Paris Oh Paris

As they walked back to the hotel, the weight of the silence  between Grace and Jax was unbearable. Every step felt like a mile, and Grace could feel the tension building inside her, an uncontrollable wave of emotion rising within her chest. The encounter with Miranda had left a bitter taste in her mouth, and Jax's evasiveness only made things worse.

When they finally reached the door to their hotel room, Grace couldn't take it anymore. She stepped in front of Jax before he could open it, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Jax, we need to talk," she said, her voice trembling with frustration.

Jax froze, his hand on the door handle, but he didn't turn to face her. "Grace, not now. I'm really not in the mood."

"No, we need to talk," Grace repeated, her voice louder now. "You've been avoiding me for days. What's going on with you? Who was that woman?"

Jax exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Grace, she's nothing. Just an old acquaintance, okay? Can we just drop it?"

"No!" Grace snapped, stepping forward, her face flushed with anger. "I won't just drop it. You're not being honest with me, Jax. Every time I try to talk to you, you shut me out. You don't even look at me the way you used to. I'm here for you, always, but you keep pushing me away!"

Jax's jaw clenched, his hands tightening into fists at his sides. "I never wanted to hurt you," he said, his voice low, the words thick with tension. "You don't understand. It's not as simple as you think."

Grace's eyes flashed with hurt, the tears threatening to spill over. "Then make me understand!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "I'm trying so hard, Jax. I'm always here for you, but you're shutting me out. And it's killing me. You're the one who's been keeping secrets, and I'm the one who's been left in the dark."

Jax stood there, his expression unreadable, but Grace could see the struggle in his eyes. He was torn, she could feel it, and it only made her more furious.

"You're right," he said quietly, voice filled with something close to regret. "I haven't been honest. I've been... dealing with things. But it's not because of you. It's because I don't want to drag you into my mess."

Grace shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "You don't get it, Jax. I already am in your mess. Every time you pull away, every time you won't let me in, I'm already part of it. I'm already drowning in it. And it hurts. It hurts so much."

Tears were finally spilling down her cheeks, and she wiped them away angrily, her voice growing louder as her emotions took over.

"Why can't you just be real with me? Why is everything always so complicated with you?" Grace's chest was heaving as she took a step back, her words filled with raw pain. "I thought we were building something. I thought we were finally getting it right. But I can't keep doing this. I can't keep pretending everything's fine when you're keeping so much from me. I deserve more than that."

Jax took a step forward, but Grace held up a hand, stopping him. Her breathing was ragged, her body trembling with emotion.

"Don't you dare tell me everything's fine. Don't lie to me," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I'm not some girl you can just push aside when it gets hard. You promised me. You promised you wouldn't let me go."

Jax opened his mouth to speak, but the words didn't come out. The guilt was clear in his eyes, but Grace didn't want his pity. She didn't want his apologies. She just wanted him to open up to her, to let her in, to stop hiding behind walls he'd built so carefully over the years.

Grace turned away, her back to him now, as her shoulders shook with the weight of everything she was feeling. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't be the one who always had to chase after him, always had to beg for him to open up, to show her the person she had fallen in love with.

"I'm sorry, Jax," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I can't keep doing this."

She wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady herself, but it did nothing to calm the storm raging inside her. She had loved him—she still loved him, but the silence, the distance, the constant feeling that something wasn't right, it was too much for her to bear.

And in that moment, Grace knew something was broken. And she didn't know if it could ever be fixed.