Chapter 133: The End

(A few days earlier)

He stood there staring at the camera for almost five minutes the night he found it, feeling his heart slip lower and lower in his chest. Whoever planted it had been in his room.....Whoever planted it had been watching him..... Whoever planted it was inside his home.

He felt sick just thinking about it.

And the worst part? He already had a list of suspects.

Morgan, Mo and Ben.

Three new employees he had hired barely weeks after the separation, when everything was already falling apart. They were additions he thought would make things easier, but instead they had become shadows he did not know if he could trust.

Morgan especially.

The way he had looked at Jace... the way he seemed to be trying too hard to make Jace trust him.

Morgan and Mo were the only ones with access to his room. And that day when he confronted them and asked whether any of them were spying on him, they both lied. They said they were with Mila, but Mila told him they were not.

That alone told Jace that something fishy was going on.

Which was why, against his pride, against his shame, against the humiliation still clawing at his ribs, Jace decided to reach out to the only person he still trusted Elias.

He typed his first message slowly.

“I know you don't want to ever speak to me again but I just wanted to say that I am sorry.”

He stared at the text for a long time before hitting send.

It showed “read” within seconds.

But Elias did not reply.

The next day, Jace sent another.

“Hey, you read my text but you didn’t reply, are you good?”

Read.

Ignored.

He bit his lip until he tasted blood.

Elias was not playing.

Elias was really done with him.

But Jace needed him to listen, he needed Elias to understand the danger.

He texted:

“I got a tracker implanted in my body. It’s connected to your phone. It will trigger if I stop texting you.”

Elias opened the message... and again, read it without responding.

So Jace started texting daily.

Every morning.

Every afternoon.

Every evening.

Small things..... Soft things..... Things that would remind Elias he was still here, still trying.

“How are you doing?”

Read. No reply.

“How was work today?”

Read. No reply.

“Mila did a school presentation today. She was so cute. I will send a photo.”

Read. No reply.

For days, this continued.

Jace texted.

Elias ignored.

Jace pretended he was fine.

But inside, panic curled tighter every hour.

Until the day Jace did not text. Hours passed and Elias’s phone began to blare with the emergency signal Jace programmed. The tracker activation. It lit up over and over.

Elias picked up his phone, stared at the alert, jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. He wanted to ignore it. To tell himself Jace was just playing mind games and trying to pull him back the way he always did.

But then he imagined Jace actually hurt.....actually kidnapped.....actually dying.

He imagined losing the love of his life.

Losing the father of his children.

Losing the only person who had always made him feel something.

And he whispered, “Fuck.”

He grabbed his keys.

He opened the tracker location.

An abandoned warehouse.

His heart dropped, not again. The gun wound on Elias' chest ached, a reminder of the last time he was at a warehouse like this rescuing Jace.

He dialled the police before he even reached the car.

The officers were cautious but alert, armed and prepared. They followed Elias to the warehouse.

And when they arrived, masked guards stood outside.

A chill ran down Elias’s spine.

This was not Jace being dramatic.

This was real.

The police moved silently, taking out the guards with swift precision....grabs, holds, muffled shouts, the thud of bodies hitting dirt.

Then one officer signalled toward a side door.

When they entered, Elias’s heart almost stopped.

Noah, Mila and Mason. All three were huddled together in a corner room, guarded by two unconscious masked men. When they saw Elias, Mila ran first.

“DAD!”

He caught her, lifting her into his arms, burying his nose in her hair.

Mason held onto his leg, shaking.

Noah stood frozen until Elias grabbed him by the shoulders, hard.

“Are you okay? Noah..are you hurt?”

Noah nodded shakily.

The kids clung to him like he was their lifeline.

And Elias felt his world realign.

His purpose.

His fury.

His fear.

He would burn this place down if it meant getting Jace back.

The police instructed that the three should be taken out.

Mila hesitated.

Mason too.

“I will be right out, we just want to rescue Daddy first,” Elias told them, forcing a calm smile. “Go with the officers. I won’t be long.”

They obeyed.

When they were taken away, one officer turned to Elias.

“You don’t need to be present for the raid. It’s dangerous.”

“I am staying,” Elias said. “I want to see the look on their faces.”

The officer gave him a nod of grim understanding.

Together, they went deeper into the warehouse.

Guns raised.

