All Chapters of The Price Of Us: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

JACE POV.Anna trembled in my arms, her breathing uneven, her fingers curled tightly into my shirt. It broke me—seeing her like this, knowing I was the reason for her pain. I hadn’t wanted this. I hadn’t wanted her to feel like she was fighting this battle alone. But my father, my mother, Vanya…the Lysander name, all of it was pulling me in directions I never wanted to go. I ran a hand down her back, trying to calm her. “You’ll never be alone,” I murmured against her hair. “I promise you that.”She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t pull away either. That was enough for now.I exhaled slowly, pressing a kiss to her temple before gently cupping her face in my hands. Her eyes were red, her cheeks damp, but damn it, she was beautiful—even when she was hurting. “Look at me,” I said softly. Her lashes fluttered, but she didn’t resist as I tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze. There was something in her eyes—uncertainty, exhaustion, heartbreak. But beneath it all, there

JACE POV.I could see the doubt in Anna’s eyes, the way she hesitated before saying she believed me. And it gutted me. She didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve the whispered rumors, the tension creeping into our home, the way my mother manipulated every moment we spent at the estate to make her feel like she didn’t belong. I had sworn to protect her from it. Yet, here we were. I reached for her hand, squeezing gently, but she didn’t squeeze back. That hurt more than I cared to admit. “Anna—” “I’m tired, Jace.” She pulled away, shaking her head as she stood. “I just need some sleep.” I watched as she walked into the bedroom, my gut twisting painfully. Sleep wouldn’t fix this. I wasn’t an idiot. I knew the effect my mother had on her. I had seen it the moment we stepped foot into the Lysander estate. The way Anna straightened her spine, feigning confidence, while Luciana scrutinized every inch of her. My mother had always been calculated. She didn’t need to raise h

ANNA POVJace was pulling away from me. Not physically—his arm was still around me, his body warm against mine. But I could feel the distance. The hesitation in his touch. The way his thoughts lingered somewhere else, somewhere darker. I stared at the ceiling, my pulse drumming in my ears. The air between us felt heavier than usual, thick with words neither of us were saying. I turned onto my side, facing him. “Jace,” I whispered. He didn’t answer at first, just kept staring at the ceiling. Then, finally, his gaze flickered to mine. “Hmm?”I hesitated, searching his face. “Are you okay?”A second of silence. A second too long. “Yeah,” he said, his voice quieter than before. “Just tired.”It was a lie. I knew it the way I knew every shift in his moods, every flicker of emotion he tried to hide. I didn’t call him out on it though, instead, I reached up, tracing my fingers along his jaw, feeling the tension there. “You’re thinking about something.”His lips pressed together.

JACE POVWork had been hell.Every unfinished deal, every contract I had abandoned five years ago, was waiting for me like a vengeful ghost. I barely had time to breathe, moving from one meeting to another, shaking hands with men who once called me reckless, earning back the respect I had thrown away.I never wanted this.When I brought Anna here, it was supposed to be a honeymoon—a chance for us to escape, to just be. But Italy wasn’t just where my family lived. It was where the past had buried its claws in me, refusing to let go.And I needed to cut those ties for good.My father’s estate held more than just bitter memories. It held money. Resources. Connections. My parents built an empire, and even if they never intended for me to inherit it all, there were still assets—hidden things that could give me the power to stand on my own, without relying on them.That’s why I had to be here. That’s why I had to play their game, just long enough to win.But I hadn’t been home since yeste

ANNA POVThe door clicked shut behind Jace, and for a long moment, I just stood there, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. What the hell had just happened? One second, I was curled up on the couch, waiting for him to come home—waiting to tell him that maybe, just maybe, we could start over. And the next, he was looking at me like I was a stranger. Like he didn’t know if he could trust me. I sank back onto the couch, my hands trembling as I tried to piece everything together. “Did you ever resent me for taking your company?”“Did you ever forgive me for buying Valerian Industries?”It had come out of nowhere. I had seen the look in his eyes when he asked—so raw, so desperate for an answer that would put his mind at ease. And I had hesitated. Not because I still hated him. But because I didn’t know how to explain it. How could I put into words that I had spent so long resenting him, fighting him, trying to find a way to escape this marriage… only to realize that the lines be