Sakura (POV)
"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" Jay asked.
Was I really going to talk to her about this?
I mean... Yuri had said it was because of her.
But I had already heard everything from Onii-san
I let out a slow breath.
"I've loved Yuri since I was six years old."
"Ooh." Jay immediately leaned forward. "I really love stories."
Meanwhile, Ella and Freya were busy looking around the place.
"But our families were enemies."
Jay blinked.
"Enemies?"
I nodded.
"We're Yakuza. The Hanamichi family follows traditions and stayed away from that life. We were complete opposites."
I stared down at my glass.
"But Yuri moved to the Philippines when he was ten, and I rarely saw him after that."
"So what did you do?" Jay asked.
"I trained."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I learned how to fight. I learned our traditions. I learned everything I thought a future wife should know."
A small smile touched my lips.
"Because I thought that maybe one day... he'd like me back."
Jay's expression softened.
"You really love Yuri."
I nodded.
"Five years ago, the Hanamichi family was struggling because of problems with the Yakuza."
Jay listened quietly.
"So our families arranged a marriage alliance. In exchange for support against the Sato family, Yuri and I would get married."
I laughed bitterly.
"I was happy."
Jay didn't interrupt.
"I thought I'd finally get the chance to be with him."
I glanced at her.
"He even canceled his previous engagement."
Jay froze.
"The one with you."
The smile immediately disappeared from her face.
"At that time, I was going through a lot of things," Jay said quietly. "And I promise you, I admired Yuri... but I never loved him."
"That's not very comforting."
"Sorry," she replied honestly.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
"The first time I saw you was at our wedding."
Jay nearly choked.
"What?"
"You came to the wedding."
"I did?"
I nodded.
"You were with your brothers."
Jay looked genuinely shocked.
"I didn't know that."
I believed her.
Because if she had known, she would've remembered.
I looked away.
"But even then, I noticed the way Yuri looked at you."
Jay frowned.
"The way he remembered the things you liked. The way he paid attention to you."
My chest tightened.
"I always knew that his heart belongs to Someone."
Silence fell between us.
Then I continued.
"Recently, the Yakuza attacked the Hanamichi family and killed their leader."
Jay sat up straight.
"What?"
"Yuri is going to become the head of the Hanamichi family again."
"Isn't that good?" she asked. "He'll get his reputation back."
I shook my head.
"No."
Her smile faded.
"Once he takes that position, his life will be in danger."
Understanding slowly crossed her face.
"That's why he's doing this."
I nodded.
"When I told him I didn't want a divorce, he pushed me away."
My fingers tightened around my glass.
"And then he said he still liked you."
Jay stared at me for a second.
Then her expression darkened.
"That asshole."
"He really is," I muttered. "But I still fell for him."
Jay immediately pointed at me.
"See? That's the problem."
"What?"
"Both best friends are assholes."
I couldn't help blinking.
"What?"
"When they have problems, they push us away. Then when they solve everything, they expect us to take them back."
I stared at her.
She was clearly speaking from experience.
"If Yuri comes crawling back and begging, don't forgive him immediately."
A small smile escaped me.
"Something like this happened to you?"
Jay snorted.
"You know when I said both best friends? The other asshole is my husband."
That made me laugh despite everything.
"Kiefer?"
"Yes, Kiefer."
She took a long sip of her drink.
"His family inheritance became a complete mess, and instead of talking to me like a normal human being, he pushed me away."
My eyes widened.
"What happened?"
"What happened?" she repeated. "I cried like hell, that's what happened."
I couldn't help laughing.
Jay pointed at herself dramatically.
"I was completely in love with him. Head over heels. And while I'm over there having an emotional breakdown, that idiot already had everything planned."
"What plan?"
"When he pushed me away, he told himself he'd win me back once everything was over."
I nearly choked on my drink.
"He actually said that?"
"He did."
Jay slammed her glass onto the counter.
"That asshole."
I laughed.
"What did he think was going to happen?"
"Exactly!"
She pointed at me like I'd just solved the world's greatest mystery.
"What did he think I was? A machine?"
I nodded immediately.
"Right?"
"You can't just press a button and expect feelings to stay exactly the same overnight."
