Sold To The Mafia Don

Chapter 210 - 20 ~ Mira

Sleep didn’t come easily after Jace left.

Not because he’d been gone long. I mean, it was barely twelve hours, but because the empty side of the bed felt wrong. Too cool. Too untouched. Too quiet. Jace wasn’t a loud sleeper by any means, but he existed in a way that filled the whole room. His presence did something to the air. It softened it, anchored it... settled it.

I missed him.

Without him, everything felt slightly tilted, as though I were walking through a house that had been rearranged by invisible hands.

He called a few minutes after he landed.

I was in the kitchen, slicing strawberries I wasn’t even hungry for. The phone vibrated beside me, and my entire body reacted before my mind did. I snatched it up quickly, pressing it to my ear.

"Jace?"

His voice came warm, steady and even. A little too even. "Hey, baby."

I swallowed, easing myself against the counter as my daughter shifted beneath my ribs. "You landed?"

"Just touched down," he said. "The flight was long. I’m tired, but I’m okay."

Okay.

The word slid down strangely. Too light. Too smooth. Too controlled.

Something deep in my stomach shifted , not the baby this time. It was something heavier, like my instincts trying to wake up from sleep.

"You sound... different," I murmured.

"I’m just exhausted," he replied, tone calm. "I’ll sleep once I get to the hotel. Don’t worry, Mira."

I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until he said my name. It softened something sharp inside me.

But the uneasiness didn’t go away.

Not fully.

"Are you sure?" I asked quietly.

His response came after a half-beat. "Yeah. Absolutely."

Another pause. Softer. "I miss you."

A smile tugged my lips despite the lingering tension. "I miss you too."

"How’s the baby?"

"Active," I said, rubbing my bump lightly. "She’s been rolling around since morning. I think she’s taking swimming lessons in there."

A low laugh warmed the phone’s speaker. "That’s my girl."

"Half your girl," I corrected.

"No," he murmured. "All ours."

The way he said it... my heart melted just a little.

But that tension — that strange pressure — stayed at the back of my mind, like a shadow refusing to leave the corner of a brightly lit room.

"When will you be done?"

"Two days," he said. "Maybe less."

I tried not to let disappointment slip into my voice. "Okay."

"Mira..."

"Hm?"

"I’m fine. Truly. Go about your day. Have fun at the bakery. Don’t think too much."

Oh, the irony.

I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see. "You know that’s impossible."

"I know," he said, "but try. For me."

I wanted to. I really did.

"Come home soon," I whispered.

"I will."

A soft click, and the call ended.

I stood there for a moment, phone still pressed to my chest, breathing slow, steady breaths while my daughter nudged me lightly almost like she was asking where he went.

"I know," I whispered to my belly. "I miss him too."

I placed the strawberries in a bowl, grabbed my keys, and headed for work.

~

At the Bakery...

The morning air was crisp in a way LA rarely had the courtesy to be. Cool enough to make me pull Jace’s hoodie tighter around me, warm enough for the sun to kiss my face at the same time. The bakery door chimed as I walked in, that familiar soft ding that always made me feel like everything was okay for at least a few seconds.

Anna was already behind the counter, boxing pastries.

"You look tired," she said, squinting at me. "Did you sleep?"

Anna was one of my favorite workers from Lisbon and we had developed a bit of a friendship over time but she still knew how to respect her boundaries.

"I tried." I said as I slid behind the counter and grabbed the apron she always always insisted I wear even though it barely fit anymore. "No luck."

Her brows rose. "Missing your husband ma’am?"

I shot her a look. "Is it that obvious?"

"Painfully." She grinned. "If my boyfriend breathed the way yours breathes, I’d be depressed every time he traveled too."

I rolled my eyes, but the truth sat there anyway: I did miss him. More than I wanted to admit out loud. Jace left all the time before. Business, meetings, cleaning up remnants of the old world he’d once belonged to. But being pregnant changed everything. It made every hour feel longer. Now every silence felt heavier. Every goodbye felt like a gamble.

I rubbed my stomach instinctively.

