Chapter 101

Chapter 101
VERA'S POV
Two months ago, I thought Jack was being ridiculous. He kept saying Monica might still be alive, even though we went to her funeral and laid flowers at her grave. I figured the man he hired was just out to scam him, taking advantage of his desperation. I didn't believe a word of it.
Now? I'm shaking even though the weather isn't cold. If someone else had claimed they saw Monica, I would have called them crazy. I would have argued with facts, reminded them of her death certificate and the burial. But I saw her with my own eyes. It wasn’t a ghost or a lookalike. It was Monica. Real, breathing, and with a look in her eyes that wasn’t from the other side, it was full of bitterness, jealousy, and fire. She’s alive, and she’s angry.
What am I supposed to believe now? That she faked her death just to come back and haunt me? That she wanted us to drop our guard so she could reappear and strike when we least expected? That everything she showed us in her final days was a lie?
"What are you thinking about so deeply, Juicy?" Jack’s voice pulled me back to reality. His voice always had a way of wrapping around me like a warm blanket.
I blinked and looked up at him, forcing a smile. "I didn’t hear you coming."
He opened his arms for me, and I walked into them, needing the comfort more than I realized. “You look like you’ve seen someone with horns and a tail. I had to repeat myself twice before you heard me. What’s going on?” he asked, concern in his voice.
If only he knew. If only he knew that I had just stared death in the face, or worse, a ghost from our past who was very much alive. I saw Monica. Not some story or rumor. Me. She came to me.
Should I tell him? He trusted me enough to tell me about the man he hired. Shouldn’t I return that honesty? But then again, why hadn’t Monica shown herself to him? Why me? Maybe this was personal. Maybe she was targeting me and didn’t want him to know yet. Maybe telling Jack now would only make things worse.
“I’m fine. Just feeling a little cold,” I said casually. “I came to get more wine. You miss me already, Mr. Taylor?”
He took the wine bucket and his car keys from my hands with a chuckle. “I called you Juicy. You caught that?”
“How long have you been thinking about calling me that?” I teased.
“Forever,” he laughed. “And I’ve been trying to get you alone all night. But this? This is even better.”
He held my hand and led me towards a tall steel gate I hadn’t noticed before. I must’ve been too distracted earlier to see it.
“What’s this place?” I asked, looking around.
The gate opened smoothly after he tapped a code. The iron slid up, revealing an underground parking lot. Just above it sat the mansion, huge, regal, with a rooftop pool and gardens. Inside the compound, there was even a greenhouse and a space for car repairs. I was stunned.
He didn’t just buy a house. He built a home. For us.
“You know I love gardens,” I whispered.
“I know everything you love,” he replied simply.
Malone would have a game room now. Timothy could practice his table tennis. Jack had included everything. He even remembered that I loved open spaces and natural light.
I noticed the code he typed and realized something. “That’s my birthday, isn’t it?”
“Only date I’ll never forget. It was the easiest number to use when they asked for a security code.”
“You’re unreal.”
Then the lights came on. Three brand-new Bentley Continental Mulliner Bacalars stood inside. A red one, a white one, and a deep blue one.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I shouted.
“I didn’t know which one you’d like best. These three colors suit you,” he said, laughing.
Right then, all my worries about Monica disappeared. I forgot the danger, forgot Malone’s silence, forgot the fear of what lay ahead. I jumped into Jack’s arms.
He caught me easily. “The storm isn’t over,” he said softly, “but with you, life is worth living.”
We stood there in silence, wrapped around each other. For a moment, it felt like nothing else mattered.
Then he broke the silence. “Your parents gave their blessing. We can have the wedding this fall.”
I leaned back, still in his arms, and pressed my forehead to his. “You didn’t need their permission.”
“I wanted it,” he said. “It feels right. Let’s do this the proper way. Let’s celebrate us, Juicy.”
He carried me over to the sleek blue car and gently set me down on the bonnet.
“I hope you don’t mind if we christen your car?” he grinned, mischief in his eyes.
“I don’t care if we defile all of them,” I whispered back, breathless. “I love my new nickname, and I want you to make me forget everything else. Right here.”
“You asked for it,” he said, eyes gleaming.
He lifted my dress slowly, his lips brushing my skin as he worked his way down. Then, with a teasing growl, he bit down and tore my lingerie off.
The cold metal of the car beneath me made me shiver, but his touch sent waves of heat through me. His tongue traced every inch of me, slow and deliberate.
I wasn’t just letting him in, I was giving myself completely to this moment. For a little while, there was no Monica, no past, no danger. Just us. Just Jack. Just love and want and everything we built.
This was our safe space. Our escape.
And we were going to fight for it, together.