Chapter 4 Harper hugs jace

"Da-"

Harper's small finger pointed straight at Jace.

Jace froze, the glass of water midway to his lips. Jade's heart stuttered, her breath catching in her throat. She looked from Harper's innocent, insistent gaze to Jace's face, which had gone utterly blank... a mask of stone dropping instantly over the subtle vulnerability she had just witnessed.

"Harper, honey, no, what are you saying." Jade said quickly, moving to scoop the baby up. Her voice was too loud, too quick as she tried to laugh, a dry, nervous sound. "Do you mean Dance?"

Jace went to set the glass down sharply on the counter, the clink echoing like a gunshot. He didn't look at either of them.

"It's getting late, and almost time for quite hours," he stated, his voice flat and dismissive, returning to the cold tone that had defined their relationship since he moved in. "You should be in your room."

He turned and walked back toward his own door.

Jade watched him go, cradling Harper close. The baby was unfazed, already chewing happily on a stray piece of her paper. But Jade's mind was reeling.

Da-?

It was the first time Harper had made any sound close to a real word. And it wasn't 'Ma' or 'Mama.' It was 'Da.? And she had pointed it straight at the exact man.

"Just babbling," Jade muttered to herself, but the word felt thin and unconvincing. Harper was almost a year old. And Babies often said mama before Dada... But Harper's own was different and the timing, the pointer finger, Jace's reaction... it was a cruel, perfectly timed coincidence.

Jade retreated to the safety of her bedroom. She put Harper in her crib and watched her for a long time, the shadow of the afternoon's near discovery still heavy in the air. Lying down, she stared up at the ceiling, the comforting weight of normalcy Mara had brought now replaced by a crushing sense of dread and soon she drifted to sleep.

The digital clock read 1:47 AM. When Harper started crying. The apartment was utterly still, the silence thick and heavy only Harper's cries could be heard.

Jade slipped out of bed to get her out of her crib, rocking her gently, whispering her name, and pacing the room. But Harper's cries only grew louder... sharper... almost painful.

Across the hall, Jace stirred in his sleep.

He sat up in bed, jaw clenched, temples throbbing. The cries pierced straight into his skull. He ran a hand over his face, frustrated, exhausted, praying for the noise to stop.

he couldn't storm into her room... that would be crossing the line. So, when the noise didn't stop, he stood and walked the living room instead, hoping distance would help.

But It didn't.

Instead, the crying followed him like a haunting echo.

He dropped onto the couch, pressing his palms to his eyes.

Then Jade came out... Harper in her arms, the baby's sobs finally softening. Jade looked equally exhausted, as her hair looked messy, and her eyes were red.

Jace sat up, glaring at them. "For fuck's sake, Jade," he burst out, frustration leaking through every word. "Can you and your daughter just let me sleep? Huh?"

Jade's head jerked slightly, as though slapped by the words. "I'm sorry," she whispered, voice barely there.

"It's 1:55 AM now!" he snapped. "I pay for a rented apartment... can't I get one proper night of sleep? I thought you said she doesn't disturb. If she keeps behaving like this, then take her to a damn hospital and get her checked."

Jade flinched, pulling Harper tighter against her chest. The baby, momentarily shocked by the harshness of the sound, let out a fresh wail.

His words were bullets. Sharp and Cruel. Laced with something Jade couldn't place... anger... or hatred?.

Jade stood there in the dim light, holding her baby like a shield, wondering if she had made the biggest mistake letting this man into her home.

Jace didn't wait for any response from Jade. As he scoffed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair, and stormed back to his room. His door slammed shut with the kind of force that made Harper flinch against Jade's shoulder.

The crying slowly faded... then disappeared completely.

And Jace, exhausted, frustrated, and mentally drained, finally drifted off to sleep.

By morning, the apartment was quiet.

Jade woke up, too early. His eyes were still gritty with fatigue. He stepped out of his room, pulling his shirt over his head, already running late for a critical check in with the developers.

He paused when he saw them.

Jade and Harper were curled up on the living room floor. Both still wearing last night's clothes. A thin blanket thrown over them like an afterthought.

