The days that followed weren't perfect. But for the first time in months, they were real.
Jace started showing up — not just in Eleena's apartment, but in the small moments that mattered. He cooked breakfast one morning, burning the eggs but not the toast. He left little notes on the bathroom mirror: "I'm trying. I see you."
Eleena read them all. She kept them folded in her drawer, not because she was ready to trust him completely again, but because a part of her wanted to believe he meant every word.
Still, some wounds didn't close with effort alone.
On a rainy Thursday afternoon, she stood in front of his desk, fingers curled tightly around her phone.
"You canceled dinner with me last night," she said. "No text. No call."
Jace looked up, guilt painting his face. "I know. I'm sorry. The meeting ran over, and I—"
"Could've taken ten seconds to let me know," she interrupted.
She wasn't angry — not really. She was tired. Tired of loving like it was a one-way street.
"I'm not asking you to be perfect," she said. "I'm asking you to show up."
Jace pushed back from his desk and walked around to her. He didn't make excuses this time. Didn't reach for a lie to soften the truth.
"You're right," he said. "I didn't show up. I thought I had time — thought you'd understand, like always. But you've been understanding so much, I stopped giving you reasons to be."
Eleena blinked, caught off guard by the clarity in his words.
He took a breath. "I've always fought for everything in my life — jobs, success, respect. But somehow, I thought you'd always be there without me having to fight for you. And that's the part I got so wrong."
A lump formed in her throat. It wasn't the apology. It was the honesty. That raw, exposed look in his eyes she hadn't seen in too long.
"You don't need to fight me, Jace," she said softly. "You need to fight with me."
He nodded.
"I want to," he whispered. "For the first time in a long time, I'm not just afraid of losing you — I'm afraid of not deserving you."
That broke something in her. And healed something else, all at once.
She stepped into him, letting his arms wrap around her like a silent vow. Her loyalty had nearly destroyed her, but maybe — just maybe — it would also be the thing that saved them.
Because now… he was starting to earn it.