Chapter 398

The familiar scent of him hit me, along with that suffocating feeling. I stood frozen for a moment, until his low voice cut through the tension. “Do you really care about him that much now?”

My fingers curled at my sides. There was a time when I cared this much about Jace, too. I used to text him just to let him know I was having dinner with Lena, though he never truly appreciated it. And now, with my affection directed elsewhere, he had the audacity to be upset and ask me this?

“Yeah, I do. Of course I care about him. He’s my man. Why wouldn’t I?” I locked eyes with him, letting the words sting. A direct hit—a trick I’d learned from him.

Even though Jace and I had been over for a while, the pain he’d inflicted lingered. There were moments when those scars still burned. So, if I could throw a verbal punch and make him feel even a sliver of what I'd endured, why not? Of course, that only worked if he still cared; otherwise, my blow wouldn't land.

Jace’s eyes narrowed, a coldness creeping in—a sure sign his anger was building. That reaction told me everything I needed to know: he still cared. Interesting. I never would have guessed that, even after publicly moving on, he'd still be hung up on me. Good. That meant I could, whenever I chose, inflict a small measure of retaliation, easing the sting of his past wounds.

But right now, I lacked the energy. I needed to find a phone and explain everything to Hayden. He had dropped everything—left his recovering sister—to travel miles with me for that pool game, all because of me. And now, without a word, I’d run off… worse, with my ex. No matter how much Hayden loved or trusted me, I knew this would hurt him deeply. It was the same way Jace used to ditch me for Tanya, repeatedly. I knew that pain all too well; it's not something you simply forget. There’s no way I’d ever want Hayden to feel as I once did.

I turned to leave, but Jace grabbed my waist, pulling me back against his chest. “Jace!” I pushed against him instinctively, but he only tightened his grip.

“I know you’re punishing me,” he said. “I deserve it. I brought this on myself, and I accept it.”

Wait, what? Punishing him? He actually believed I was with Hayden to punish him? To get back at him? I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I thought Jace had accepted that we were over—that he’d accepted I was with Hayden and we’d both moved on. Never did I imagine he still thought I was using Hayden for revenge.

I let out a mocking laugh. “Is something wrong with your brain?”

“Rea, I know I messed up. I know I deserve the pain. But once I’ve paid for my mistakes… let me come back, okay?” His voice cracked with emotion.

I blinked, genuinely stunned. I shoved him harder this time. “Are you out of your mind? We’re done. There’s no future for us. What kind of fantasy are you living in?”

But his grip tightened. “You love me. We’ve been together for ten years. Don’t tell me Hayden can replace that in such a short time.”

Wow. His confidence was astounding. Maybe I had loved him too much back then—enough to make him believe I’d never move on. The memories of those days, how much I bent over backward for him, made me feel sick. I was disgusted, even ashamed, at how pathetic I’d been.

“Is that so? Then go ahead and try,” I snapped, lifting my foot and stomping down hard on his. He winced, but instead of letting go, he chuckled. “See? You’re still the same. Whenever I piss you off, this is how you punish me.”

I was speechless. Back then, whenever I got mad, I’d stomp on his foot. And just now, I did it again—purely out of habit.