Ava sat in the backseat of the black SUV, her hands clenched tightly in her lap as the car pulled away from the brunch venue. Jace hadn't said a word since Lena showed up. He hadn't needed to. The storm in his eyes had spoken volumes.
The silence between them was louder than any argument.
She stared out the window, trying to process everything. Lena. The ex-fiancée. The woman from the photo. The one everyone thought he'd marry.
And she had walked into that room like she still owned him.
"She shouldn't have been there," Jace said finally, his voice low, tense.
Ava turned to him. "But she was. And it looked like she expected you to welcome her."
He raked a hand through his hair. "She was supposed to be in Italy. Her company handles international PR accounts now. I haven't spoken to her in over a year."
"Then why did she come back?" Ava asked, her voice tighter than she intended.
Jace didn't answer.
That silence told Ava more than words ever could.
She looked away. "Do you still have feelings for her?"
Jace didn't immediately respond. He seemed to wrestle with something before answering. "I thought I did. For a long time."
Ava's chest tightened.
"But not anymore," he added, turning to her. "When she left, I thought it broke me. But I survived. And then you came into the picture, and everything started to feel… real again. Different."
She met his eyes. There was sincerity there. And confusion. And something else she couldn't name.
"I just need to know," she said softly. "If she asks for you back—would you go?"
He didn't blink. "No."
The firmness in his voice made her heart skip.
They arrived home shortly after. The rest of the day passed in strange silence. Jace locked himself in his study, and Ava retreated to her room, curling up on the couch with her thoughts and a book she couldn't focus on.
Dinner was quiet. The clinking of cutlery on plates the only sound between them.
Later that night, she stood by the large window in her room, looking out over the city lights. The door creaked open.
Jace.
He stepped inside slowly. "Can we talk?"
She nodded. He walked to her side.
"I don't want you to feel like you're second to anyone," he said.
Ava looked at him. "Then prove it."
He stepped closer. "How?"
"Let me in. Stop locking parts of yourself away."
He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You scare me, Ava."
She blinked. "Why?"
"Because you make me feel things I thought I'd buried. Things that make me want more. With you."
Her breath caught as he leaned closer.
"Tell me to stop," he whispered.
She didn't.
Their lips met.
Soft at first. Searching.
But then it deepened. Became hungry. Desperate. His hands slid around her waist, pulling her closer. Her fingers tangled in his shirt as he kissed her like she was the only thing tethering him to earth.
He lifted her effortlessly, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bed. The heat between them was undeniable.
He laid her down gently, lips never leaving hers.
Clothes became a distant memory.
Their bodies moved like they'd done this a thousand times before—yet each touch felt brand new. Every kiss, every sigh, every whispered name.
He explored her like she was art—tracing every curve, memorizing every breath.
She clung to him like a lifeline, letting go of everything else.
For the first time, there was no contract.
No obligation.
Just them.
When it was over, they lay tangled in each other's arms, hearts racing.
Jace pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You're not a mistake, Ava. You're the only thing that feels right."
Tears stung her eyes. "Then don't push me away."
"I won't."
They fell asleep wrapped in each other's warmth, as the past and future blurred into a quiet now.
But downstairs, a phone buzzed on the kitchen counter.
A message from an unknown number.
> "You can't hide her forever, Jace. She deserves to know the truth."