I will give you space

The next morning, Jace woke up and looked beside him to see me sleeping, facing him. He smiled

"Wow, you look beautiful when you're sleeping. I'm amazed by how much you care about me. You undressed me and saw things you weren't supposed to see, but you're my wife, so it's nothing. Still, I felt a bit embarrassed. You look so beautiful; you're really the angel I asked God for. I love everything about you. I pray you'll love me the way I am in love with you. I'm deeply in love with you," he said sharply, wrapping his hands around my waist.

My eyes fluttered open, and I felt his grip tighten.

"Jace, let go of me," I said, trying to loosen his hold, but I couldn't. He seemed sound asleep, but his hand remained tightly wrapped around my waist.

"Why can't your hand be weaker, even in your sleep?" I thought. Suddenly, Jace opened his eyes and said

"Who told you I was sleeping?" He then rolled on top of me, seizing my hands above my head.

"Jace, don't even try it. Even though we're married, it's still my body," I said firmly, trying to push him away.

Jace kissed my exposed neck repeatedly. "I really don't want to force you; I'm your husband. Be quiet." He smiled, pinning me down.

"Jace, you beast, let me go!" I exclaimed, struggling to break free.

Jace pushed me back, his smile widening.

"By the end of this month, I promise you'll fall in love with me."

I laughed,

"You're joking, right? There's no love in my eyes, and there never will be. I'm not in love with you; you're not the one I love. I'm not even in love with anyone, okay?"

"You drama queen," Jace said, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Tell me, what did you see when you undressed me last night? Hm?" he kissed me deeply again

I felt a surge of anger and fear.

"Why are you doing this? Stop it, Jace."

But he continued, his voice low and husky.

"I kissed you, didn't I? You were trying to resist, but you couldn't."

I struggled to break free, but he held me tight. "Justin stop this!" I cried, but then I corrected myself. "Jace, just stop it already! Stop it!"

But he didn't listen. His actions brought back memories of my old lover, and the horrific night I was raped. It felt like Jace was forcing me, just like my ex-lover had.

Summoning a hidden strength, I pushed Jace away, and he fell back onto the ground.

As Jace fell to the ground, I scrambled to my feet, backing away from him. My heart was racing, and my mind was reeling with memories I thought I'd long buried.

Jace slowly got up, his eyes fixed on me with a mixture of surprise and concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking a step towards me.

I held up my hands, warning him to stay back. "Don't come any closer," I said, my voice shaking.

"Just leave me alone."

Jace's expression softened, and he nodded slowly. "Okay, We need to talk about this," he said, his eyes locked on mine. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just...I don't know, I feel like there's something between us, something worth exploring."

I shook my head, feeling a wave of fear wash over me.

"There's nothing between us, Jace," I said, my voice firm. "And even if there was, I'm not interested in exploring it. Just leave me alone.

I left the room to wake Darna up, so she could get ready for school. Jace looked disappointed, trying to make me feel better despite the pain he'd caused me. He'd left this morning without eating and came back late, drunk. I thought that was just who he was, but I didn't realize I was turning him into a monster.

As I walked into the room, Jace was trying to smoke. He lit his cigarette, took a puff, and looked up at me.

"See what you've turned me into?" he said.

I asked him where he'd been all day, but he couldn't respond. He stood up, came closer, and said,

"I really want to taste you, to see how sweet you are." He kissed my neck.

I pushed him gently, tears in my eyes.

"Just stop, I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this again." Memories of being raped flooded my mind.

Jace's expression softened.

"Hey, calm down, it's okay. I know you feel bad about what happened years ago, but I'm not like that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

I repeated, "I don't want to..." but my words trailed off. Jace looked at me, his eyes filled with a mix of sadness and longing.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'll give you space."

"I don't mean you should....

"It's okay, I got this," he said, heading to Darna's room. He found her painting. "Hey baby," he said, running his hand through her hair. "You're still awake."

"I was waiting for you to come back. I missed you," she said, looking up at him with big eyes. "I didn't see you yesterday when I woke up, and this morning, that's why I promised not to sleep until you came home."

"Aww, but I'm back now. You need to sleep, okay?"

"Okay, Jace... Where have you been all this while?" she asked, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

He grinned mischievously.

"Can you call me 'Dad,' and I'll answer your question?"

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, grinning.

Jace pecked her cheeks.

"You're cute."

"Really? Am I? I'm pretty, cute like my mommy?" she asked, looking for validation.

He nodded. "Yup."

"Daddy, you're cute too," she said, smiling.

He smiled back.

"Thanks, kiddo. It's time for you to sleep." He carried her to her bed, tucked her in, and covered her with a duvet. "Goodnight, baby."

"Goodnight, Daddy," she replied, her voice sleepy.

As Jace turned to leave, he thought he'd succeeded in avoiding the question. But then Dana spoke up.

"Daddy, we made an agreement. You promised to tell me where you've been all this while."

He smiled and sat back down beside her.

"Baby, I'm going to tell you tomorrow. Daddy needs to rest; I'm tired, and you need to rest too, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, her eyes already drooping.

"I love you," he whispered, pecking her cheeks again.

She closed her eyes, a peaceful smile on her face, and drifted off to sleep.

"That's my baby," he whispered, turning off the light and leaving the room, closing the door softly behind him.