Chapter 111 Chapter 111

Chapter 111 Chapter 111
It had been a month. 
A month and a few days, to be exact. 
I counted because pretending not to was impossible. 
Summer break was bleeding out slowly with just three weeks left. The days had become a routine of quiet mornings, long afternoons, evenings spent pretending I didn’t hear Ace’s footsteps in the halls or feel his presence like a ghost hovering just out of reach. 
I had perfected the silent treatment..., and with Scott out on a business trip, it was extra hard staying silent, because I didn’t really have anyone else. 
That evening, I returned from the salon later than usual. The sun was already dipping low, staining the sky in bruised shades of orange and purple. My hair smelled like citrus and heat, freshly washed, freshly trimmed, freshly styled with soft blonde waves falling down my back.  
I stepped out of the car, thanked the driver, and walked toward the front door with my bag slung over my shoulder. The moment I pushed the door open, I felt it. 
Him. 
Ace was seated in the foyer, elbows resting on his knees, fingers laced together. Waiting. His posture was rigid, like someone who had been sitting there too long, rehearsing words that never quite came out right. 
I sighed quietly. 
I didn’t stop. I didn’t slow down. I adjusted my grip on my bag and walked past him as if he were furniture. 
“Sabrina.” 
I kept going. 
His hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist. 
I stopped, but I didn’t turn. 
For a heartbeat, neither of us spoke. His grip wasn’t rough, but it wasn’t gentle either. It was desperate. 
It felt like he was waiting for me to tell him to let go... but I didn’t. I promised myself that I wouldn’t speak to him anymore, and I wasn’t going to start now. 
“Say something, Sabrina,” he pleaded. “Come on... yell at me. Tell me to let go... or... or tell me to fuck off. Tell me you hate me. Just... don’t do this.” 
I said nothing. 
Ace exhaled sharply, frustration bleeding into his voice. “Do you know how insane this is? A whole month, Sabrina. A month of you pretending I don’t exist. You really think I deserve that?” 
Still nothing. 
His grip tightened slightly. “Come on, Sab... you can’t still be beating me up because of Courtney. Especially when I broke up with her for you.” 
That finally made my jaw clench. 
“And you’re really willing to never speak to me again,” he continued bitterly, “over a girl I don’t even love anymore?” 
I stared straight ahead, my silence a wall he kept slamming into. 
Ace let out a breath, long and tired. Slowly, he released my wrist. His hand fell back to his side. 
“Maybe,” he muttered, more to himself than to me, “I should just go apologize to Courtney.” 
Yep... that was all it took for me to speak. 
I turned. 
“Maybe you should,” I said. 
Ace’s head snapped up. His eyes widened not in anger, but in something that looked really close to relief. 
“You spoke,” he said softly. 
I brushed past him, heading toward the door again. 
Ace followed immediately, energy returning to his steps. “And I might not have said this earlier, but your hair,” he blurted out. “It looks… really good. You look beautiful.” 
“Ace,” I snapped. “Stop.” 
He laughed under his breath. “I knew it. You missed me.” 
Now, I regret opening my mouth to speak. 
“I did not,” I answered quickly. 
“You did.” 
“I didn’t.” 
“By the way, you’re glowing, Sab,” he said stubbornly. “That salon did magic. Or maybe you’re just—” 
“Ace!” I spun on him. “Leave me alone!” 
“No.” 
I stared at him, stunned. “What?” 
“No,” he repeated. “I’m not letting this go. You can scream all you want, but I’m not disappearing just because you want to punish me.” 
“This isn’t punishment!” 
“Then what is it?” 
“It’s called self-respect!” I yelled. “It’s me choosing not to let you keep pulling me into your mess whenever you feel like it!” 
Ace stepped closer. “I love you.” 
“Stop saying that!” 
“Why?” His voice cracked. “Because it scares you? Or because it makes you feel something you don’t want to admit?” 
I shoved him back. “I’m married!” 
“And miserable,” he shot back. 
“That’s not—” 
“You were happy with me,” he interrupted. “And you know it.” 
My chest rose and fell rapidly. “I was confused.” 
“No,” he said quietly. “You were being honest with yourself.” 
I turned away from him, my hands shaking. “I told you I never wanted to speak to you again.” 
“Of course, you did say that. But yet, here we are,” he said gently. “You yelling and me listening. Exactly where we always end up.” 
I hated that he was right. 
“Just leave me alone,” I whispered. 
Ace shook his head. “I can’t.” 
“Why?” 
“Because every time I try, I feel like I’m suffocating.” 
I laughed bitterly. “Then imagine how I feel.” 
Before he could answer, a loud voice cut through the evening air. 
“Hey! Hey! I need to be let inside!” 
Ace and I froze. 
That voice was too familiar to ignore. We rushed outside together, the argument dying instantly as we stepped onto the driveway. A woman stood near the gate, arms raised dramatically, a wide smile plastered across her face. 
I prayed to God right there to please let it be someone else, but it was already too late for that because the woman was my mother. 
She waved enthusiastically when she saw me. “Sabrina! Baby!” 
My stomach dropped. 
She clapped her hands together, beaming. “There’s my girl!” 
I stood there, frozen, my heart splintering all over again. 
Ace glanced at me, confused, then back at her. “Uh—” 
“My daughter!” Claire announced proudly, already walking toward us. “Ace darling... a stunning image of his mother.” 
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. 
She wrapped her arms around me before I could react. “I missed you so much.” 
I didn’t hug her back. Everything inside me cracked open. 
“I did tell you I’ll be back, didn’t I?” she smiled. 
She was here. 
After everything. 
After all the damage. 
And just like that, the fragile balance I’d spent a month trying to build collapsed all over again.