All Chapters of MINE TO BULLY : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Jace read the message twice before turning the screen toward me, and I watched something conflicted cross his face as I read Marcus’s words for myself.Not tonight, Jace typed back, thumb hovering before finally pressing send. Tomorrow. Somewhere public. I need time to think first.He set the phone down and exhaled slowly, shoulders dropping as though he’d been holding tension there for hours without realizing it.That’s the right call, I said. Whatever he wants to tell you, it’ll still be true tomorrow morning.Jace nodded, though exhaustion had clearly overtaken whatever urgency the message initially stirred in him.Thank you, he said quietly, glancing over at me. For staying steady through all of this. I don’t know how I’d have gotten through today without you.You don’t have to thank me for that, I said. That’s just what this is now. Both of us, steadying each other.He reached over and took my hand, threading our fingers together as we walked toward the parking garage, and somethi

Weiss’s voice continued through the phone, calm and methodical, discussing our fate like he was reviewing quarterly projections rather than orchestrating a double murder.I’m afraid the original plan only accounted for one of you disappearing, he said. But circumstances have evolved, and leaving witnesses seems considerably less prudent than originally anticipated.Consciousness kept slipping in and out around the edges, whatever they’d drugged me with making it difficult to fully track the conversation, though I caught enough to understand the gravity of what was actually happening.Ezra, I managed, voice slurred and weak. Don’t listen to him. Don’t give him anything he wants.I’m not giving him anything, Ezra said fiercely, still straining against his own restraints. Weiss, you’re facing federal charges the moment anyone traces this call. Killing us only adds murder to an already collapsing case.Only if you’re found, Weiss said simply. This location is remote enough that discovery

I woke again sometime past midnight, the hospital room dim and quiet, Ezra still curled carefully against my side, his breathing slow and even in sleep.I studied his face in the low light, memorizing the soft curve of his mouth, the way his lashes rested against his cheekbones, feeling something profound settle deep in my chest despite the lingering ache from the day’s ordeal.He stirred slightly, eyes fluttering open, and a soft, sleepy smile crossed his face the moment he registered me watching him.You’re awake, he murmured. How do you feel.Better, I said honestly. Still sore, but better.He shifted carefully, propping himself up on one elbow to look at me properly.You should be resting, he said, though he made no move to leave.I’ve been resting all day, I said. I want to actually be present with you for a while, not just unconscious beside you.Something warm flickered across his expression at that.I like being present with you too, he admitted quietly.We lay there together

Three weeks passed in a blur of ordinary, precious days, the kind neither of us had believed we'd ever actually get to experience together. My father passed quietly in his sleep during the second week, the funeral small and private, attended mostly by lawyers and a handful of distant relatives who'd never truly known him. Vivian came, standing at the edge of the gathering, and afterward we spoke briefly, an uneasy but genuine truce settling between us that felt like the beginning of something neither of us fully understood yet.I found myself surprised by my own reaction to his death, grief tangled uncomfortably with relief, anger still simmering beneath both, a complicated inheritance I suspected would take years to fully process rather than resolve neatly at a single funeral.He doesn't deserve your grief, Jace said gently that evening, holding me as I stared numbly at the ceiling.Maybe not, I admitted. But he's still the only father I ever had. Grief doesn't require deserving, app

The morning of the wedding arrived softer than I expected, golden light spilling through the curtains of the small guesthouse where I'd spent the night separately from Jace, tradition winning out over practicality despite both of us grumbling about the arrangement for weeks beforehand.I'd barely slept, replaying every detail of the past year in fragmented, restless dreams, waking repeatedly just to reach across the empty bed before remembering, with a mixture of amusement and longing, exactly why the space beside me remained cold.Helen burst through the door precisely at eight, carrying coffee and an armful of garment bags, Lena trailing behind her with considerably calmer energy.Today's the day, Helen announced, setting everything down with theatrical flourish. Are you nervous.Terrified, I admitted, accepting the coffee gratefully. Excited terrified, though. Not the bad kind.That's the best kind, Lena said, smiling warmly as she began unpacking my suit with careful precision.Di