Semua Bab The Price Of Us: Bab 121 - Bab 130

JACE POVIt had been three weeks since that night.Three long weeks of hospital corridors, sterile white rooms, sleepless nights with Anna curled beside Nathan’s hospital bed, whispering lullabies through her tears.And finally… finally, Nathan smiled again.The color had returned to his cheeks. The doctors said he was out of danger. His body had healed. But the scar would remain—just above his ribs, a faint discoloration from the allergic reaction and internal inflammation caused by the poison. Not life-threatening. But permanent. A reminder.Anna kissed it every night like it would disappear under her lips. Like she could mother the damage away.I wasn’t sure if the scar bothered me more than it did her. But I knew one thing—it would never define him.Nathan was more than what they tried to take from him. I got a call from the station and I left everything and drove straight to the station.When I arrived, the lead investigator, a square-jawed officer named Rinaldi, was already wai

ANNA POV.Days later.The knock on the study door was firm, urgent—but not frantic. I lost a family and found another. I looked up from the small pile of books I had been flipping through, my heart already sensing the shift before the words even came.Jace stood and opened it.Two officers stepped in—Italian, but one was accompanied by a U.S. consulate official, sharp in a blue suit with the calm tone of someone trained to deliver life-altering news without flinching.“Mrs. Lysander,” the consulate official said, offering a gentle nod. “We’re here to inform you that Mr. and Mrs. Hugo have been approved for extradition to the United States.”My heart stuttered.“They’ll be flown out in three days,” the officer continued, “and we’d like you to return as well. The trial for the murder of your father and the fraudulent transfer of your inheritance will be held in New York State.”For a moment, I couldn’t move. I felt as though the floor had dropped beneath me. Jace came to stand beside

JACE POV.The Tuscan sky was just as I remembered it—wide, golden, bleeding into the hills like an old painting that never quite dried.We stepped off the private jet and the familiar scent hit me: vineyard soil, rosemary on the breeze, old stone and sunlight. It wrapped around us like a memory that hadn’t quite let go.Anna stood still for a moment on the tarmac, her hair caught in the wind, her hand instinctively resting on her stomach. She was quiet and reflective. I didn’t rush her.“It feels different,” she finally said.“Because we’re different,” I replied.We didn’t head straight to the estate. Instead, we drove—windows down, the sun dipping low as we passed rows of olive trees and sunflowers that danced like they remembered her.When we finally reached the Lysander estate, the old gates creaked open like a welcome sigh. The staff greeted us kindly, not with the cold nods they once gave Anna, but with soft eyes and gentler smiles. Things had changed. Maybe not overnight—but en

JACE POV.The morning sunlight slanted through the windows, spilling across the kitchen table like gold. Nathan was in his high chair, face smeared with mashed banana and an expression of total mischief, while Anna sat across from me, sipping her lukewarm tea like it was the one thing tethering her to sanity.It was peaceful. For once.But something gnawed at me.I watched her closely as she smiled at Nathan’s attempt to bang his spoon against the tray. She looked… radiant. Calm. But not tired. Not sick. Not like someone nearly five months pregnant. No weird cravings. No sudden sprints to the bathroom. No backaches or mood swings. Just a soft bump and steady grace.I cleared my throat, tapping my spoon against my plate. “Can I ask you something?”She glanced up at me, brushing a crumb from her lips. “You just did. But go ahead.”I smirked. “I mean seriously. I've been trying not to overthink it, but—I’ve noticed something. And I figured… better to say it now than let it keep eating

JACE POVThe morning light filtered softly through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. I found Anna sprawled across the bed like a queen claiming her throne—except there was nothing remotely regal about the tangled mess of hair falling across her face or the exasperated expression she wore as she stared up at the ceiling.I couldn’t help but grin.“Your Majesty,” I said with a dramatic bow as I stretched exaggeratedly, “how fares the royal realm this fine morning?”Anna’s eyes flicked toward me, narrowed in a mock glare. “If by ‘royal realm’ you mean this belly,” she groaned, turning her hand to rest on her stomach, “it’s staging a full-on rebellion. The kicks are relentless. I swear, these babies have declared war.”I laughed and crossed the room, kneeling beside the bed to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Maybe they’re just practicing for when they take over the world.”She rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Well, they better be ready,