Jay folded her arms.
"It still pisses me off."
The anger in her voice was genuine, but there was affection hidden underneath it.
"They always think they're protecting us."
I stared at my drink.
"Yeah."
"They think we can't handle the truth."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Jay sighed.
"The worst part?"
"What?"
"If they had just told us what was happening, we probably would've helped them."
I laughed bitterly.
"Exactly."
For the first time since arriving there, it felt like someone actually understood what I was feeling.
"So don't give in," Jay said.
"But you still married Kiefer."
Jay immediately groaned.
"Because I fell in love with that asshole again."
I laughed.
"How could I not?" she continued. "He's handsome, annoyingly handsome. Then there's the way he takes care of me, the way he loves me..."
She took another sip of her drink.
"And you know what's even worse?"
"What?"
"I chased him without even knowing the truth."
I blinked.
"You did?"
"Oh, absolutely."
She pointed at herself.
"Like a complete idiot."
That made me laugh harder.
"If I could turn back time, I'd beat the shit out of him first and ask questions later."
I couldn't stop smiling.
For years, I had imagined Jay as someone completely different.
Someone gentle.
Quiet.
Soft-spoken.
Maybe that was why Yuri had never forgotten her.
But the woman sitting beside me was nothing like the image I'd created in my head.
Jay said whatever came to her mind.
She cursed constantly.
She ate whatever she wanted.
She fought people when she was angry.
And somehow...
She was incredibly honest.
No pretending.
No masks.
Just Jay.
Maybe that was why people loved her.
I looked down at my drink.
Maybe I'd been approaching this the wrong way.
Maybe I didn't need Yuri to protect me.
Maybe I didn't need to prove I could be the perfect wife.
What I needed was to show him that I could stand beside him.
That I was capable of protecting myself.
That whatever danger was coming...
He wouldn't have to face it alone.
For the first time since Yuri asked for a divorce, I felt like I finally understood what I wanted to do.
Then we heard shouting from outside.
Jay and I exchanged a glance before immediately standing up.
"What now?" Jay muttered.
We followed the noise and found Ella and Freya arguing with a group of men near the dance floor.
"What happened here?" Jay asked.
Ella folded her arms.
"That idiot tried to touch me."
Freya looked ready to commit murder.
"I dragged her onto the dance floor, and he thought that gave him permission to put his hands on her."
Before I could say anything, Jay calmly took the glass from my hand.
For one beautiful second, I thought she was going to drink it.
Instead, she threw the entire thing in the man's face.
The music seemed to stop around us.
The man stared at her in shock.
"What the—"
"You bitch!" he shouted.
Then he raised his hand like he was about to hit her.
That was his second mistake.
His first mistake was touching Ella.
Jay stepped forward.
"I've dealt with enough assholes today."
The man's fist came toward her.
Jay punched him square in the face.
Hard.
He hit the floor.
Everyone froze.
Then one of his friends lunged forward.
I kicked him in the stomach before he could reach her.
A second later, chaos erupted.
Punches.
Kicks.
Shouting.
At some point, Freya hit someone with a chair.
I wasn't even sure where she found it.
Ella looked way too happy while throwing punches.
And Jay?
Jay was laughing.
Actually laughing.
For the first time all day.
A few minutes later, security dragged the surviving idiots out of the club.
The four of us stood there breathing heavily.
Bruised.
Messy.
Victorious.
Jay wiped blood from the corner of her lip and grinned.
"Feel better?"
"A lot better," Freya admitted.
Ella nodded.
"Definitely."
I looked around at the disaster we'd created.
Then I started laughing.
Not a polite laugh.
Not a forced one.
A real laugh.
The kind I hadn't had in weeks.
"It was fun," I admitted.
Jay threw an arm around my shoulder.
"See? Violence isn't always the answer."
I blinked.
"Didn't we literally solve the problem with violence?"
Jay thought about it for a moment.
"...Okay, sometimes violence is the answer."
The four of us burst out laughing again.
Ella (POV)
We were all breathless after the fight.
Honestly, I never knew I could beat someone up like that.
Maybe I should've tried it years ago.
