PLEASE READ: Sorry for the wait, as usual! This chapter was extremely difficult for me to get out and it's long, so it took me awhile. But I wanted you guys to have an extra long chapter to read. This chapter is not edited, as it's over 10,000 words and it would take me forever to edit and I wanted to get it out as quick as possible for you guys. We're right near the end of the book, and then I have plans for a sequel! :) Winter break is coming up for me so I'll try to get ahead of my writing then. College has been keeping me busy so I apologize for that. Please vote and comment! I love reading what you guys have to say. Enjoy!

ADD ME ON SNAPCHAT - HUGACATT <<<< (YES 2 T's)

OH AND BEWARE: SEXUAL CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER 

I could feel arms around my torso - thick, warm, familiar arms. 

I cracked my eyes open unwillingly, my gaze meeting the neck of the person I was pressed tightly against. Jace was still asleep, his chest rising peacefully. I wanted to resent him, I wanted to slap him for crawling in bed with me and invoking all these feelings, but I knew I couldn't. I was much more inclined to just shut my eyes and cling closer to his body. 

For not seeing him for as long as I had, he looked even more gorgeous than I remembered. Even after a night full of sleep though, there were still bags underneath his eyes, as if he was in dire need of more rest. My heart beat furiously in relief at the sight of him and I knew I ha d missed him more than I ever would admit. 

I knew this wasn't a good idea, so cursing mentally, I slowly began to move away from his inviting body, my chest beginning to ache as I did so. 

That woke him up, his eyes snapping open and moving quickly to meet mine. The peaceful look he had had previously on his face quickly fell into something much darker. His stare had narrowed slightly, lines forming between his eyebrows as he pulled be closer to his body. His arms tightened, keeping me from moving another inch away from him. "What are you doing?"

I narrowed my gaze at him, wanting very much to hate him in that moment. "No, what are you doing? You're in my bed." I pressed a hand against his chest, hoping that I could force some space from his body. 

"You mean my bed." He corrected, letting his head fall on top of my again. I starting to protest, but he shushed me. "I'm trying sleeping."

"After everything, you think I'll be fine sleeping next to you?" I questioned, forcing out a harsh laugh, before I began to struggle to get away from his grip. "Nope, that's not how it works."

He refused to loosen his grip, moving to stare intensely back down at me. "I know I owe you an apology for-"

"Forget it." I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to hear his lies. "None of this even matters anymore." And that was true. My fate had been set. In a short matter of time I wouldn't even be by his side. 

"Of course it does." His voice was hushed in the darkness of the room. It was too early still, but now I was wide-awake, anxiety making my chest tight.

"You were gone for awhile." I noted, unable to stop the words from passing my lips, wishing that I could stop the words from spilling from my mouth.

A pregnant pause, filled with complicated questions and a hard tension that made my stomach ache.

"I'm sorry-"

"You don't owe me an apology. You don't owe me anything." I cleared my throat harshly, deciding to study his throat instead of his beautiful face that made my thoughts too mushy and unclear.

"I understand a lot has happened to you since I've been gone," He hesitantly began, "All of which will be appropriately dealt with." His words were formal, too stiff.

"It doesn't even matter." I scoffed again bitterly, pushing hard enough against his chest for him to release me from his grip. "None of it does. It's too late."

"And you think you've been helping things?" A hint of anger had picked up in his voice. He watched me stonily as I moved away from his figure. "Noah, Savannah? Really?"

"Oh, don't act like you care." I shot back, rolling out of bed and standing up, heading towards the bathroom without a look back. "It's none of your business."

"Yes, it is." He argued, his voice low.

"Stop trying to fucking control everything." I muttered underneath my breath, loudly slamming the bathroom door behind me. I quickly turned on the shower, wanting to drown out anything he might try to say in response. My heart was beating furiously, though I refused to cry.

Still, over the spray, I still managed to hear him yell. "You're going to avoid this. We'll talk once you're out!" 

Steam quickly filled the bathroom as the hot water sprayed down and I quickly undressed myself, blushing at the lack of pants I had been wearing, before stepping into the stream.

