Lila Leaves Empty Marriage for Jace

Chapter One: The Wrong Life

The apartment door clicked shut behind her, and for a moment, Lila just stood there, pressing her back against it as if she could physically hold the world at bay. Her purse—a sleek, expensive thing she never would’ve chosen for herself—slid from her shoulder and thudded onto the entryway table. She hated carrying it. Hated the way it pulled at her, an unnecessary weight.

The irony wasn’t lost on her.

Because emotionally? She was drowning in baggage.

The past clung to her like a second skin. The present was a suffocating fog. And love? Love was a ghost—something she used to believe in but hadn’t felt in years.

Lila had a habit of narrating her life like it was a movie. Partly because she wished it were someone else’s story, and partly because her own existence felt hollow. Like she was living a watered-down version of the life she was supposed to have.

She knew why.

That was the easy part.

The hard part was the other half—the half that wasn’t just circumstance, but a person. A person with his own will, his own choices, his own life.

A life that didn’t include her anymore.

Not like it used to.

Because she had left.

And he had stayed.

And now, she was married to a man who wore designer suits and carried himself like he owned the world. A man who had given her a 3.5-carat diamond ring and a house in the right zip code and a life that looked perfect from the outside.

But inside?

Inside, she was empty.

Chapter Two: The Echo of Another Life

Lila’s husband, Daniel, was due home in an hour.

That meant sixty minutes of silence before the inevitable: the clipped greetings, the passive-aggressive remarks, the way he would glance at his phone during dinner like she was nothing more than background noise.

She used to try. Used to reach for him—literally, figuratively—only to be met with indifference or, worse, irritation.

"Why do you always have to make everything so emotional?" he’d sigh, as if wanting intimacy was some kind of crime.

She had stopped trying.

Now, they existed in the same space like two strangers sharing a hotel room, orbiting each other without touching.

Except when he wanted sex.

Then, he remembered she existed.

The worst part? She let it happen. Because saying no meant another fight. And she was so, so tired of fighting.

She had married security. Stability. A man who could give her everything—except the one thing she actually wanted.

Love.

Real love. The kind that made your chest ache and your hands shake and your stupid, hopeful heart race like you were seventeen again.

The kind she’d had once.

The kind she’d walked away from.

Chapter Three: The Call

Her phone was in her hand before she could stop herself.

One name. One contact. One person she had no business calling.

JACE.

Three letters that had haunted her for six of the eight years she’d been married.

She pressed call before she could chicken out.

Jace’s POV

The phone rang.

Jace stared at it, his fork hovering over his half-eaten dinner.

Lila.

Again.

This was the third time this week.

Part of him wanted to ignore it. To let it go to voicemail, to pretend he hadn’t seen it.

But the other part—the stupid, reckless part that still remembered the way her laugh used to light up a room—won out.

He answered.

“‘Lo?”

A beat of silence. Then, her voice, soft and hesitant.

“Hey.”

Just that one word, and his chest tightened.

She sounded exhausted. Defeated.

He knew why.

She was trapped in a life she hated, and he couldn’t save her.

Not this time.

Chapter Four: The Shed

The conversation was the same as always—surface-level, careful, like they were both afraid to say too much.

Until she blurted it out.

“Can I come stay in your shed for a weekend?”

Jace nearly choked.

“My shed?”

“I just—I didn’t want to intrude. If you said yes.”

There was a desperation in her voice that killed him.

Then, the words he’d been waiting years to hear:

“I’m getting a divorce.”

Silence.

Jace closed his eyes.

This was a bad idea. A terrible idea.

But when had that ever stopped him where Lila was concerned?

“You can come,” he said before he could stop himself.

The second the words left his mouth, he knew he was screwed.

Chapter Five: The Jump

Lila hung up, her hands shaking.

She had done it.

She had actually done it.

For the first time in eight years, she was choosing herself.

Daniel would be home soon.

She should pack. Should plan. Should think this through.

But all she could feel was the wild, reckless thrill of freedom.

