The room slled of dust and old smoke. The walls were stripped bare, patches of peeled wallpaper clinging like ghosts that refused to leave. A single light flickered above , the kind that humd and stuttered like it was on its last breath.
My head was spinning.
The last thing I rembered was Jace saying "Trust ."
Then...darkness.
Now, here.
I sat in what used to be a dining chair, my wrists aching from where I must’ve been gripping the armrests too tightly. My heart wouldn’t slow down. It was beating so hard it felt like the whole room could hear it.
This was part of Jace’s plan.
That was what I kept telling myself, even as fear clawed at the edges of my throat.
He said he would handle Massimo. He said it was controlled. But there was nothing controlled about how my pulse raced now, or how cold the air felt against my skin.
The sound of footsteps ca next. They were slow and deliberate.
I turned toward the door as I felt the dread crawling up my spine. The heavy tal hinge creaked as it opened, letting in a faint stream of moonlight from the hallway.
Massimo.
He stepped inside like he owned the place, his dark coat brushing against the cracked floor tiles. His smile was faint and cruel. It was the kind that made your stomach turn because it ant he was enjoying this.
"So," he said softly, shutting the door behind him. "The infamous Mrs. Romano. Long ti, no see."
I didn’t answer as I glared at him slightly before looking away.
He circled slowly, studying the way a wolf studies prey that’s already cornered. His presence filled the room like smoke, suffocating and slick with arrogance.
"I’ve been waiting to seeyou properly," he said. "You’ve caused quite a ss, you know that?"
I stared ahead, saying nothing.
He tilted his head. "You don’t have to be afraid. I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk."
Talk. Right.
I nearly rolled my eyes.
That word sounded wrong coming from a man like him who had wreaked so much havoc for months now.
He moved closer, and my heartbeat quickened. "They say you’re loyal to him. That you’d rather die than betray your husband. But everyone breaks eventually."
"I won’t," I said before I could stop myself. My voice ca out steadier than I expected. "You don’t know like that Massimo."
That made him smile wider. "You’re right. I don’t. But Jace does. And he’s made a very dangerous mistake bringing you into his world."
He leaned closer until I could see the faint scar cutting through his jawline. "Tell , Mira. Does he ever tell you the truth? About what he’s done? About what he’ll do next?"
I clenched my fists in my lap, forcing myself not to look away. "I don’t care what he’s done. I care about what he’s protecting."
Massimo chuckled lowly. "Ah, love. The prettiest poison."
"I wanted to show you the world. I wanted to make you my queen but you chose him instead."
I scoffed. "Make your queen?"
I even let out a bitter laugh to ridicule him further.
"You wanted a pawn on your chessboard. Save your lies for those bitches who believe them." I spat.
He let out a dark chuckle that sent chills of dread going down my spine. I was beginning to forget how dangerous this man was but a part of wasn’t scared because I believed my husband would protect . He promised to do so.
"You’re as feisty as I rember. I love it." He ran his fingers through my hair.
"Get your hands off ." I tried to shake him off but being tied down didn’t help.
"And if I don’t?"
The room went silent again, the tension thick enough to choke on. Then, suddenly there was a sound.
A single, sharp click echoing from behind him.
Massimo froze.
My breath caught in my throat as he turned slowly toward the direction of the sound andtoward the shadows near the far wall.
From the darkness, Jace stepped out.
I held my breath even as relief flooded my veins. The sight of him made feel safe.
He looked calm. Too calm. Dressed in black from head to toe, his expression unreadable, but his eyes burned with cold fury. He didn’t look at . His gaze was locked on Massimo like he’d been waiting for this mont his entire life.
Massimo’s smirk returned, but it faltered at the edges. "So, the ghost finally appears."
"Not a ghost," Jace said quietly. "Just a man who’s done running."
The air between them was electric. It felt like two storms colliding, years of betrayal and vengeance crashing in a single space.
Massimo spread his arms. "You really think you can win this war, Romano? You’ve lost everything— your allies, your power—"
"I still have her," Jace said flatly. "And that’s enough."
For the first ti, Massimo’s confidence wavered. "You used her as bait."
Jace’s jaw flexed. "I used your arrogance."
Silence fell again.
Then they fought like two mad n. I watched in horror as they threw punches at each other, hitting and fighting a with all their might even as gunshots rent the air from outside.
Every nerve in my body scread. I wanted to yell, to stop them, to tell them that enough blood had already been spilled. But I knew Jace wouldn’t walk away from this one.
I had never seen him so mad. I had never seen him so furious and determined and despite how injured he was, his jaw was set.
I knew then and there that this was the end of sothing.
Jace took one step forward after he got up. Then anothsd.
Just then, I saw Massimo reach into his coat. The alarm bells went ringing in my head.
"Jace!" I cried.
The next few seconds blurred into chaos movent, noise, the flash of tal, and gunshots that cracked through the walls like thunder. My scream tore through the silence, echoing long after the sound faded.
When I finally opened my eyes, Jace was still standing.
Massimo wasn’t.
The sll of gunpowder filled the air.
Jace didn’t look away from the body. He just stood there for a long, quiet mont before finally lowering the gun and exhaling like the weight of ten years had just fallen off his shoulders.
Then he turned to .
"It’s over," he said softly, and his voice trembled for the first ti I’d ever heard it.
"It’s finally over."
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