave just yet," I joked, holding a bouquet of fresh

flowers.

The thought lingered in my mind, so I leaned closer to Lena and whispered, "Do you know anything about

the donor?"

Lena gave me a quick, sideways glance. "That's confidential."

I knew that, of course. I wasn't asking to pry-just amazed at the fact that someone's sacrifice had saved Yuna's life. It was the kind of selflessness you don't see every day.

The door to the recovery room swung open, and Yuna was wheeled out.

Even though Hayden and I had visited Yuna a few times over the past days, seeing her finally come that room felt completely different.

This wasn't just a door from the recovery room-it was the start of her new life, one where she could finally be as healthy as anyone else. *Hayden! Keira! Lena!" Yuna squealed, her voice so high-pitched it was almost dolphin-like with

excitement.

Hayden stepped forward and hugged her, giving her a gentle pat on the head.

I handed over the bouquet, then pulled her into my arms. "Congrats on your new beginning."

Lena stepped up next, shaking Yuna's hand firmly. "Keep pushing forward-your future's waiting."

Yuna nodded, her eyes filling with tears.

out of

She'd been so strong, even heading into surgery without crying. But now, after being given a second chance, she finally let herself cry. These weren't tears of fear-they were tears of rebirth, like a newborn's first cry as it steps into the world.

Half a month after Yuna's transplant, the amusement park was finally set to open. The invitation came from Wayne.

“Rea, you're not going to bail on this, are you?” Wayne asked.

I'd made my decision a while ago, so I didn't hesitate. "No, I won't."

Because the park's opening also marked my farewell.

A farewell to RiverwayeCorp, to everything tied to Jace and our past.

From now on, I'd only look forward, leaving everything from the past behind. No more looking back.

-

"Is Jace going to be there?" I asked.

Since Jace came back, he hadn't reached out, and I had no idea what was going on with him. Even Lindey had gone silent after that one phone call. "He will," Wayne said, confident.

It was Jace's baby, after all. When the board at RiverwaveCorp fought him on it-saying prime real estate should be used for a resort or a mall-Jace had dug in his heels for the amusement park.

Even though he broke my heart, I couldn't help but feel thankful for this.

"My parents will be there too," Wayne added.

Hearing Matthew's name hit me with a wave of guilt. I'd only visited him twice since he got sick.

"How's your dad doing?" I asked.

"He's on targeted meds and doing okay. Mostly 'cause he doesn't know how bad it really is, so his mindset's still pretty positive," Wayne said, adjusting his glasses. "The doc says he needs to avoid stress."

I knew exactly what he meant.

Wayne was telling me my distance was for the best. Seeing me would just mess with Matthew's emotions, and that wouldn't help his recovery. "You're looking pretty good lately," I said, trying to shift the mood.

Wayne gave a soft, self-deprecating laugh. "Not too bad."

We didn't have much more to say, so I found an excuse to wrap things up.

That excuse

was Steve.

He had messaged me, asking if I could swing by his place. When I got there, Steve wasn't around, but his receptionist handed me an envelope. Inside were two tickets to a game.

"You probably don't have time for this, right?" I said, handing them to Hayden, trying to sound casual.