She was going to Jace’s.

And after that?

She had no idea.

But for once, that didn’t scare her.

It excited her.

Chapter Six: The Ghost of What Could Have Been

Lila’s fingers trembled as she shoved clothes into a duffel bag. She wasn’t thinking logically—just grabbing whatever her hands touched first. A sweater. Leggings. A toothbrush. The mundane act of packing made it feel real.

This is happening.

She paused, staring at the half-filled bag.

What was she doing?

Running away to Jace’s house like some damsel in distress? Showing up on his doorstep with nothing but a cracked phone screen and eight years of regret?

Pathetic.

But then she heard the familiar jingle of Daniel’s keys in the door, and her spine straightened.

No.

Not pathetic.

Brave.

Daniel’s POV

Daniel knew something was off the second he stepped inside.

The air was too still. The apartment too quiet.

And Lila—

She was standing in the hallway, duffel bag at her feet, shoulders squared like she was bracing for impact.

His grip tightened on his briefcase. “Going somewhere?”

Her voice didn’t waver. “Yes.”

A beat of silence. Then, a slow, condescending smile curled his lips. “Let me guess. Your mother’s? Another one of your ‘I need space’ weekends?”

She’d done this before. Walked out in a huff, only to come crawling back when she realized she had nowhere else to go.

But this time, her gaze didn’t drop.

“No,” she said softly. “I’m not coming back.”

His smile vanished.

Chapter Seven: The Drive

The highway stretched endlessly in front of her, rain smearing the windshield like tears.

Lila hadn’t cried. Not yet.

She’d just driven.

Two hours from her polished, prison-perfect life in the city to the outskirts of Willow Springs, where the roads narrowed and the trees leaned in like old friends whispering secrets.

Jace still lives here.

The thought sent a shiver through her.

She hadn’t been back since the wedding. Her wedding. The one he’d attended in a stiff suit, his smile not reaching his eyes as he toasted to her “happiness.”

God, she’d been a coward.

Her phone buzzed. Daniel. Again.

She silenced it.

Jace’s POV

Jace paced his porch, the wood creaking under his boots.

This was a mistake.

Lila was married. And even if she wasn’t—even if this divorce was real—nothing good ever came from digging up the past.

But then headlights cut through the dark, and his pulse kicked like a wild thing.

Her car rolled to a stop.

The door opened.

And there she was.

Lila.

Not a memory. Not a ghost.

Real.

Wind tugged at her hair, her face pale in the dim light. She looked smaller than he remembered. Fragile.

But her eyes—

Those were the same.

Wide. Bright. Terrified.

He swallowed hard. “You actually came.”

A shaky breath. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

And just like that, every wall he’d built crumbled.

Chapter Eight: The Shed (Revisited)

The “shed” was really a converted guesthouse—small but cozy, with a bed, a mini-fridge, and a coffee maker Jace had clearly bought just for her.

Lila hovered in the doorway. “You didn’t have to do all this.”

Jace shoved his hands in his pockets. “It’s not a big deal.”

Silence settled between them, thick with everything they weren’t saying.

Finally, he cleared his throat. “You hungry? I could make—”

“Why did you say yes?” The question burst out of her.

Jace stilled.

Lila pressed on, voice raw. “You could’ve told me no. Could’ve said this was a bad idea. So why—”

“Because you called.” Simple. Brutal. Honest.

Her breath hitched.

Jace stepped closer, close enough that she could see the gold flecks in his hazel eyes. “You called, Lila. After eight years. You called.”

And just like that, the dam broke.

Chapter Nine: The Collapse

The first sob tore out of her like something jagged.

Then another. And another.

Jace didn’t hesitate. He pulled her into his arms, and Lila collapsed against him, her fists clutching his shirt like he was the only thing keeping her upright.

Maybe he was.

“I’m so tired,” she choked out.

His hand cradled the back of her head. “I know.”

“I don’t know who I am anymore.”

“You’re Lila.” His voice was rough. “You’re Lila.”