"So..." Jay said as she dropped onto a couch. "Why did you fight with Aries Kuya? Did he cheat on you?"
Just like that, the conversation I'd been trying to avoid came rushing back.
I groaned.
"Why don't you answer that, Freya?"
"What?" Freya nearly choked on her drink.
Jay immediately sat upright.
"Wait."
Her eyes widened.
"He cheated with Freya?!"
"NO!" Freya shouted.
Several people turned to look at us.
Freya pointed at herself.
"I'm married to Edrix! Why the hell would I cheat?"
"Good point," Jay admitted. "Otherwise, I would've punched you. Edrix loves you way too much for you to be doing stupid shit."
Freya rolled her eyes.
"Nothing happened."
"Then explain," Jay demanded.
I took another drink before speaking.
"Two days ago, I got photos from an unknown number."
The smile disappeared from Jay's face.
"What photos?"
Without saying a word, I pulled out my phone and handed it to her.
Jay stared at the screen.
Then stared some more.
Then looked at Freya.
Then back at the screen.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Her voice echoed through the room.
Freya immediately grabbed the phone.
"It's a seven-year-old photo!"
Jay wasn't listening.
The picture showed Aries and Freya at Kiko's party.
Aries wasn't wearing a shirt.
And Freya was kissing him.
Jay slowly lowered the phone.
Then looked at Freya.
Then at me.
Then at Freya again.
"I feel like context is very important right now."
"Thank you," Freya said.
"It's from seven years ago. We were drunk, stupid, and at a party. Nothing happened between us."
Jay folded her arms.
"You kissed him."
"We were both drunk."
"You still kissed him."
"It was one kiss!"
Jay looked genuinely offended on my behalf.
I pointed at her.
"See? That's exactly what I said."
Freya groaned.
"For the last time, Aries and I are friends."
I laughed bitterly.
"How can men and women just be friends?"
Freya immediately pointed at Jay.
"Why don't you ask her that?"
Jay blinked.
"Ask me what?"
"You have male friends."
Jay looked horrified.
"No, I don't."
Freya stared at her.
"What do you call Section E then?"
Jay didn't even hesitate.
"They're not my friends."
The three of us looked at her.
"They're my family."
The sincerity in her voice made all of us pause.
Then she shrugged.
"Besides, I was basically a tomboy growing up."
"That explains a lot," Freya muttered.
"Hey!"
But despite the joke, I couldn't stop thinking about what she said.
Family.
Maybe that was the difference.
Because when Jay talked about Section E, it didn't sound like friendship.
It sounded like trust.
The kind of trust that took years to build.
And for the first time, I wondered...
If I had been part of Section E...
Would they have seen me as family too?
Not a friend.
Not an outsider.
Not someone they tolerated because of Aries.
Family.
The way Jay talked about them wasn't normal.
The way they worried about each other.
The way they'd drop everything when one of them was in trouble.
The way they argued, fought, and annoyed each other...
Yet never truly let anyone face their problems alone.
A small part of me felt jealous.
Because I'd never had anything like that.
And for the first time, I found myself wondering what it would've been like if I'd grown up with people like them.
"But why are you still hanging out with Freya?" Jay asked suddenly.
I looked at her.
"Weren't you fighting with Aries because you couldn't trust him?"
The question hit harder than I expected.
I stared down at my drink.
"You don't know how I felt when I saw those photos."
The room grew quieter.
"I didn't know they were taken years ago."
I laughed bitterly.
"Aries tried to explain. Freya tried to explain. But every time I looked at those pictures..."
I shook my head.
"I couldn't let it go."
Nobody interrupted.
"Freya has been my friend since high school."
I glanced at her.
"And I trust her."
Freya looked away, guilt flashing across her face.
"But trust doesn't stop the pain."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
"Even when you trust someone..."
My fingers tightened around the glass.
"...you can still get hurt."
Silence filled the room.
For once, nobody had a joke.
Nobody had an answer.
Because every person sitting there understood exactly what I meant.
Sakura looked down at her drink.
Jay stared quietly at the counter.
And Freya...
Freya looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
The music from the club echoed faintly in the distance.
But at our table, everything had gone silent.
Jay-Jay (POV)
My head was hurting.
