Chapter 207 SEQUEL
Chapter 207 SEQUEL
The room was too small for the silence Jace carried into it.
He shut the door softly behind him, careful, like he had done a hundred times before.
Maybe more.
“You’re doing it again.”
Her voice came from the corner.
Soft and tired.
His sister was sitting cross-legged on the bed, watching him with that same look she always wore now—like she was trying to understand something that refused to make sense.
Jace didn’t answer at first.
He moved to the window instead, pulling the curtain just enough to peek through. The yard outside was empty. The lights were dim. No one watching.
“You weren’t here again,” she continued. “They came looking for you. Mrs. Hargrove said if you keep disappearing like that, they’ll—”
“They’ll what?” Jace cut in, his voice low and sharp. “Punish me? Lock me in? You still don’t get it, do you?”
She frowned. “Get what?”
He turned then, finally looking at her. “They’re not helping us.”
Her expression didn’t change. “They’re not hurting us either.”
Jace let out a quiet scoff, shaking his head as he stepped closer.
“You think this place is safe?” He asked. “You think all of this—” he gestured around the room, the walls, the worn out bed, the thin blankets “—is normal?”
“It’s better than before.”
That made him pause for a second. Then his jaw tightened.
“You don’t remember properly,” he said. “You don’t remember what actually happened.”
“I remember enough,” she replied, her voice a little firmer now. “I remember the fire. I remember… them.” Her throat tightened slightly. “And I remember him.”
Jace’s eyes darkened.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Him.”
“He saved us.”
Jace laughed—but there was nothing amused in it.
“Saved us?” He repeated. “Is that what you think?”
“It’s the truth.”
“No.” His voice sharpened, cutting through the air. “That’s what he wanted you to believe.”
She shook her head slowly. “He took us in. He gave us a place. That woman took care of us. She—”
“He couldn’t keep us!” Jace snapped.
She swallowed her words.
“He knew he couldn’t,” he continued, stepping closer, his voice dropping lower. “So he played hero for a few days, made sure we saw him as something he’s not, and then what?”
He spread his hands slightly. “Dumped us here.”
“That’s not—”
“It is.”
She stared at him now, searching his face.
“Then why,” she asked quietly, “why has he still been helping us? Why do they say someone’s been paying for everything? For school, for clothes, for—”
“Because guilt doesn’t go away,” Jace cut in.
Her brows pulled together. “What are you talking about?”
For a moment, Jace said nothing.
Then he exhaled slowly, like he had been holding it in for too long.
“I saw him,” he said.
Her breath hitched.
“What?”
“I saw him,” Jace repeated, his voice quieter now—but heavier. “That night. In the fire.”
She shook her head immediately. “No—”
“I did.”
“You were scared, Jace. We both were. You could’ve—”
“I watched him.”
That stopped her completely.
Jace’s gaze didn’t waver. “I watched him burn Dad alive.”
Her lips parted, but nothing came out at first.
“That’s not true,” she whispered eventually.
“It is.”
“No,” she said again, shaking her head harder now. “No, that’s not what happened. You don’t know that. You couldn’t have seen clearly—”
“I’ve spent years making sure I did,” Jace snapped.
Silence crashed into the room again.
“I didn’t just sit here,” he continued, quieter now, controlled. “I didn’t just accept what they told us. I went out. I listened. I watched. I followed things I wasn’t supposed to follow.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “That’s why you’ve been sneaking out…”
Jace didn’t deny it.
“I found him,” he said. “Not just who he is now—but everything.”
She swallowed. “What do you mean?”
“He’s not just some man,” Jace said. “He runs everything now. The Darena family.”
Her chest tightened.
“And he just got married,” Jace added.
Something flickered across her face.
“To her.”
The girl hesitated. “Serena…”
Jace nodded once. “And they have a son.”
That… that made her still.
A child.
For a brief moment, something softer crossed her expression.
Jace saw it, and crushed it instantly.
“That’s perfect,” he said coldly. “Makes it easier.”
Her head snapped up. “Easier?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation now. No confusion.
“I’m going to kill him.”
Her breath caught.
“And I’m going to make sure his son watches.”
“Jace—”
“The same way I did,” he finished, his voice steady, terrifyingly calm. “The same way I watched our father burn.”
“No.” She shook her head quickly, fear rising now. “No, you can’t— We can’t do that. I don’t want that. I don’t want to die—”
“You won’t,” Jace said.
She stared at him.
“Cause I'm not going to let anyone close to you, at least not in that way,” he added.
Her voice trembled. “How are you even planning to do this?”
A pause. Then—
A faint smile touched his lips. “I was hoping you’d ask that.”
Something about the way he said it made her stomach turn.
“You’re at the center of it,” Jace continued.
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“You’re the one thing no one will question,” he said. “The one thing they’ll let close.”
“I’m not—no, I’m not doing that,” she said immediately, backing slightly on the bed. “I won’t—”
Before she could finish—
The door opened and both of them froze.
A woman stepped in, tall, composed with her presence filling the room without effort.
“They’re ready for you,” she said simply. “The adoption process is complete.”
Jace’s expression darkened immediately. “I’m not going.”
“Jace…” his sister whispered.
The woman’s gaze moved to him, steady, unreadable. “You don’t have a choice.”
As they reached the entrance, the signing process was completed and the transfer done.
Even if Jace refused to acknowledge it.
They got them into the car with Jace pushing, finally getting in only cause he didn't want to leave his sister alone.
The car ride was quiet at first. Too quiet.
Jace sat stiffly, his gaze fixed on the window as the city blurred past.
“I don’t want this,” he said finally. “You can turn the car around.”
No response.
“I’m serious.”
Still nothing.
“Did you hear me?” He snapped. “I said I don’t—”
The car stopped abruptly and Jace jerked slightly forward, his sister gasping beside him.
Silence followed. Then—
“I know you’ve been busy,” the lady who adopted them said.
Jace frowned. “What?”
She turned slightly in her seat, her eyes meeting his through the rearview mirror.
“You think I don’t know where you go?” She asked. “Who you’ve been talking to? What you’ve been looking into?”
Jace’s chest tightened.
“You think I don’t know about your plans?” She continued.
And his fingers curled slightly.
“You can't stop me,” he spat out.
And she simply smiled. “Who said anything about stopping you?”
That made him stop.
“Who are you?” He asked, his voice lower now. “How do you—”
A small smile touched her lips. “I’m here to help you,” she said, cutting him off.
But that only made it worse.
Jace’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t ask for help.”
“No,” she agreed softly. “But you need it.”
Silence stretched. Then—
“Who are you?” He asked again, sharper this time.
She held his gaze in the mirror for a moment longer. Then looked ahead.
“My name is Elena Russo,” she said.
A pause. Then—
“I’m Dante’s younger sister.”