31. Chapter 31

Jayna was too stunned to react. Had this Rosalind woman really stalked her with some kind of artificial intelligence bot? Had Sid bought Realms just to get to her?

No. Sid would never do anything so creepy.

And yet…

She had considered the string of improbable coincidences nudging her into a relationship with him as evidence they were meant to be together. But if Rosalind was telling the truth, there hadn't been any coincidences. Only manipulation and deceit.

Jayna felt ill.

She pushed through the bathroom door and walked in a stupor towards the fountain. She needed to find Sid, talk to him, straighten this whole thing out. Her mind raced, and her thoughts were a jumble. She was barely aware of the fancy, beautiful people loitering outside the ballroom or the lively music that played inside.

She stopped when her eyes fell on Sid, standing near the fountain. He was deep in conversation with an older man with dark skin and a bald head. The confusion she felt threatened to overwhelm her.

She wanted desperately to talk to him so he could deny everything Rosalind had said.

But could she trust him? And what if he didn't deny it? What if it was true? Her feelings for him had grown so strong, so quickly.

He claimed to have feelings for her, too. But had it all been a lie? Had everything that had happened during the past week been some kind of elaborate scheme? To what end?

She was still deliberating when the music in the ballroom finished, and Kalani thanked the audience over their enthusiastic applause.

Jayna turned and hurried towards the ballroom. She didn't know if she could trust Sid anymore, but she could trust Kalani. He would help her figure out what to do next.

On the far side of the ballroom, a new band began playing. Jayna hurried behind the curtain that had been lowered in front of Mano Taika. It was controlled pandemonium as the band tried to move quickly and quietly from the stage, but Jayna managed to catch Kalani's eye.

He waved at her, and she motioned for him to come to her. He hesitated, and she put as much pleading into her face as she could. He nodded, gave instructions to one of the roadies, and hurried to her.

"Is everything okay?" His brow furrowed in concern.

"Yes," she said. "It's just…" But as she tried to form the words to explain what was going on, the emotions overwhelmed her. It took all her effort to keep the tears from falling.

Kalani wrapped his arm around her. "Are you hurt?" he asked. The concern in his voice carried a dangerous edge.

Jayna managed to shake her head. "No. Yes. I don't know."

Kalani stiffened. "It's going to be all right. Let's go somewhere we can talk." Kalani led her away from the backstage chaos and out into a small garden area near the back entrance.

"What happened?" Kalani"s deep voice was tender and reassuring.

Jayna took a deep breath, but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak, the dam broke and she began to cry.

Kalani held her while she sobbed onto his shoulder. He gently stroked her back, and after several minutes, she regained her composure enough to tell him about Rosalind, her aggregators, and her suspicion that Sid might actually be a creepy, manipulative stalker.

When she had finished, she cast a wary glance at him. She worried he might think she was overreacting, but to her relief, Kalani looked as concerned as she felt. After a moment he asked, "Have you talked to Obsidian about this?"

Jayna shook her head. "No, not yet. I know I need to, but I don't even know what to say. What if it's true? What if everything that happened this past week was all a lie?"

Kalani shook his head. "I see why you might think that, but it doesn't really make sense."

"Doesn't it?" Jayna said. "Obsidian Hayes, who made his fortune rebuilding manufacturing companies, decides on a whim to buy an amusement park, then he just happens to be alone in the changing room when I need help, and then he happens to be flying half-way around the world the same day I need a ride because my boyfriend…"

Jayna trailed off, the enormity of this realization sinking in.

Kalani put his arm around her. "I don't think Sid was responsible for you and Toren breaking up." But Jayna could hear the uncertainty in his voice. "Look, you need to talk to him and get this straightened out."

"But I don't know if I can trust him. What if he lies to me?"

Kalani sighed. "He might. But you have to at least give him a chance to explain himself."

"Why?"

"Because of what you feel for him."

Jayna pulled back. Hot tears burned her cheeks. "What I feel is angry and hurt and betrayed."

Kalani took her in his arms. "That's not all you feel. I'll admit, those coincidences seem rather far-fetched, but even though I don't know Sid well, this doesn't seem like something he would do. He's too direct and straight to the point."

Jayna wrapped her arms around Kalani and sobbed into his neck. After a few minutes, she finally felt like she had regained enough control to think clearly.

Jayna kept her arms wrapped around Kalani and held on tight for what seemed an eternity, drawing strength and resolve from his strong, warm embrace. At last, she let go and whispered, "Thank you," and kissed him on the cheek. "You're right. I need to give him a chance to explain."