Chapter 454

Yes, I was reminding him. I didn’t want him getting any ideas. But I wasn’t in the mood for a fight either, so I matched his serious tone.

“Jace, I flew all the way here. Do you really want to start an argument right now?”

He went quiet, his lips twitching like he wanted to say something snarky, but all he said was, “Give me your luggage.”

I handed him my suitcase without a second thought, and we walked out of the airport together in silence.

Since he didn’t bring up Steve’s situation, I decided to. “So, what’s going on with Steve? What’s this fight about?”

“He’s still in detention. No visitors allowed right now,” Jace said, making me frown.

So my trip here was basically pointless? The whole reason I came was because Jace said Steve was losing it, and I thought I could help.

“But I’m working on it. You’ll see him—soon,” Jace added, switching up the vibe.

I ignored that and pushed for more information. “Why’d Steve get into a fight?”

“It happened during practice. The guy’s name is Danilo Cruz. He’s a sparring partner at the gym but super unreliable—shows up late, leaves early, doesn’t focus. Steve asked for a replacement, and when Danilo got warned by management, he flipped. Started with some words, and then it escalated.”

With Steve being detained and no visitors allowed, this clearly wasn’t just a regular fight. “Did Danilo get hurt? Like, really hurt?”

“He fell and hit his head on a pool table. He didn’t make it.”

The weight of his words sank in, and I stopped walking. Jace stopped too. “They’re still waiting on the autopsy report. If it shows Steve wasn’t directly responsible, his sentence could be lighter.”

Could be. I hated how shaky that sounded. “And if it shows Steve was responsible?”

One thought hit me hard: An eye for an eye. It didn’t matter where you were; that rule was universal.

“I’m pulling every string I can. It won’t come to that,” Jace said, glancing at his watch. “You haven’t eaten yet, right? Let me get you something.”

I wasn’t in the mood for food. “I’m not hungry.”

“Even if you’re not, you should eat. If you get sick, how do you think I’m supposed to explain that to… him?” He gave me a look.

By “him,” he meant Hayden.

Suddenly, I realized how insane Hayden’s confidence was. He left me with Jace, my ex-fiancé, the guy I’d been in love with for ten years. Even if Hayden trusted me, wasn’t he even a little worried Jace might not be over me?

Chapter 454

“You’re taking this babysitting thing pretty seriously,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jace shot me a glance. His expression darkened.

We didn’t talk again until we reached his car. As he opened the door for me, he asked, “Who likes eating?”

Before I could answer, he said, “I know a place.”

The drive was quiet, the city lights blurring outside as I stared out the window. My mind was too full to focus on anything.

When we finally got to the restaurant, I ordered something light—a kale salad with goat cheese. Jace, though, went all out, adding mushroom risotto and even throwing in dessert.

“No dessert,” I said, shaking my head.

“Yes, dessert,” he shot back. “You used to say sweets helped when you were down.”

I was surprised he remembered that.

“Not every bad mood can be fixed with dessert,” I muttered, unable to help myself.

I didn’t need to be harsh, but something about being around him just brought it out.

“Does hurting me make you feel better?” Jace asked, pouring me some water. “Does it make up for all the pain I caused?”

“No,” I said honestly, then added, “But I can’t help wanting to hurt you anyway.”