“Someone has to,” Luca says. “I'm here for as long as she wants me here.”
Jace’s jaw works while he chews over Luca's words.
“Both of you stop talking about me like I’m not right here,” I snap, sharper than I intend. My pulse is thudding in my ears, the confined space squeezing around me. “I don’t belong to either of you.”
Luca’s arm falls from behind me. Jace goes still, staring straight ahead.
“No one is claiming you,” Jace says quietly, “I’m saying he doesn’t get to pretend he suddenly cares more than the rest of us.”
Luca lets out a humorless laugh. “Pretend? I’ve been here. I’ve shown up. I didn’t vanish into the shadows to play double agent with zero communication. I didn’t let her?—”
“Don’t,” I warn, voice cracking. “Do not finish that sentence.”
Silence slams into the car. Noah’s knuckles tighten on the wheel. Maeve stares straight ahead, jaw clenched.
Jace inhales, slow and controlled, but his fists are clenched so tightly on his thighs that the tendons stand out. “You think I don’t hate every second of what she went through?” His voice shakes, just barely. “You think I don’t replay it every night?”
“Regretting isn’t the same as protecting,” Luca fires back, low and dangerous.
“Neither is pretending you suddenly want her now that she’s hurting,” Jace snaps.
My breath hitches. Luca pivots his head, eyes narrowing. “You think that’s what this is?” He leans forward, gaze burning into Jace. “I wanted her before you ever did. I liked her before you ever looked twice. I stepped back because I thought you’d treat her right. Turns out that was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.”
“That’s enough,” I say, voice trembling. “Please.”
The car falls silent again.
I stare down at my hands, twisting them together, mind spinning. “I can’t do this,” I whisper. “Not like this. I’m barely holding myself together. I can’t be the rope in some tug-of-war between you two.”
Luca’s expression softens instantly. “Isobel?—”
“I get that you both care,” I continue, swallowing hard. “I do. But I’m trying to heal. I’m trying to breathe. And your fighting doesn’t help. It just makes everything hurt worse.”
Jace’s head turns toward me just slightly—just enough that I can see the regret etched into every line of his face. “I’m not trying to fight with him,” he says, voice low. “I’m trying to fix what I broke.”
“And I’m trying to protect who I care about,” Luca mutters.
“Well, right now,” I whisper, leaning back against the seat, “I need both of you to give me space. Just… let me figure out what I want. Who I want to be. Who I can trust.”
Neither of them moves, but something shifts—like the air finally loosens around my lungs.
“Okay,” Luca says first, softer than I expect. “Whatever you need, I’ll give it to you.”
Jace doesn’t speak for a long moment, jaw tight. Then, quietly: “So will I.”
Noah exhales a shaky breath, tension easing as he turns into the Ashthorne gates.
Maeve glances back at me, giving my knee a gentle squeeze.
And for the first time since the warehouse, I let myself breathe.
But somewhere between Luca’s vow and Jace’s silence, I can already tell— space won’t stop this from spiraling.
30 SCARS
Ijolt upright in bed, sweat plastering my hair to my neck and my shirt to my back. My breathing comes out in ragged breaths. I place a hand to my chest, willing my pulse to slow.
The nightmares still come, though less and less often. The images used to stick with me, but the therapy has been helping.