Flashlights steady.

Boots silent against concrete.

Every step made Elias’s heart beat harder.

Every shadow felt like a threat.

And finally—they reached the main door.

The door behind which Jace was tied to a chair, behind which Aiden was pointing a gun at him, behind which Justin lay bleeding.

The officer signalled the team.

Three.

Two.

One—

BOOM.

The door burst open.

“POLICE! DROP YOUR WEAPON!”

~

(Back to the present.)

Aiden had finally gone quiet. His wrists were cuffed in front of him now, the metal biting into his skin as the officers pulled him toward the exit of the warehouse.

Jace felt the cold air of the warehouse brushing against his skin like needles, but he did not take his eyes off Elias. Instead, he walked straight toward Elias, toward the only safe thing left in all the chaos.

“Thank you,” Jace said, voice shaky and breath uneven. “Thank you for saving me.”

Elias did not speak immediately. His jaw clenched. His chest rose and fell like a man who had been holding his breath since the moment he burst into this place. Then...

“Noah and the kids are safe,” Elias said softly, eyes still scanning Jace as if checking for hidden injuries. “They are outside.”

And for a second, Jace’s eyes softened, relief filling him with warmth, with love, with a thousand unspoken things.

But everything changed in one heartbeat.

As the officers dragged Aiden past Elias, something inside Aiden snapped. Before anyone could react, Aiden jerked forward with sudden force. One of the policemen lost grip. Aiden lunged. His hand shot out, snatching the officer’s gun from its holster in a motion so quick it barely registered.

“Aiden no!” Jace shouted, but it was too late.

Aiden aimed.

Straight at Elias.

A shot cracked through the warehouse.

Jace did not think or breathe. He didn’t hesitate. He jumped.

His body slammed into Elias’s, pushing him out of the bullet’s path. Pain tore through his side— hot, burning, sharp. His knees buckled. Blood soaked through his shirt in seconds.

Somewhere far away, officers shouted. Bodies moved. A taser fired. Aiden screamed. But Jace fell into Elias’s arms, the world dimming at the edges as warmth leaked from his body onto Elias’s hands.

“Jace....JACE!” Elias yelled, catching him, lowering him gently to the ground.

Jace felt pressure on his wound, Elias pressing down with his bare hands, his breathing frantic, uneven and desperate.

“Oh God...Jace, look at me,” Elias pleaded, voice breaking. “Stay with me.... Please.”

Jace blinked, vision blurry but locked onto Elias’s terrified face.

“We…” Jace whispered, coughing painfully, “we have matching gun scars now…”

Elias shook his head quickly. “Jace....please.... this isn’t the time—”

“I guess… we are even.” Jace tried to smile, but it came out weak… pained… trembling.

“Stop talking,” Elias said, voice cracking. “Please, stop....save your strength.”

“I’m… I’m so sorry,” Jace choked out. “Elias… so sorry for breaking our family apart… I regret everything—”

“Jace,” Elias whispered, shaking his head so hard it hurt him, “no....don’t say that. Don’t apologize now. I forgive you. I forgive everything.”

Jace exhaled shakily. His eyes fluttered and heavy.

“I love you…” he breathed, “tell the kids I love them… too…”

“JACE, STOP!” Elias’s voice broke, raw with fear. “Don’t say goodbye....don’t you dare say goodbye.”

But Jace’s eyes slowly closed.

“JACE!” Elias shouted, shaking him gently while still pressing on the wound to stop the bleeding. “Please.....Jace.....open your eyes....open them!”

Sirens echoed outside.

Paramedics rushed in.

Hands pulled Elias aside. More hands lifted Jace onto a stretcher. The paramedics moved fast—oxygen mask, pressure bandages, IV lines. The smell of blood mixed with antiseptic filled the air.

Elias did not stop following them behind not until he was allowed into the ambulance.

Before the doors fully closed, Noah ran up, breathless and eyes wide. Behind him, Mila and Mason slept in the police car, unaware of the nightmare happening.

“What happened?!” Noah demanded.

“Jace got shot,” Elias answered quickly, his voice tight, shaky, and too close to breaking. “Please, stay with the kids. Don’t tell them what happened yet. Not until we know he’s stable.”

Noah nodded immediately. “Okay, go. I will handle them.”