The hot water quickly worked at soothing my tensed muscles and relaxing my thoughts from the stress that was weighting heavily on my body.

The shock of seeing Jace was still in my system and I inhaled deeply a few times, trying to rid myself of it. I needed to think clearly and figure out a plan. I didn't want his reappearance to mess up everything that was already set in place.

I needed to focus on what I knew would happen. 

I took my time finishing up my shower, slowly drying off, before wrapping a towel tightly around my body. I eased the door open a crack, peeking out into the bedroom. There was no one in it and the emptiness of it eased my anxiousness.

Hesitantly, I opened the door, easing myself out. There was no one in the room and seeing the emptiness of it eased some of my anxiousness.

Dropping my towel quickly, I didn't waste any time getting dressed, fully aware that Jace could reappear at any moment. 

Sliding on a pair of yoga pants and a hoodie, I worked at towel drying my hair. My stomach was an empty pit of nerves. To know Jace was back somewhere in this house hurt my head to think about.

A knock at the door had my breath catching in my throat. 

"Savannah?" Cameron called out, his fingers rapping at the wood once more. "You in there?"

I hesitated, before clearing my throat. "Hold on!" 

I much rather would've screamed obscenities at the boy, but I figured that wouldn't go over well. Breathing in deeply, I smoothed my hands over my sweatshirt, before moving towards the door.

"Did you need something?" I desperately tried to contain the rude words that wanted to escape my mouth. I wanted to scream at him about being pawn, about how he had treated me, about what my future would hold. But, instead, I just offered him a bland look.

He hesitated, before offering me a bright smile, as if this week hadn't gone the way it had. "Good morning!" 

I swallowed around the growing lump in my throat, offering a smile that I knew wouldn't reach my eyes. "Hi. What's up?"

"Jace asked my to accompany you to his office." Cameron smirked, stepping away from my doorway and gesturing towards the hall, "So, if you could just-"

"Why?" I interrupted, my fake smile tightening around my lips. "We already talked today."

"Savannah." Cameron sighed, shaking his head. "I just follow orders. Now, will you please come?"

Knowing fully well that he wouldn't let it drop, I pressed my lips together and stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door softly. 

"Thanks," He shot me another smile, this time one of relief, before turning on his heel.

I was rigid as I stood behind Cameron, staring blankly at the grand double-doors that led into Jace's office. Cameron rose his fist, letting it hit the door twice before he dropped it. He turned to offer me another smile, one that was most likely meant to relax me, but only caused the opposite to happen.

"Come in." 

At the sound of his voice, my body tightened up in panic and yearning. I suddenly wanted to run. My hands curled into two tight fists as I fought the urge to. 

Cameron opened the door, standing away to gesture me in. I offered him a tight smile, mumbling my thanks before forcing myself to walk through. Refusing to even look at the man at the desk, my head stayed ducked. 

"Here's, Savannah."

"Thanks, Cameron."

The door shut behind Cameron as he left, the noise opening the flood of silence that drowned the room. He stayed silent, as did I. I felt suffocated, wanting nothing more than to avoid his presence. With the knowledge of what would happen in a few days, it was only more painful to be standing in front of him. 

As the minutes ticked by, I finally glanced up, focusing in on the gorgeous man in front of me. He was focused on his laptop, though his tensed shoulders clued me in on his anger. He looked anything but relaxed as he aggressively pounded down on the keys.

"Er-" I hesitated, though the sound of my voice did nothing to catch his attention. "Was there something you needed?" My voice was an uneven stammer, my nerves evident in the sound of my words. 

"Breakfast." He demanded, not even looking up from his laptop. He jerked his chin towards the couch and chairs, and the wide arrange of breakfast foods spread across the coffee table. 

My gaze began to narrow into something akin to a glare centered at his face. My temper has begun to rise as the minutes had passed, my nerves lost as adrenaline started pumping through me. "No." 

That got him to look up, his own beautiful meeting my own. "Savannah-"

 I let out a choked laugh, interrupting him, avoiding the urge to cry. Instead, I crossed my arms, letting my lips harden into a thin line. "What did you need?"

