Chapter 04

ASTRID'S P.O.V.

“What did you just call him?” I asked as I looked at her, and she smirked with a gleam in her eyes.

“Oh, did he not tell you? Jace Lysander was my husband first.” I turned to chase with my chest rising and falling as anger and confusion filled me.

"Tell me she’s lying,” I demanded. “Tell me she’s lying!” I watched as his lip pressed in a thin line, and he glared at Ingrid.

"Get out.” He growled at her, completely ignoring me.

“Not until she knows the truth,” Ingrid retorted, crossing her arms. “She deserves to know what kind of mess she’s gotten herself into.”

"Leave, Ingrid. Now.”

“Why? Afraid she’ll hate you for what happened five years ago? Oh, let me do the honors.” She turned to me, her expression smug. “While you were busy playing the perfect college student, I was living the dream. Jace and I got married in Vegas, yes, married, but it didn’t last. He was so obsessed with his precious business that he forgot I even existed. So, I walked out. I abandoned him.”

Her voice echoed in my head as my mind raced while trying to make sense of Ingrid's accusation. My eyes shift to Jace's hoping he will deny it, explain what she was talking about, but he remains silent.

“Ingrid,” he hissed, his voice low and dangerous. “I’m warning you—”

“Warning me?” Ingrid scoffed. “You should be warning her! Oh, wait, does she even know why you really married her? Because if she doesn’t, this is about to get very interesting.” My body jumped as a sound echoed in the room and I realized Jace had slapped her.

“Get out of my house,” Jace snarled, his voice ice-cold. “Before I make you regret stepping foot here.” Ingrid glared at him before storming out, and I forced myself to turn Jace around.

"Is it true?” Tears slipped from my eyes as my anger took a toll on me. “Did you marry her?” I yelled, my voice laced with agony, but I didn't care, and he ran his fingers through his hair looking frustrated.

"Yes,” he admitted after a long pause. “It’s true. But it wasn’t what you think. I was drunk. It was a mistake. I never loved her.”

"A mistake? You married my sister! And now you married me without telling me any of this?” my eyes blurred as I looked at him with a heavy heart.

“I didn’t know it was you, Astrid,” He mumbled in a soft voice. “I came back to the States two years ago looking for Ingrid. I thought she’d changed her name, rebuilt her life. And then I found you. I thought you were her.”

"So, what? You were stalking me?”

“No,” Jace said, stepping closer, but I backed away. “It wasn’t like that. I was trying to make sense of it all, and by the time I realized you weren’t her, I…”

“Save it,” I couldn't bear it any longer, “You used me. Just like everyone else in my life. It will always be about Ingrid, won't it?”

“No, I…"

I stormed out of the room, not hearing a word he was saying. My blood boiled, and I saw nothing but red in my vision and as I pulled the door open Ingrid was there leaning against my car and everything in me snapped.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be, Ingrid?” I snarled.

“Still clinging to scraps, I see. Don’t worry, Jace will toss you aside, just like he did with me.” I walked closer to her, and before she could utter another word I punched her in the face and broke the car's window.

“You ruined my life” I yelled, raining blows on her face “You’ve always taken everything from me! But not this time. Not Jace.”

I kicked and slammed my purse against her face until she fell to the ground with her face swollen and fear clouded her face

"Stay away from me, Ingrid. Stay away from Jace. You can have Anton, you can have the whole world for all I care. But Jace? He’s mine now.” I turned around and walked back to the house to see Jace pacing around.

“Did you…” he began, but cut him short

“She won’t bother us again,”

“Good.”

"But don’t think for a second that I forgive you. For any of this.”

"I don’t expect your forgiveness, Astrid. But I do expect you to stay. Because like it or not, we’re in this together now.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but his phone buzzed out on the coffee table that was standing in-between, and he picked it up, and his expression turned stone-cold

“What is it?” I asked as curiosity took the best of me and I watched as he hesitated before handing the phone to me.

A shiver went down my spine as I looked down on his screen and the massage stood out among the rest

“The deal is off. Tell your wife goodbye.”

The text read and my heart raced as I raised my head to look at him

“What deal?” His expression remained cold.

“The one that was supposed to save us both.”

“What do you mean by the…" My words were cut short by the shattering of the window and the sound of gunfire filled the air and in the flick of the moment, Jace pushed me to the ground and I looked out the window to see Ingrid standing behind a gunman.

“Stay down,” Jace hissed, shielding me with his body.

My mind raced as my heart hammered. What the hell was Ingrid thinking? And what in the world was Jace talking about?