"Thank you." Elias climbed into the ambulance, the doors slammed shut, and the sirens wailed as they sped toward the hospital.

(At the Hospital)

The waiting room felt like a prison. It was cold, bright and suffocating. Elias had never felt time move so slowly. His knees bounced. His hands shook. His heart thrashed painfully in his chest.

Every few minutes, he paced. Every few minutes, he stopped to pray. Every few minutes, he rubbed the memory of Jace’s blood off his palms even though it was already washed away.

After what felt like a lifetime, the surgeon finally stepped out.

Elias rushed toward him.

“How is he? Is he alive? Is he—”

“He is stable,” the doctor said, removing his surgical cap with a tired sigh. “He barely escaped death. Another few minutes without pressure on the wound, and we would be having a very different conversation. But you saved him.”

Elias’s knees nearly gave out.

He covered his face with his hands and exhaled a shaking, emotional sigh—half relief, half gratitude, half exhaustion.

“Can I see him?” he asked quietly.

“In a bit,” the doctor replied. “He will need time. But he will recover.”

Elias whispered, “Thank you… thank you so much.”

~

Meanwhile…

Aiden was escorted into the jail.

The same jail he once left behind.

The same guard at the front desk looked up… smirked… and said with cold amusement.

“Well, well. Welcome back, Aiden. Good to see you again.”

Aiden didn’t respond. His face held no expression, but his eyes flickered, an emotion caught between rage and resignation.

The bars closed behind him.

This time, for good.

\~~~

Few Days Later

The hospital room was warm and quiet when Noah walked in with Mila and Mason. Elias sat beside Jace’s bed, holding his hand gently, brushing his thumb across Jace’s knuckles.

Jace’s eyes lit up the second he saw his children.

“Mila… Mason…” he whispered.

They ran to him, climbing onto the bed carefully.

Jace kissed their faces repeatedly—forehead, cheeks, nose, holding them like he was afraid they would disappear if he let go.

“I missed you both so much,” he said softly, emotional warmth flooding him.

Noah stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed, smiling slightly.

“You look better,” Noah said.

“Yes I am,” Jace replied with a soft laugh. “Thank you for watching the kids. Elias told me you’re leaving again today?”

Noah nodded. “Yeah, back to the health summit in France. They want me to talk about donor accessibility…”

Jace’s smile softened. “When next will you visit?”

Noah sighed dramatically. “Honestly? Maybe never. Every time I come home, I end up getting kidnapped.”

Everyone burst into laughter, even Jace, though it hurt his stitches.

Then the room quieted… and Jace’s expression shifted. He looked at everyone, then at Elias.

“I need to apologise,” he said quietly.

Elias’s brows furrowed softly.

Jace swallowed.

“I’m sorry. For everything. For the pain… the distance… for breaking our family apart. You have always been the best husband anyone could hope for. And I blew it. So many times. But somehow… somehow you still came for me when I needed you most.”

Elias’s eyes softened, glistening slightly.

“I love you,” Jace whispered, voice breaking. “I love you so much.”

“And I love you,” Elias replied, leaning down to kiss him.

Their kiss deepened. It was slow, filled with emotion and passionate. Mason covered his eyes and groaned loudly “Eww! You guys should go get a room.”

Everyone burst into laughter again.

Jace looked around...

At Mila smiling again.

At Mason now safe.

At Noah, who was once hooked to machines, now traveling the world helping other children.

At Elias, the cold man who he had fallen for without meaning to, the man who still stood beside him when he needed him most.

Jace let out a soft, breathless laugh.

For the first time in months… he was not afraid or hurting or running.

His family was whole.

Happy.

Safe.

Alive.

In a strange way, all the pain Jace had carried, the loss of his parents, the years of hate, the burning rage had forged something he never expected. Something gentle. Something whole. Something beautiful.

He leaned back against the pillows, letting his eyes wander over the people who had become his entire world—his soulmate, their children, his brother. His family.

A soft smile tugged at his lips.

“I wish this moment could last forever.”

Elias shifted closer. He watched their kids racing around the room, laughter echoing around the room.

“Me too,” he whispered, a warmth in his voice that made Jace’s chest feel full for the first time in years.

For once, there were no more shadows. No more ghosts. No battles left to fight.

Only peace....

Only love....

Only.....this.

THE END.​