"I need you to eat breakfast." He shut his laptop, rolling away from his chair and standing up. My eyes wandered over his body before I could stop him, his grey suit-pant and white dress-shirt combo making my mouth water. I quickly snapped my eyes back to his own.

"...not hungry." I mumbled, crossing my arms. My heart slammed in my chest as he started to move closer to me. "You can't make me listen."

"Always so stubborn." He sighed, shaking his head briefly. "You need to eat." He murmured, before he came to a stop in front of me. 

"I'm fine." I shot him a harsh look, before skirting around him and settling into a chair away from the breakfast spread.

"We need to talk." He spoke up and I heard his footsteps as he moved closer to me once again. 

"No," I protested, shaking my head. "I don't want to talk. Can't you listen to me for once?" 

 He knelt in front of me, pausing for a moment, before he spoke. "It's your birthday soon." He murmured, moving to reach behind me for a throw that was tossed over the chair. I stiffened at the feel of his breath against my neck. He shook it out, before moving to wrap it around my shoulders. I attempted to not flinch away from his touch. "We're going out for a celebration."

I didn't respond, my mind instantly whirling to life at the possibility of how I could possibly get out of this, but most of all I could feel the longing in my chest to accompany him. I didn't know the time I had left with him and even knowing that he was using me, I still wanted to go with him and wrap my arms around him and never let him go.

"No thank you." I murmured, staring down at my hands in my lap, hoping he would distance himself from me.

He didn't, instead inching himself closer and gently gripping my chin so I would look at him. "We're celebrating your birthday tonight. And we're going to talk."

"Believe what you want." I jerked my face from his grip, glaring at him fiercely. "But, it's still not going to happen."

He didn't speak, his jaw tensed, before he stood and made his way to his desk. "Be ready by seven. Ashley will help you. Now eat your breakfast."

"You think you can just come back and things will go back to normal? Like nothing ever happened? I'm not going." I could feel the lump in my throat steadily growing.

"Seven, Savannah. Now eat." Jace only spoke once more, before jerking his head towards the breakfast still on his coffee table. Then his gaze was once more focused on the laptop on the desk in front of him.

"Things aren't just going to go back to normal." I fought to keep my voice even.

"I thought you didn't want to talk about things?"

I wanted to punch him in that moment, to break things, to scream. But not wanting to give him the satisfaction of watching me lose it, I carefully inhaled instead.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"There's a lot-"

"What do you want to talk about?" I hissed out, finally standing up, my hands twisted tightly into two hard fists. "The fact that you left me with Greg? That you had two men tie me up and drug me? That I've been followed around like a prisoner? That I lost my best friend?" 

He seemed at a loss for words as he struggled for what to say. His expression was torn and pain briefly flashed across his face. "Savannah-"

"No," I shook my head fiercely, back away slowly to the door. "You don't get to say my name. Just leave me alone, okay? I hate you." 

And then I was running for the door, desperate to escape from his consuming presence and all the memories I just wanted to forget.

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A knock on my door four hours later had my gut feeling with dread. I blinked at it, not wanting to have to open it.

"It's only me, Savannah." The familiar tone of Ashley's voice called out, calming and reassuring. "Can I come in?"

"Of course." I called back hesitantly, sitting up in bed. 

She let herself in, her huge makeup bag in one hand and a curling iron in the other. "I'm here to help you get ready."

I resisted the urge to groan, instead choosing to bite down on my lip. "I'm not going, I don't want to."

She paused, watching me calculatingly for a moment, before turning and moving towards the bathroom. "How about this?" She called out over her shoulder. "Come get ready and then you can decide if you want to go. You look like you can use some girl time anyways."

"Ashley..." I groaned reluctantly, but I still found myself shaking off my blankets and standing up.

 I found myself seated in a chair in my bathroom, a spread of cosmetics and beauty products spread across the counter in front of us. Awkwardness filled the space between Ashley and I, neither of us knowing how to speak to each other after the events that had occurred.

As she brushed eye-shadow across my lids, she pursed her lips. "So, how have you been?"

"Fine," I answered shortly, resisting the urge to scowl at her question. Couldn't anyone realizee I didn't want to talk about it?

