All Chapters of The Price Of Us: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

ANNA POV.I stood there, the phone still clutched in my trembling hand. The silence of the house was suffocating, like the air had been sucked out of the room. Mr. Lysander’s words lingered in the space between us. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.How had it come to this? My mind raced, but the thought that kept pushing forward was the one that terrified me most: I couldn’t protect Nathan from this. Not anymore.The Lysanders had made it clear. Nathan wasn’t part of their world, not even by blood. No matter how much I tried to fight for him, they had already stripped him of their name, their legacy, their family. They didn’t care. They didn’t care that he was innocent in all of this. That he had no say in the war being fought over his existence.I felt a tear slide down my cheek, but I didn’t wipe it away. I couldn’t. This was my fault. I had tried to bridge the gap, to force a connection, but in the end, all I had done was deepen the divide.I heard footsteps behind me, and I

ANNA POV.It was a quiet morning when I realized how much had changed. Not in some big, dramatic way, but in the small, subtle shifts that marked the kind of growth you can’t measure in days or weeks. More like... a deep breath. Like I could finally breathe again.Jace was in the kitchen, the steady clink of the coffee mug against the counter echoing in the stillness. Nathan was asleep in his crib, the room dark and cozy with only the morning light slipping through the curtains. A breeze ruffled the leaves outside, and everything just felt... peaceful. Peaceful. How long had it been since I’d known what that felt like?I walked into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe, watching Jace move around. He was humming something under his breath, pulling the milk from the fridge. I couldn’t help but smile. He was in his element. We both were.“You’re up early,” I said, my voice a little hoarse from sleep.He looked over his shoulder, that easy grin spreading across his face. “I’ve

JACE POV.I stood there, Luciana’s voice echoed in my ears, her demand clear as day: “You’ll remarry. In the Italian tradition. You’ll make it official. Properly. And only then will you have our blessings—for Nathan, and for everything else.”I could feel Anna’s hand in mine, her fingers trembling slightly, but she didn’t pull away. I could feel her trying to process everything, her mind racing just like mine. But as I looked at her, I knew this was the moment. The moment I had to make a choice—not for me, but for Nathan. For us.I glanced at her, and in that brief, fleeting moment, I saw the fear in her eyes—the same fear that I carried, the fear of what we might be sacrificing just to appease these people. But beneath that, I saw something else: trust. She trusted me, even when I didn’t know if I could trust myself in situations like this. And for Nathan, for our future, I knew there was only one thing to do.I stepped forward, my jaw tight, and met Luciana’s gaze, steady and unwa

ANNA POV.The following weekend, Jace announced—quite dramatically, like he was unveiling a grand plan to summit Everest—that he was taking Nathan out by himself for the first time.“Just me and the bean,” he said, standing at the foot of the bed in his ‘dad mode’ outfit: sneakers, cargo shorts (with so many pockets), and a baby carrier he’d watched three YouTube tutorials on how to wear. “A father-son bonding adventure.”I raised an eyebrow. “Where exactly are you two going on this adventure?”“Nowhere wild,” he said confidently. “Just the farmer’s market. We’ll get some fresh fruit. Maybe bread. Touch grass.”I bit back a grin. “And what will you do if Nathan poops halfway through the stall with the fresh berries?”He faltered. “We—we will embrace the chaos.”God help the farmer’s market.Fifteen minutes later, they were out the door, Nathan happily gurgling in his carrier like he was in for the best time of his life, and Jace giving me a thumbs-up with the determination of a man go

JACE POV.The morning light spilled through the curtains, and I could hear Anna in the kitchen, humming softly as she prepared breakfast for Nathan. It was a familiar sound, one I’d grown used to. I leaned over the crib, brushing a hand through Nathan’s messy hair, kissing his forehead as he blinked awake with a sleepy smile.“Be good for mommy today, buddy,” I whispered, feeling the weight of responsibility settle back into my chest.Anna came over and gently cupped my face, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Good luck with everything today, love,” she said, her voice warm and soft, but there was an edge of concern I couldn’t ignore. I could tell she was worried, even if she didn’t voice it.“I’ll be fine,” I assured her, the same words I always used, though today felt different. Maybe it was the new venture. Maybe it was the new faces I was going to meet at the office. After giving Nathan one last hug and a quick nod to Anna, I grabbed my jacket, and heading out the door.The drive in