CHAPTER 394: CHAPTER 394 SORRY

He stormed toward the door, expecting, hoping someone would at least call out, "Jay, wait!" or "We’re joking!" or even a pathetic "Calm down!"

But silence followed him. Silence and continued discussion.

"Look, she owns a dog bakery!" Nonna said, beaming at the screen.

"Oh, that’s so cute," Bella said happily.

Jay froze in the hallway, utterly stunned. They were still choosing his wife.

His wife.

For a moment he could only stand there, emotionally collapsing in slow motion. Then he dragged a palm down his face and muttered under his breath, "Wtf... I don’t need to marry... I’m better myself... these people are insane..."

He didn’t even notice Jace slipping out behind him until a steady hand landed on his shoulder.

"Relax," Jace murmured, holding back laughter. "They’re just having fun with you."

Jay glared at Jace with the expression of a person betrayed by the only person he still trusted. His chest rose and fell dramatically, his hair slightly messed from all the shouting he had done. "Easy for you to say! You’re not the one whose Nonna is choosing wives like she’s buying vegetables at the market."

Jace laughed under his breath, shoulders shaking lightly. "I understand..."

"No, you don’t!" Jay threw his hands in the air, voice still full of leftover frustration. "You don’t have a Nonna. How would you understand anything about what I’m going through?"

The words left him in a rush. Only then did he realise what he had said.

Jace went completely still.

His smile faded slowly, like a candle going out. The warmth in his eyes dimmed. A quiet, unreadable expression settled over his face, one that made Jay’s heart drop straight into his stomach.

Jace didn’t say a word.

He simply turned away, shoulders stiff, and walked toward his room with calm, controlled steps... but that calmness hurt more than any angry reaction could have.

Jay’s breath caught. A sharp sting of guilt tightened in his chest.

"Jace... wait..." he whispered, but Jace didn’t stop.

Jay’s panic rose and he hurried after him, almost tripping over his own feet as he reached the hallway.

"Jace! I didn’t mean it!" Jay called again, his voice softer now, almost trembling. "Please—wait!"

Jace reached the door. He put his hand on the handle.

Jay’s heart clenched harder.

He rushed the last few steps and grabbed Jace’s wrist, holding him gently but desperately. "I didn’t mean it," he repeated, breath warm, eyes wide with guilt. "I shouldn’t have said that. You know I didn’t mean it like that."

Jace finally turned his head.

His expression was calm and controlled.

And Jay felt his throat tighten, because he suddenly realised how much Jace mattered to him...how much the idea of hurting him terrified him.

"Please don’t walk away," Jay said quietly, his grip loosening but not letting go. "I’m sorry... really."

Jace didn’t say anything.

He pulled Jay inside the room and simply closed it behind them with a soft click. He took a long breath, the kind that trembled slightly at the end, and when he finally looked at Jay, there was no anger in his eyes...only exhaustion and something painfully fragile beneath it.

"You’re annoying," he said quietly, his voice steady but strained. "You never think before you speak, Jay. You just throw words around like they don’t land anywhere. But they do." His chest rose slowly, his jaw tightening as if holding something back. "People have feelings. I have feelings. You can’t say things without thinking and expect them not to hurt."

Jay’s mouth opened, but no words came out. His guilt pressed against his ribs like a heavy stone.

Jace gave a small, empty smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes at all. "And it’s fine. Really. You’re right. You have Nonna, you have parents, you have a loud, messy, warm family. I don’t have any of that. I never had anyone fussing over me or chasing me around with marriage lists. I don’t have a Nonna to irritate me. I don’t have anyone waiting at home." His voice broke the slightest bit, barely there, but enough to punch the breath out of Jay. "So what you said... you didn’t mean to hurt me. I know. You just don’t understand."

His eyes dropped for a moment, lashes trembling, and Jay saw the redness gathering in the corners like he was fighting back something he never let anyone see.

"I am sorry..." Jay’s voice cracked as he stepped closer, his heart twisting painfully.

But Jace only shook his head gently. "No, Jay. It’s okay. You can’t understand what it feels like to not have anyone. To walk into an empty house every day. To eat alone. To be used to being alone." He let out a small exhale, almost a laugh, but it carried no humour. "You’re surrounded by people who love you. You’ll never know what that emptiness feels like."

Jay swallowed hard, guilt and sadness flooding him all at once. He reached for Jace’s arm instinctively, fingers tightening around the sleeve as if afraid he might disappear.

"Jace... don’t say it like that," he whispered, voice thick. "You’re not alone. Not anymore."

Jace looked away, blinking up at the ceiling as if the tears burning behind his eyes were betraying him.

But he didn’t pull his arm away this time.

That tiny permission, barely a gesture, barely a breath was enough for Jay’s heart to break completely. He stepped forward without thinking and wrapped his arms tightly around Jace, pulling him into a hug that was almost desperate, almost trembling. His voice spilled out fast, overflowing with guilt and fear of losing him.

"I’m sorry," Jay whispered, his cheek brushing Jace’s shoulder. "I’m so, so sorry. Hit me if you want, punch me, break my bones...do anything but please don’t stay angry with me. Please don’t pull away from me like that."

Jace froze for a moment, his body stiff with surprise, but he didn’t push him off.

Jay held him even tighter, as if trying to squeeze every apology directly into his heartbeat. "My family is your family," he murmured against Jace’s neck, voice thick and shaky. "I mean it. Even if my brother is a strict coconut and takes years to open up, he trusts you. My mom adores you. Nonna keeps asking about you. And Bella..." he smiled softly, squeezing him again, "Bella treats you like her own."

Jace let out a small, unsteady breath, and Jay felt the tension in his back loosen, inch by inch.