"Really? Cause a lot has happened." She mused, shaking her head lightly. "Too much. I can't imagine it's easy dealing with it all."

"I'm fine." I mumbled once more.

"What happened with Brooke? She said you guys got into a fight?" Ashley tried again, cautiously curious.

"Nothing. People just grow apart." I shrugged, not wanting to talk about it, the pain of losing Brooke still something I wanted to avoid.

"Really?" She said again, still not convinced

"Yup." I shrugged, unable to stop myself from fidgeting

"Hmm," She hummed, sounding unconvinced. "And you have things figured out with my brother yet?"

"What?" I choked on my spit, my eyes snapping open.

"Savannah! I'm trying to do your eyeliner!" She shrieked, squinting down at my eyes. "Be careful!"

"Your fault." I grouchily muttered, shutting my eyes once more.

"Shush." She chuckled, resuming what she was doing. "Focus is needed for this."

"You're the one asking stupid questions." I pointed out, mentally rolling my eyes.

"Logical questions." She corrected, capping her eyeliner before reaching over to grab mascara. "Important questions. You had my brother were clearly infatuated-"

"Stop." I moaned, wanting to flee the room. "I don't need to hear this."

"Because you know I'm right!" She argued. "Obviously my brother is human and has faults and I hope you can consider forgiving him.

"There's really no reason to at this point." I mumbled darkly, my thoughts flashing to what I knew would happen with Greg and Ricardo.

"What?"

"Nothing," I shook my head nervously, wishing it didn't have to be true. "It's nothing."

She didn't speak and I knew she wasn't convinced.

"So - if I do choose to go, where will we be going tonight?" I changed the subject quickly.

"Oh, it'll just be Jace and you. But, to this lovely restaurant, right on the waterfront." 

"Excuse me?" I almost choked again, gripping the arms of the chair tightly. "Just Jace and I?"

"Of course," Ashley finished smoothly, dropping the mascara tube back into her bag as I opened my eyes. "He wanted some time with you."

"I don't want time with him, though, so that's not really fair." I argued, staring wide-eyed up at the blonde. "You can't just leave me alone with him!" 

"Shush." She said once more, rolling her eyes and plugging in the curling iron. "Now time for hair."

By the time she had finished with hair and makeup, I felt like a completely different person. My eyes were now smokey, my skin had a bronzed-glow, and my was wavy and voluminous. 

"There," She stepped back, looking satisfied as her eyes roved over my face. "And right on time. You need to get dressed. The dress should be on your bed."

"I haven't decided if I'm going yet." I protested as she pulled me up and shoved me from the bathroom.

"You're going." She snorted, "Now get dressed."

The dress was simple and black, though far-too tight for my comfort. The heels were a decent height, something I would still struggle to walk in though. 

"Are you done?" Ashley questioned, peeking from the bathroom. "Be careful with your hair. It looks great!" She gushed as she took in the dress. "Your waist looks so tiny."

"I don't want to go..." I muttered darkly, not even bothering to look at myself in the mirror.

"I have the perfect trench coat for that dress! I'll be right back!" And then she was eagerly rushing out.

I bent down, easing my feet into the dangerous-looking heels. 

"You look beautiful." 

Shocked at the voice, I was unable to stop the squeal from leaving my lips as I crashed onto the floor, one heel on.

"You scared me!" I gasped, a hand clasped to my chest as I stared up with wide eyes at Jace. My heartbeat quickened at the sight of him in his suit, looking more attractive than ever. "Don't do that!"

"I'm sorry." He murmured, reaching out to offer me a hand to get up, watching me carefully. I hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

"Thank you." I whispered, smoothing my dress down and shoving my foot into the other heel. "You can thank your sister for the dress, by the way." 

"I'll make sure to do that." He chuckled, rolling his eyes. "You ready to head out?" He watched me hesitantly, as if he was prepared for me to decline his offer.

Inhaling sharply, I forced a smile. "Sure." 

"Wait, your jacket!" Ashley shouted from the hall.

I knew this would most likely be the last night where I could feel somewhat free. 

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