Jade's head was awkwardly propped on the edge of the couch, while Harper snuggled tightly into Jade's chest, thumb in her mouth, breathing softly.

For a second... just a second... Jace's expression flickered. Something unreadable. Almost... guilt.

But he didn't let it stay.

He grabbed his keys, walked past them without a word, and left the apartment.

Jade woke two hours later, her back aching from the floor. Harper still slept peacefully beside her.

She groaned, stretched, and then looked around the messy apartment.

"That's it," she muttered, surveying the slightly disheveled living space. "I am not a cleaner in this house."

She grabbed an easy-dry marker and marched to the small whiteboard she kept in the kitchen for grocery lists. She meticulously divided the apartment. The living room...theirs, Harper's room... hers, The kitchen... shared.

She drew a hard line. Jace's Room, Jace's Hallway, The Utility Closet, The Second Bathroom. She circled the last three areas boldly.

JACE'S RESPONSIBILITY.

"His mess, his side," she whispered, dragging Jace's clothes, shoes, and empty water bottles to one corner. "My mess, my side."

She cleaned her portion of the house spotless... and left Jace's exactly as it was.

A perfect line of separation.

Evening came so fast.

When Jace returned, he stepped inside and stopped.

He blinked.

The left side of the apartment was sparkling.

The right side... his side... looked like an hurricane had passed through.

Jade stepped out of the kitchen and handed him a folded paper.

"Those are your chores," she said simply.

Jace scoffed. "What is this? For what?"

"For the mess you create, I've been doing the cleaning for days now." Jade replied. "Rule number two... equal contribution. Remember?"

Jace glared at her, jaw ticking.

But the rule was real.

And she caught him with it.

"Fine," he muttered.

He grabbed a mop with the attitude of someone holding a weapon and started cleaning.

Night came again. And Harper started crying.

It was a sharp, high pitched wail that was impossible to ignore. Jade tried the usual tricks, rocking, shushing, singing off-key. But the cry continued, piercing and relentless.

This went on for two more nights. Two nights of fractured sleep, not just for Jade, but also for Jace in the apartment.

On the third night, shortly after 2 AM, the crying reached a frantic pitch. Jade was pacing, her patience evaporated,and Jace on the other hand was fed up... He shot out of his bed, furious, sleep-deprived, and stormed into Jade's room without knocking.

Jace barged into her room, his face dark with fury, his hair mussed from interrupted sleep.

"Where the fuck is her father?" he hissed, rubbing his temples violently. "Maybe she wants her daddy! This is insane, Jade!"

Jade froze, clutching Harper closer. The question hit too close, too hard. "You mind your own business, Jace," she spat back, her voice low and dangerous. "Get out of my room now!"

"Mind my...? I can't sleep!" he yelled, dropping his voice immediately for fear of pissing Harper up more, but the aggression was still there. "This thing has been crying for three straight nights! It's ridiculous! It's a silly cry! Can't you just give her a bottle or something?"

"Silly cry?" Jade repeated quietly, voice trembling with disbelief as she dropped Harper to the ground. "She's a baby, Jace! What do you expect her to do? File a complaint?"

They glared at each other, breaths heavy.

And then, just as suddenly, the crying stopped.

Jade and Jace paused their hostilities, looking down.

Harper was silent. She wasn't looking at Jade. She was staring past her, stretching forth her tiny hands to Jace.

Then she started to giggle. A wet, joyous sound.

"See?" Jade breathed, pushing Jace toward the door. "Now, get out!"

Jace turned, his anger returning.

The moment his back was to her, Harper let out a heartbroken, shuddering sob and started wailing again, louder than before.

Jace froze. He looked over his shoulder to little Harper.

Harper's tears vanished. Her face split into a delighted, gummy smile, her arms outstretched again, beckoning to him.

Jade cursed under her breath. "Oh, come on."

Harper stretched her chubby arms toward him again, making soft excited noises.

And something in Jace's fury melted Completely.

as he knelt down... hesitated... then opened his arms.