Semua Bab The Price Of Us: Bab 31 - Bab 40

JACE POVAnna’s car disappeared into the distance, leaving me standing in the middle of the street, stunned. I had known she would be furious, but the pure rage in her voice still rattled me. And Anton. What the fuck was he doing in New Zealand? The thought of that bastard lurking around Anna made my blood boil. Had he followed her here? Was he trying to worm his way back into her life? I clenched my fists. If he so much as breathed in the wrong direction around her, I would make sure he regretted it. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I exhaled sharply, running a hand down my face before answering. “Yeah?”“We have her location,” the PI said. “She’s staying in a neighborhood near the city center. I’ll send you the address now.”I let out a slow breath. “Thanks, but I already found her.”There was a pause. “That was fast.”“I got lucky,” I muttered, my mind already spinning. “Send the details to my phone.” I cut the call.Anna was pregnant. That meant she had found out ba

ANNA POVI had been pacing in the living room, my heart hammering in my chest. The moment Jace opened that door, I knew it was Anton. And I hated that my first reaction wasn’t anger but exhaustion. I was tired of him, tired of the constant calls, the uninvited appearances, the fake concern. But more than that, I was tired of this part of my past that wouldn’t stay buried. The voices outside were growing louder, and when I heard Jace’s low, dangerous tone, I knew this wasn’t going to end well. I took a deep breath and moved toward the door, gripping the handle before pulling it open. The cold evening air hit my skin, but it wasn’t nearly as chilling as the scene in front of me.Jace stood in the doorway, rigid with barely restrained fury, while Anton had that same damn smirk on his face—the one that used to fool me. Not anymore. “Anna,”!Anton turned to me, his expression shifting in an instant. “Finally. Maybe now we can have a rational conversation.”I crossed my arms. “A

ANNA POV.Italy. The word alone sent a cold shiver down my spine. I sat still, fingers gripping the sheets as if they were the only thing grounding me. My mind was already racing ahead, painting vivid images of the last time I was in that country. The humiliation. The heartbreak. The way Jace’s mother and Vanya had torn me apart, piece by piece, until I had no fight left in me. And now, he wanted me to go back. I shook my head, my heart pounding. “No. Absolutely not.”Jace, who had been sitting beside me, turned fully to face me. “Anna—”“Jace, no!” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care. “I am not going back there. Not after everything.”“It won’t be like before.”I let out a bitter laugh. “You don’t know that.”“I do.” His jaw tightened. “Because I won’t let them treat you like that again.” “You think your mother will just suddenly change? That she’ll be welcoming, excited to see me? She already won, Jace. She got what she wanted. You were about to m

ANNA POV.For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.The marble floor beneath me felt cold and unfamiliar, but Jace’s voice—strong, unwavering—was the only thing anchoring me. My heart pounded against my ribs as every stare settled on me like a spotlight.“Anna is my wife.”He said it like a vow. Like a shield. Like something sacred.I stood behind him, spine straight, shoulders squared—even though my hands trembled slightly against the silk of my dress. My other hand instinctively rested over the swell of my belly. I wasn’t just standing here as the woman they’d tried to erase.I was standing here as a mother. As his wife.As someone who had come back not to beg—but to fight.Vanya’s eyes burned into me like acid. “You’re really going to let her ruin everything?”She spat the words like venom, but they didn’t touch me. Not this time.Because Jace stepped even closer, and without looking back, reached for my hand.Our fingers intertwined.I felt the tremor in him too—but he didn’t flinc

JACE POVThe following day’s night stretched on, but I couldn’t seem to forget the events of the last few days. It felt like everything had come together, and I could finally breathe easy. Anna was by my side, as always, but tonight felt different. We had spent so much time putting the pieces together—me, quietly working behind the scenes, making sure we’d have a life free from the shadows of my family’s control.I knew she’d been wondering when it would all come to fruition. I’d told her, after all. I’m working on something. I had only let her in on the edges of my plan before, but tonight… tonight, I could tell her it was all set. It had worked.I leaned back against the couch, pulling her closer. The fire crackled softly in the background, the warmth of the room making everything feel safe. She tilted her head to look at me, her brow furrowed slightly. She had known this moment was coming. She’d known what I was working on, even if she didn’t know all the details. She had truste