He Wouldn't Claim Me — Another Man Did

Chapter 154 - 141: Hair Tie

Morgan Hayes suddenly looked awkward.

"I’m hanging up."

Without giving Willow Thorne a chance to say another word, he hung up. The swiftness of his action was a clear sign of a guilty conscience.

Annabelle Leighton had been mortified, but when she heard his cousin mention a woman’s hair tie on Morgan Hayes’s nightstand, her mind began to race with speculation.

’Morgan Hayes insisted he didn’t have a girlfriend. If that were true, how could a woman’s hair tie possibly be in his room?’

Silence filled the car.

"Why aren’t you talking?" Morgan Hayes asked.

"I’m sorry, I was too rash and caused a huge misunderstanding." She was truly embarrassed.

"Don’t worry about it. I took you on a vice raid, you took me to catch a cheater. I guess we’re even now."

Annabelle Leighton laughed dryly.

The car fell silent again.

"Let’s go," Morgan Hayes said.

"Where to?"

"You brought me out here, so of course you have to take me back."

’That made sense.’

Annabelle Leighton didn’t say much more, started the car, and drove Morgan Hayes home.

When they arrived at his apartment building, Morgan Hayes said to Annabelle Leighton, "I’m going up to get something. Can you wait for me in the car for a minute?"

Annabelle Leighton didn’t know what he was getting, but she nodded anyway. "Okay."

Morgan Hayes got out of the car and jogged into the building’s entryway.

A moment later, he came back down, walked around to the driver’s side, and knocked on the window.

Annabelle Leighton lowered the window.

"Here, this is for you." Morgan Hayes opened his palm. In it was a beige satin scrunchie.

Annabelle Leighton recognized it at once. It was hers.

She’d bought the scrunchie on a whim just to get free shipping, but it had turned out to be surprisingly useful. For a while, she’d worn it on her wrist every day. Whenever her hair got in the way, she’d casually twist it up and tie it back for a look that was effortlessly chic.

After her trip to Brieridge, the scrunchie went missing. Annabelle Leighton had assumed she’d left it there.

She kept meaning to buy a new one, but she was too busy and forgot. She never expected to get this one back.

"How did you end up with this?"

"I found it in my jacket."

On the day they came back from Brieridge, Annabelle Leighton and Morgan Hayes were in the same car. On the way, Annabelle Leighton fell asleep leaning on Morgan Hayes. When she got out of the car, the scrunchie got snagged on his jacket, and neither of them noticed.

It wasn’t until that night when Morgan Hayes was taking off his jacket that he saw the little thing tangled in it.

Annabelle Leighton took the scrunchie and played with it in her hand.

’So this was the hair tie his cousin mentioned, the one on his nightstand?’

"Officer Hayes, have you been keeping my scrunchie in your room all this time?" Annabelle Leighton raised an eyebrow at him. "What for? Gazing at it and thinking of me?"

Morgan Hayes didn’t dare to meet her eyes, looking away as he said, "I forgot to give it back to you."

"So why did you suddenly remember today?"

Because if he didn’t bring the hair tie down and return it to her today, she would probably misunderstand and think he was seeing another woman.

Morgan Hayes had always thought Annabelle Leighton was carefree, but after today’s incident, he realized she was actually quite sharp and sensitive.

He didn’t want her to misunderstand.

"I..."

Annabelle Leighton’s phone suddenly started ringing.

"Sorry, I have to take this."

Morgan Hayes nodded.

Annabelle Leighton answered the call. It was her father. He said that her grandmother had vomited blood at the hospital and was being rushed into emergency care, and that she needed to get there right away.

"Okay, I’m on my way!"

Annabelle Leighton said a quick goodbye to Morgan Hayes, immediately turned the car around, and sped toward the hospital.