Chapter 57 Jase
Jase
The world finally goes quiet.
Not because it’s safe.
Not because it’s over.
But because for the first time since this started—
We’re not running.
Zurich is behind us.
The firefight.
The blood.
The chaos.
Daniel is alive—barely—but stable, already being moved out under heavy protection.
Ethan’s handling the aftermath.
Ronan’s already disappearing into whatever shadow he came from.
And me?
I’m standing in the middle of a quiet, dimly lit safehouse—
Watching Mila.
She’s at the window.
Still.
Silent.
City lights reflecting in her eyes.
She hasn’t said a word since we got here.
That’s what worries me.
I move toward her slowly.
Careful.
Like approaching something powerful.
Something I don’t want to break.
“Mila.”
She doesn’t turn.
“I almost lost you today,” I say.
That gets her.
She exhales softly.
“Funny,” she murmurs. “I was thinking the same thing.”
I step closer.
Close enough now that I can feel the heat of her.
The pull.
God, it’s always there.
Stronger now.
Sharper.
Because we almost didn’t make it.
“Look at me,” I say quietly.
She does.
And it hits me all over again.
Everything.
The fire.
The strength.
The way she stands there like she’d burn the world down if it meant protecting the people she loves.
Including me.
Especially me.
“I’m not doing this without you,” I tell her.
Her breath catches slightly.
“Doing what?”
“Any of it,” I say. “The missions. The fights. Whatever comes next.”
I take another step closer.
Now there’s nothing between us.
“If you’re in this… I’m in it with you.”
Her eyes search mine.
Like she’s trying to see if I mean it.
Like she’s deciding if she’s going to let herself believe it.
“Mila,” I murmur, softer now, “I’m not walking away from you. I love you!”
That does it.
The wall she’s been holding up?
Gone.
She closes the distance.
Grabs my shirt.
Pulls me into her.
And kisses me like she’s been holding it back for weeks.
Maybe she has.
Maybe we both have.
There’s nothing careful about it.
Nothing hesitant.
It’s heat.
Need.
Relief.
Everything we didn’t say when we thought we might lose each other.
I pull her closer, one hand sliding into her hair, the other wrapping around her waist, anchoring her to me like I’m never letting go.
She breathes my name against my mouth.
“Jase…”
And that’s it.
That’s all it takes.
We move together—slow at first, like we’re memorizing each other—
Then deeper.
Closer.
The world fades.
The fight.
The danger.
The weight of everything we just survived—
Gone.
It’s just us now.
Her hands on me.
My hands on her.
The way she looks at me like I’m not just someone she’s fighting beside—
But someone she’s choosing.
I press my forehead to hers, breathing her in.
“You’re it for me,” I say quietly.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Her eyes soften.
Just a little.
But it’s enough.
“Yeah,” she whispers. “You are for me too. I love you too.”
And this time—
When we kiss—
It’s not just survival.
It’s promise.