Between Sakura's divorce, Ella's relationship drama, and Freya's complaints, I felt like I deserved a medal for listening.
Sakura had already passed out on the couch.
Ella was still staring at her drink.
Honestly, when she said I didn't understand her pain, I wanted to laugh.
I remembered seeing photos of Ella and Kiefer together years ago.
I remembered crying over them.
I remembered wondering why I wasn't enough.
"I know the pain," I muttered before taking another drink.
Ella looked up.
"Oh, really?"
We were all half drunk by this point.
The alcohol wasn't helping.
"I don't like you," Freya suddenly declared.
I pointed at her.
"Oh, good. Because I don't like you either."
"See?"
Freya pointed back.
"This is exactly why."
"Why?"
"You took everything when you left."
I blinked.
"What?"
"Yuri. Percy. Aries. Kiefer."
I stared at her.
"They weren't yours in the first place."
Freya laughed bitterly.
"No."
She leaned back in her chair.
"I was the queen bee."
Ella groaned.
"Here we go."
"They all liked me."
I rolled my eyes.
"And?"
"And then you showed up."
She pointed at me dramatically.
"And suddenly everything changed."
I snorted.
"That sounds like a you problem."
"Because of you, Kiefer stopped sending money to me."
I froze.
"What?"
Freya didn't notice.
"Yuri barely paid attention to me anymore because he was busy loving you while I was chasing him."
Sakura suddenly sat upright.
"What do you mean Yuri loved her?"
The room immediately became chaotic again.
"He's my husband!"
Sakura pointed at me.
"Is that why he kept running to you?"
"What?" I shouted.
"Is that why you kept calling him?"
Freya shouted back.
Then the two of them started arguing.
I barely heard them.
Because my brain was stuck on one sentence.
Kiefer stopped sending money to me.
Why would Kiefer send Freya money?
I knew she had been his first love.
But then he fell for Ella.
And later...
Me.
So why was he still supporting her?
My stomach twisted.
I pushed Sakura aside before she could jump across the table.
"Wait."
Nobody listened.
"WAIT!"
The entire table went silent.
I looked directly at Freya.
"What do you mean Kiefer was sending you money?"
Freya blinked.
Then shrugged.
"Didn't you know?"
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
"Know what?"
"He bought me a car."
My grip tightened around my glass.
"What?"
"A penthouse too."
The room went completely silent.
Freya took another sip of alcohol.
"He treated me like a queen."
My heart started beating faster.
"But after he chose you, he stopped everything."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Then Freya added casually,
"After that, Yuri came back into my life."
She laughed bitterly.
"I almost got pregnant with his child."
The glass slipped from my hand and hit the table.
My mind wasn't even processing Yuri anymore.
There was only one thought repeating itself over and over.
Kiefer bought her a car.
Kiefer bought her a penthouse.
Kiefer sent her money.
Slowly, I looked at Freya.
"You mean..."
My voice came out barely above a whisper.
"You mean Kiefer?"
Freya was completely drunk at this point.
Her eyes were barely open.
"hmm."
I immediately stood up and grabbed her shoulders.
"What the fuck do you mean, hmm?"
She blinked at me.
"Wake up."
I shook her lightly.
"Fuck...You can't fall asleep now."
My heart was pounding.
"Tell me. Was it Kiefer?"
Freya frowned as if she was trying to understand the question.
Then she laughed.
A sad, drunken laugh.
"I wanted it to be Kiefer."
I forzen
My grip loosened.
Freya's eyes slowly drifted shut.
"I knew he'd take care of me."
Her voice was barely audible now.
"I knew he'd support me if I asked..."
Before I could question her again, her head dropped onto the counter.
Fast asleep.
I stared at her.
My mind was spinning.
What the hell did that mean?
Before I could think about it any further, a loud thud echoed beside me.
I turned.
Ella had collapsed onto the couch.
A second later, Sakura slid off her chair and landed on a pile of cushions.
Great.
Just great.
Three drunk women.
One exhausted Jay-Jay.
I rubbed my face.
Then pulled out my phone.
First, I called Aries Kuya.
Then Edrix.
Because there was absolutely no way I was carrying these idiots home by myself.