And for the first time in years—

She believed it.

Chapter Ten: The Night It All Changed (Flashback)

The bonfire crackled, sending embers spiraling into the star-smeared sky. Lila tucked her knees to her chest, the damp grass cool beneath her bare feet. Beside her, Jace leaned back on his elbows, the firelight painting gold along the sharp line of his jaw.

"You’re quiet tonight," he murmured.

Lila swallowed. Because I’m leaving tomorrow.

The words lodged in her throat like a stone. She’d been drafted to them all summer—her, Jace, and their friends—about her plans after graduation. But tonight, with the air thick with woodsmoke and the future pressing in, she couldn’t pretend anymore.

"Jace," she started, then faltered.

He turned his head, his gaze steady. Always steady. "Yeah?"

She opened her mouth—

A car door slammed.

"Lila! You out here?" Daniel’s voice cut through the night, too polished, too loud.

Jace’s shoulders tensed.

Daniel appeared at the edge of the firelight, his designer shirt rolled to the elbows, a bottle of expensive bourbon dangling from his fingers. "There you are. I’ve been calling you."

Lila forced a smile. "Sorry. Phone died."

Daniel’s eyes flicked to Jace. Something unreadable passed between them before he extended the bottle. "Celebration drink. Just signed the deal on the Lakeview project."

Jace didn’t take it. "Congrats."

Daniel smirked. "Thanks, man. Means a lot." His gaze slid back to Lila. "Ready to go? I’ve got that bottle of champagne chilling at your place."

Your place. Not ours. Never ours.

Lila hesitated.

Jace stood abruptly, brushing dirt from his jeans. "I’m gonna head out."

Panic spiked in her chest. "Wait—"

But he was already walking away, his silhouette swallowed by the dark.

Daniel draped an arm around her shoulders, his breath warm and bourbon-sweet against her ear. "Come on, future Mrs. Kensington. Let’s get you home."

And just like that—

She let him lead her away.

Chapter Eleven: The Aftermath (Present Day)

Lila woke gasping, the dream—memory—clinging to her like sweat.

The guesthouse was dark, the sheets tangled around her legs. Outside, wind rattled the trees, and for a disorienting second, she was back in that moment, watching Jace walk away.

You let him.

She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes.

A soft knock at the door.

"Lila?" Jace’s voice, rough with sleep. "You okay?"

She couldn’t answer.

The door creaked open. Moonlight spilled in, outlining his frame in the doorway.

"Bad dream?" he asked quietly.

She exhaled a shaky laugh. "More like a bad life choice."

Jace leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Daniel?"

"Worse. The night I chose him."

Silence. Then—

"You didn’t choose him, Lila." Jace’s voice was low. "You chose security. A future. That’s not the same thing."

She stared at him. "You’re defending me?"

"I’m saying I get it." He pushed off the frame. "Get some sleep."

"Jace—"

He paused.

"Did you ever—" Her throat tightened. "Did you ever try to stop me?"

The question hung between them, fragile as glass.

Jace turned, his face half in shadow. "Every damn day."

Then he shut the door.

Chapter Twelve: The Reckoning

Daniel’s retaliation came at dawn.

Lila’s phone buzzed incessantly—texts, voicemails, then finally, an email from his lawyer.

Subject: Urgent – Divorce Proceedings

Her stomach dropped as she scanned the words:

...prenuptial agreement stipulates forfeiture of all shared assets in event of abandonment...

...request for immediate return of marital property, including vehicle...

...defamation clause should you publicly disparage...

A knock. Jace, holding two mugs of coffee, took one look at her face and set them down. "What happened?"

Wordlessly, she handed him the phone.

His jaw clenched as he read. "Son of a bitch."

Lila wrapped her arms around herself. "I should’ve known he’d do this."

Jace scrolled, then froze. "Lila. Look at the timestamp."

She did.

The email had been sent yesterday afternoon.

Before she’d even left.

Realization crashed over her. "He was already planning this."

Jace’s eyes darkened. "He wanted you to run."