Anna saw and softened. "Hey. He’ll be back soon."

"I know."

But I didn’t feel it. Not fully.

That tugging in my chest only grew stronger.

~

Work helped for a while...

By noon, I had thrown myself into everything. I was checking stock, testing new frosting, adjusting recipes, helping customers, laughing with the staff. Anything to keep my mind busy.

And for a while, it worked.

The smell of warm bread, cinnamon, coffee — it wrapped around me like a hug. Familiar. Comforting. Safe.

But little things kept slipping through the cracks of my peace.

A sudden loud noise outside made my heart jump.

A man standing too close to the window made me uneasy.

Every unfamiliar face felt like a threat waiting to unfold.

Even the shadows felt strange.

"Ma’am?" Anna called, pulling me out of my trance. "You spaced out again."

"Sorry."

She came over and gently squeezed my shoulder. "Hey... go sit. Take a break."

"I’m fine." I insisted.

She gave me that look. The one that said she knew I was lying but had too much respect to call me out harshly. "At least go upstairs and rest your feet. I’ll handle customers."

I nodded reluctantly and slipped into the staff lounge upstairs. I didn’t want to go to my office because it felt too quiet.

I sat down. Exhaled. Rubbed circles into my belly.

The baby moved lightly.

"Hi, sweetheart," I whispered. "Mommy’s just overthinking. Don’t mind me."

A knock sounded just then.

Surprisingly, Tomas peeked in with a tray of lemon tea and fresh croissants. I didn’t even know he was back in LA but I was sure Jace must have told him to watch me.

"You need to eat something."

I blinked. "Tomas... you’re supposed to be in New York."

"Marco took my shift," he said simply.

I eyed him suspiciously. "Jace told you to babysit me, didn’t he?"

Tomas cleared his throat and refused eye contact. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Mhm."

He placed the tray in front of me and crossed his arms. "Eat."

Sometimes I understood why Jace hired him. Other times I wondered if Tomas and Jace shared one brain cell between the two of them.

Still... his presence made me feel less alone.

I ate slowly, sipping the tea.

But the unease didn’t leave.

If anything, it sharpened.

Like something was moving in the background of my life, just out of sight.

~

Near closing time, my phone buzzed.

His name flashed across the screen, and relief washed through me so quickly my knees actually weakened.

"Jace?"

"Hey." His voice was softer than earlier, worn around the edges. "You okay?"

"I should be asking you that."

"I’m fine."

There it was again ...that word.

Fine.

It felt like a wall. Something kept hidden behind it.

"How’s work?" he asked.

"Busy. Good. The usual." I hesitated, then admitted quietly, "I miss you."

He exhaled sharply, the kind that said he felt it too. "I miss you more, Mira. I’ll be back soon."

The silence lingered. It was comfortable but heavy.

"What’s wrong?" he asked.

"I just feel... off," I confessed. "Like something’s coming."

He didn’t answer right away.

When he finally did, his voice was low. Careful. "Nothing is happening. You and the baby are safe. I promise."

I clutched the phone tighter. "Come home soon."

"I will. I’ll be back in no time." A beat. "Get some rest for me. Please."

"I’ll try."

"Promise." He insisted in a gentle voice.

I closed my eyes. "Promise."

We hung up.

But instead of easing, the tension coiled deeper.

My instincts had never lied to me — not once — not even when I tried to ignore them.

Something was wrong.

Not with me.

Not with the baby.

With the world around us.

Something was moving. And Jace...

Jace was hiding something too.

~

On the way home, Tomas insisted on driving me, even though I tried to protest. The car moved through the city streets, night settling slowly over LA. Lights blurred softly against the windows as my daughter kicked beneath my palm.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that each streetlight illuminated something I wasn’t supposed to see.

More than anything, I wished Jace by my side as I kicked off my shoes and settled into the bed. It had only been a day but I wanted his hand on my belly as our daughter kicked. I needed him to massage my foot as it ached.

Luckily, one of our helps offered to help me out.

Before I slept that night, I prayed for his safety. That was all that mattered to me at that very moment. That he would come to me in one piece.