The Don Tore Up Our Divorce (Gemma and Cassian) novel Chapter 436

Chapter 436
Jace's POV

I waited. 

The words are like a drumbeat in my head, matching the rhythm of my heart. I waited through the slow, painful undoing of her marriage. 

I waited until the divorce papers were signed, and then, every time I gathered the courage to speak, the world interrupted us. 

Each time, I swallowed the words, told myself the timing wasn’t right, that I needed to wait for a perfect moment that never seemed to come.

The fireworks were supposed to be my signal, but then he appeared, like a black hole pulling all gravity toward him. 

And then the crash, the panic, the hospital… once again, chaos buried my chance. 

I told myself, next time. There will be another chance and I will not hesitate.

But there is no next time, is it?

If not for Zina’s slip of the tongue, I wouldn't have known that. 

She was going to tell everyone but me, and as the realisation settled, I couldn’t wait another second after that. I ran, until my lungs burned and my legs screamed, because if I stopped, I might lose my nerve forever.

Now, standing in her living room, just a few feet away from her startled face, I know this is it. The last, fraying edge of my chance. There is no perfect moment.

I stand up from the couch. The distance between us feels like a canyon. 

I look at her, trying to show her the proof of every silent year, every hidden glance, every suppressed hope in my gaze. 

My mouth is dry. I’ve rehearsed this in my head a thousand times: poetic speeches, logical arguments, heartfelt promises. 

But it is gone. 

“Gemma,” I say, and my voice sounds strange to my own ears, strained but clear. “I really like you. Please give me a chance.” 

I swallow, “I’ll work hard to make you happy.”

She can’t even look at me. Her head dips, her gaze fixed on her own hands twisting in her lap. 

Instead of the surprise and hope I was expecting, I find resignation in her body language. 

Did she know? Has she been expecting this. 

Did Zina play the role of a double agent all along? Oh God, she hasn't been dreading it, has she?

Her expression tells me that she hoped we could just go on pretending.

“I’m sorry, Jace…”

The apology comes after several deep, shaky breaths. 

My shoulders slump. The hope I’d been clutching desperately begins to drain away. But I can’t let it. Not yet. “It’s okay,” I rush to say, the words tumbling out. “I can wait. I can wait for you to come back from Florisdale. Or I can go with you! You don’t have to answer me now. Take your time. Think it over. However long you need.”

I’m bargaining with fate, with her, with myself. Just don’t say no. Not yet.

She shakes her head, a slow, final movement. “No. It’s not about time.”

She looks up then, and I see a firm, gentle certainty that is somehow worse than hatred or cruelty. 

“I’ve always seen you as a brother,” she says, and each word is a carefully placed stone, building a wall between us. “I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished. I’m happy to have you on my team. But none of that… none of it is romantic.”

I can feel a heat building behind my eyes, but I will not cry. I will not. “Gemma, please,” I whisper, the last shred of my pride dissolving. “Don’t rush to reject me.”

“I’m sorry, Jace.” 

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