Ava stood at the large floor-to-ceiling window of the penthouse, watching the traffic below move like veins of light through the city's arteries. It was almost midnight, yet the skyline still pulsed with life. Her thoughts, however, were trapped in a loop.
The intimacy she'd shared with Jace had given her hope—hope that maybe they could make it through the storm, that the love blooming between them could shield them from the chaos. But reality had a nasty habit of creeping back in when she least expected it.
Behind her, Jace entered the room, the click of the door quiet, respectful. He didn't say anything at first. Just watched her.
"You're awake," he said finally, stepping closer.
She didn't turn around. "Barely slept."
He placed his hand gently on her waist. "Me neither."
For a while, they said nothing. The silence between them was filled with everything unsaid. Ava turned to face him, eyes dark with exhaustion and pain.
"I don't want to wake up every day wondering who's going to attack us next," she said. "I'm tired, Jace. So tired."
He cupped her face. "Then let me carry some of that. You're not alone in this."
"I know. I just… it's hard."
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Then let's make it easier together."
They stood like that, just holding one another, until the moment broke. The phone rang—Jace's personal line. He sighed and answered it.
"What is it?"
A pause. His expression hardened. "Send it to me. Now."
He ended the call and turned to Ava, jaw tense.
"What happened?"
He walked to his laptop, opened it, and began typing.
"Jace?"
"They leaked something."
Her heart stilled. "What do you mean… they?"
He turned the screen toward her. It was a video—a hidden recording from a year ago. A conversation between Richard and an unknown third party.
In it, Richard was speaking in hushed tones, glancing over his shoulder. "She's just a pawn, a means to an end. If Jace thinks she's safe, he'll play nice."
Ava stared in horror.
"That's… that's about me?" she whispered.
Jace nodded. "And it's trending."
Her stomach twisted. Her knees buckled slightly, and Jace rushed to her side.
"This was always more than just you and me," she said. "They were using us."
Jace looked at her, eyes fierce. "Not anymore."
---
The next day, they held a press conference. Not a statement through their lawyers, not a bland denial. Jace stood beside Ava, hand firmly in hers, and faced the media.
"We've had enough of the lies, the manipulation, and the invasion of our lives," he said into the mic, his voice calm but cold. "This ends now."
Ava spoke next. Her voice wavered, but she didn't flinch. "What started as a business agreement turned into something real. And no one—not my uncle, not old ghosts, and certainly not a smear campaign—is going to dictate how our story ends."
Reporters shouted questions, but they didn't stay. They left hand in hand, heads high.
---
Back at home, the mood shifted. The house felt less like a cage and more like a refuge.
Jace prepared dinner himself. It was nothing fancy—just pasta, grilled chicken, and wine. But the care in every gesture spoke volumes.
They ate quietly, occasionally glancing at one another, the weight of the day settling in slowly.
After dinner, Jace pulled Ava to the living room and turned on soft music. She gave him a questioning look.
"Dance with me," he said simply.
Ava chuckled, but let him take her hand. They swayed in the dim light, bodies close, hearts syncing again.
"I don't deserve you," he whispered into her hair.
She leaned into his chest. "Stop saying that. We're past all that."
He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "You make me want to be better. Every day."
They kissed again—slow, drawn-out, sensual. Ava felt her pulse quicken as Jace lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the bedroom without breaking the kiss.
This time was different. Not urgent or desperate.
It was slow.
Intentional.
He undressed her with reverence, lips following every inch of newly exposed skin. She responded in kind, pulling off his shirt and trailing kisses down his chest.
The heat between them was electric.
But more than the passion, it was the emotion that overwhelmed Ava—the way he touched her, like she was precious. The way he looked at her, like she was the center of his world.
Their bodies moved in perfect rhythm, breathless whispers exchanged between kisses.
She gasped when his mouth found the soft spot behind her ear. He groaned when her nails traced the muscles along his back.
Time blurred.
When they finally collapsed beside each other, tangled in sheets and each other, Ava felt lighter.
Loved.
Free.
---
That night, she dreamed of holding a baby with Jace's eyes.
She didn't tell him.
Not yet.
But in her heart, something had shifted.
Something new was beginning.