Selena sank into her chair, finally letting her body relax after the tense walk back from the café. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, but she couldn't focus. Her mind kept replaying Jace's stormy glare, the way his hand had brushed her back, and the heavy silence that had screamed between them.
Her phone buzzed, breaking her out of the haze. She picked it up automatically, and the caller ID made her heart jump. It was the hospital.
"Hello… is this Selena Ward?" the nurse asked.
"Yes," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.
"I'm calling to let you know that your mother is stable and will be discharged today. The doctors say she's recovering well, and you can bring her home once arrangements are ready."
Selena froze, a mix of joy and sudden panic twisting inside her. Relief washed over her, threatening to spill tears, but then guilt and worry hit.
"I… I forgot," she whispered to herself, her fingers gripping the phone. She had completely forgotten about her mother's accommodation. She had planned to rent a new place for her, closer to the city, safer, more convenient. But with everything that had happened—Jace, the contract, the overwhelming chaos—she had put it all out of her mind.
"Hello? Miss Ward?" the nurse asked patiently.
Selena blinked, forcing herself to focus. "Yes… yes, thank you. I… I'll come to arrange the discharge right away."
After ending the call, she buried her face in her hands. Relief and guilt warred inside her chest. Her mother was safe. That should have been enough to make her heart soar. And yet… she had completely forgotten the practicalities, the plans she had carefully made before Jace stormed into her life.
Her mind drifted to the new apartment she had scouted weeks ago, imagining her mother finally settled in a place close to the city, where she could rest without worry. But now, everything felt like it had been pushed aside by the whirlwind that was Jace Ariston.
A sigh escaped her lips. She had been so consumed by him—by his presence, his anger, his intensity—that she hadn't realized how much of herself she had neglected. Her mother's needs, her own responsibilities… all of it had slipped, lost in the shadows of Jace's storm.
She rubbed her temples, trying to calm the swirl of guilt and anxiety. "I have to fix this," she muttered under her breath. "I can't let her suffer because I—because I…"
Her voice faltered. Because she had let herself be consumed.
And then she remembered. Jace. He was still in the office, his presence almost a tangible weight in the room. The memory of his gaze, the possessive fire, and the control he exuded made her chest tighten.
She glanced up, half-expecting him to be watching, and felt a strange mix of fear and comfort. Fear, because she had no idea how he might react if he knew she had forgotten her mother's arrangements. Comfort, because the chaos he brought somehow reminded her of her own heartbeat—alive, real, consuming.
Selena exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment. She would have to handle this—quickly. Call the real estate agent, secure the apartment, and arrange transportation from the hospital. She had no choice. She had promised her mother she would always protect her. And no matter what Jace brought into her life, that promise would never be broken.
Still, as she sat there, a quiet thought crept into her mind, unbidden and uncomfortable: Jace had made her forget. Not intentionally, she told herself. But his sudden presence, the storm of his emotions, and the way he consumed her thoughts had pushed everything else out of her mind.
She shook her head and tried to refocus. There was no time to dwell. The hospital was waiting, her mother was waiting, and she needed to act—before guilt consumed her completely.
Selena picked up her phone again, her fingers moving with purpose now. She dialed the real estate agent, speaking quickly and efficiently, arranging the apartment, the transportation, everything she had planned before she had been pulled into the whirlwind that was Jace Ariston.
As she hung up, a small, tired smile touched her lips. Relief and worry still battled within her, but at least she was taking action now.
Her mother would be home soon. Safe. Comfortable. And she would do everything to make sure it stayed that way.
And perhaps, just perhaps, she could find a way to navigate the fire that was Jace… without losing herself entirely.