•Dedicated to= user62964092
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"The heart takes a longer amount of time to accept something that your mind had already accepted."

-Kamoyrocks
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Julia's POV

"Linda was an amazing lady. Helping everyone around her and loving her family with everything she had. She always tried. Despite how broken, how tired and how overwhelmed she felt. She wasn't the most perfect mother, but she was enough for me. May her soul, rest in peace." I quickly end, wiping my tears and walking down the podium with Jace.

I always hated funerals.

"Okay everyone, as we lower the coffin, we kindly ask you all to sing the following songs..."

I tune out the pastor.

As I stare at Linda's coffin going six feet under the ground, I realised that this funeral wasn't bad.

My heart is broken, completely and utterly broken, but somehow, I'm content on the inside. Despite the madness going on inside my head.

I thought it was the fact that when the police came to the scene and told me that it wasn't a suicide attempt and that it was the guy I saw Linda having an affair with. She told him to kill her.

He still got in jail. But he was bound to go in anyway, because he was a gangster.

Anyways, it wasn't that as to why I felt content. Its the fact that I know that she didn't kill herself. The fact that I know she meant good. I knew deep in my heart that God had forgiven her. She was in a better place. But on top of all of those, what really stood out was the fact that...

She gave me a chance to say goodbye.

And I know that might sound weird, but, its what I feel. Its like she gave me a chance to say goodbye to the first mother I had.

And I will forever be grateful to her.

My heart is broken, but I wasn't. Because now, I can live with the fact that both of my mother's died and that..

Both of them loved me immensely.

And that's just about all the courage I need to move forward. Because, dead or not, they were both still with me.

And they'll live in my heart....

Forever.

................

"Julia." I freeze on hearing my dad's voice. "Can I talk to you?"

Jace looks at me, his eyes asking if it was okay. I nodded, kissing his cheek.

"Sure." I gulp.

"I'm sorry." He says sincerely. "For everything."

"Can I ask you something?" I say softly. He nods, wiping his tears.

"Why? Why did you put me through all of this? You put me through a lot. And you weren't even there for me. You left all this burden on me and didn't even bother to come back and help me to bring some. I don't know if you expected me to make it on my own or something, but I did. Without you. My own father. I've always been supportive of you dad but you didn't even call to make sure how I was. And trying to fight has been like hell. Linda put me through hell and you failed to see that." I swallow the lump that forms at my throat.

Looking at this man, who I could once trust but now I kniw that the caring father I once knew was gone, broke my heart into a million pieces.

But with every broken piece scattered, I continue.

"But, I'm glad that I forgave her. I'm glad to come to know that she was there for me. Even though she didn't show it physically. If anything, she tried her best to be there for me, and you didn't even try. You didn't even consider how I would feel before you ran off and got married. Its like you didn't even care about mom. Its like you didn't even care about me. And I hate you for that. I wanted you to care. I wanted you to be there. But its now clear what you wanted. I forgive you dad, but right now, you need some time to forgive yourself."

He looks at me brokenly, his eyes wanting to say many things, but he keeps quiet. I walk up to him, hugging him tightly.

"I love you dad." I whisper. "I hope one day we'll be the unstoppable team we once were."

And with that, I kiss his cheek, walking away.

Because it didn't matter if I forgave him or not. It didn't matter if I had a video of his wife cheating on him as proof. I didn't have to prove anything to him.

He needed his time. His time to understand, to see the reality and to face the unbearable truth. I didn't have to show him the proof that I had. It wouldn't be enough.

Because the heart takes longer to accept things that your mind already knows...

And I think I did the right thing. For letting him meet his reality. For letting him see that I wasn't lying. And now? Now its his time to forgive himself, to heal.

And when he was finished, I would be ready to accept him with open arms...

.........

"You okay baby?" Jace asks me from the door frame of the patio.

I smile, turning away from gazing at night sky.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but..." I sigh when he comes to sit beside me. "I actually am."

"That's because you just took my mocha." He chuckles when I take a sip of his chocolate mocha.

"I'm gonna take everything from you." I laugh with him, snuggling in his arms.

"And I wouldn't complain." He sighs, wrapping his arms around me. I smile at that, relishing in his touch. And we just sit there, gazing at the stars as we appreciate each other's presence.

"I miss her." I finally say.

I feel him tighten his grip around me, like he knew I was going to say that.

"Me too." He whispers. "She was a wonderful person that just wanted to take care of people. She was just confused."

"Yeah." I sniff, trying to prevent the tears from coming. I was so tired of crying now.

"I just...can't believe she's gone." I sigh. "It was..so sudden."

"I know." He kisses my forehead. "But you know she's in a better place."

"I really hope so." I blink away the tears.

"Hey." He brings my face to his. "No crying. I don't want to see anymore of that. Your gonna be fine. You have to, because I just gave you some chocolate."

"Alright." I chuckle. I wrap my arms around his neck. I kiss him soundly, shivering when his hands go to my waist. He flips us both over, him now hovering over and placing me on the soft cushion of the bench.

"June, I'm so proud of you. I really am. I thought you'd shut down again. I thought that you'd become the emotionless person you were two months ago. I was afraid of losing you again. But, you here, your smiling and laughing. I don't regret those two months of separation because your stronger. Your happier and I love you even more for that. You are truly a warrior because you fight all your battles uniquely and end up winning triumphantly. And I'm so glad to be here with you as you fight your battles."

I smile at him, caressing his cheeks. My heart bursts with gratefulness, thankful that he's here. That he's stuck with me for so long. And I couldn't even imagine him leaving me.

Despite all we've been through, he's been here, he's stuck with me. He stood by me. He didn't leave, even if he wanted to. He didn't.

"Thank you." I caress his jaw, while he looks down in me in uttermost love. "Thank you so much. For everything. For not leaving me. And even when I left, you continued to stay by me. And I couldn't love yuh even more. The distance that I placed between us only showed me that how far love could travel. And I know I might soubd crazy, but my love for you has grown even stronger."

He chuckles, gently moving tge hair out of my face. "Your not crazy. I love you even more. And each time I look at you, I fall in love with you all over again."

"And your not like any other girl I've met. You'll never be like the other girls. Because your different. Your my girl." He whispers.

I lift my head up, going to kiss him when he moves his head back teasingly. I groan playfully and he chuckles lowly.

"I'm suppose to make the first move." I narrow my eyes at him and he just laughs, locking his lips with mine.

I push my hands in his hair, as he starts to hover over me, hiding me. His big frame envelops me as he kisses me desperately, longingly and lovingly. My toes curl as the sparks ignites within me, making me smile.

"Oh Jace." I whisper, never breaking eye contact as he stares at me with intensity.

"My sweet June. I won't leave you..." he smiles, making my heart swell.

"Ever."

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A/N: Most of the stuff in this chapter was deleted ugh. Sorry if it was bleh haha. Anyways, Rest In Peace Linda. You'll never be forgotton. I know she's not real but she feels real in my heart. (Okay, I sound crazy haha.)

If you guys have any questions or are confused about anything in this chapter or the ones after, ask me in the comment section or in pm. I'll be sure to reply.

This book is slowly coming to an end and I'd like to thank you all for sticking with me from the very start.

I love you guys

~Kamoyrocks ❤