Jay-Jay (POV)
The moment we stepped off the plane, I was already staring at my phone.
My thumb hovered over Kiefer's contact.
Still nothing.
No messages.
No missed calls.
No replies.
"My hurricane!"
Before I could react, a familiar pair of arms wrapped around me.
"Kuya—!"
The next thing I knew, I was lifted straight into the air.
"Kuya!" I complained.
Clyden Kuya only laughed before finally putting me down.
Then he immediately turned to Kiegen and Kieran and pulled them into hugs as well.
"How did you know I was coming to London?" I asked.
"Kiefer told me."
I froze.
My eyes immediately snapped toward him.
"Is he okay?"
"Hmm?" Clyden glanced at me. "Yeah. He was fine."
Then why hasn't he called?
The question immediately lodged itself in my chest.
Kiefer always called.
Always.
Even when he was busy.
Even when he was angry.
Even when he had absolutely nothing important to say.
Without thinking, I pressed the call button.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
No answer.
The call ended.
My stomach twisted.
"Jay, let's go."
I looked up and realized everyone was already heading toward the parking lot.
"Coming."
We loaded the luggage into the car and started driving.
I called again.
No answer.
Five minutes later, I called again.
Still nothing.
I stared at the screen.
Something felt wrong.
Really wrong.
"Kuya..."
"Hm?"
"Is Kiefer really okay?"
Clyden glanced at me from the driver's seat.
"Yeah."
His answer came a little too quickly.
"He was just busy with work."
I frowned.
"Busy enough not to answer his phone?"
Clyden was silent for a second.
Then he shrugged.
"He'll be here tomorrow evening."
Tomorrow.
The word did nothing to calm me down.
"That still means we have two days before Gale's event, right?" Kieran asked.
I nodded.
"Yeah. Two days."
Kieran grinned and leaned back in his seat.
"Good. That gives us time to explore London."
I smiled faintly, but my attention drifted back to my phone.
Still nothing from Kiefer.
And for some reason, that bothered me more than it should have.
Outside, London moved past the car windows.
Inside, the bad feeling in my chest only grew stronger.
When we finally reached home, Kiegen and Kieran immediately wanted to go out.
Honestly, that was one of the main reasons I came to London in the first place.
To spend time with them.
To let them enjoy themselves.
So after changing clothes, we headed back out.
We ate at different restaurants.
Went shopping.
Walked through the busy streets.
The boys were fascinated by everything.
The lights.
The crowds.
The nightlife.
London was beautiful at night.
And for a while, I managed to forget about everything.
The attack.
The fire.
The Yakuza.
The fear.
For a while.
But not completely.
Because every chance I got, I checked my phone.
I called Kiefer.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Not even a message.
Not even a single missed call.
By the time we stopped for coffee, my patience was gone.
"Jay."
I looked up.
Clyden Kuya was watching me.
"Are you okay?"
"No."
The answer came out immediately.
"Kiefer isn't answering my calls."
I looked down at my phone.
"Even when he's angry, he answers."
My grip tightened around it.
"Kuya... what if something happened to him?"
The words felt ridiculous the moment they left my mouth.
But I couldn't stop thinking about them.
"Why can't I reach him?"
Clyden sighed.
"Jay."
I looked up.
"Kiefer is okay."
His voice was calm.
Steady.
"Didn't I already tell you? He's busy."
He leaned back in his chair.
"He has work."
"And he has Orion to take care of."
I stayed silent.
"Just wait until tomorrow."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"He'll be here."
I stared at my untouched coffee.
Maybe Kuya was right.
Maybe I was overthinking.
Maybe the attack had made me paranoid.
Maybe Kiefer was really just busy.
So why couldn't I shake this feeling?
The feeling that something was terribly wrong.
By the time we got home, I was exhausted.
Kiegen and Kieran headed straight to their rooms.
I barely made it to mine before collapsing onto the bed.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
I picked up my phone again.
Still nothing.
No calls.
No messages.
My chest tightened.
Before I could stop myself, I typed:
Kiefer, I miss you.
Then I hit send.
The message showed as delivered.
But there was no reply.
A tear slid down my cheek.
Maybe I had pushed my luck too far.
Maybe he was angry.
Maybe something had happened.
Maybe—
My eyes slowly closed.
And suddenly I wasn't in London anymore.
"You look more like your mother every day."
A man's voice.
Cold.
Familiar.
My body instantly froze.
He reached toward me.
"Don't touch me."
My voice came out weak.
Broken.
He laughed.
"You even have the same attitude."
His hand grabbed my chin.
"You're a bitch too."
Panic exploded inside me.
I looked around desperately.
Searching for a way out.
Searching for someone.
Anyone.
Then I saw a figure curled up in the corner.
Crying.
Begging.
"Don't do this..."
The voice repeated over and over.
"Please don't do this..."
My body was covered in bruises.
Everything hurt.
My throat felt tight.
Like invisible hands were wrapped around it.
I couldn't breathe.
Couldn't speak.
Couldn't move.
The man grabbed my arm.
"You killed my brother."
No.
I didn't.
Who are you?
Why are you doing this?
Please...
Don't touch me.
Don't come near me.
Help me.
Someone help me.
Kiefer.
Kiefer, where are you?
"Kiefer..."
"Jay."
The voice sounded distant.
"Jay, wake up."
I felt someone touch my shoulder.
My eyes flew open.
Someone touched me.
Fear exploded through me.
"Don't touch me!"
I shoved the hand away.
"Don't touch me!"
"Jay!"
The voice was urgent now.
"Look at me."
Everything was blurry.
Tears clouded my vision.
"It's me."
I blinked.
"It's okay."
I rubbed my eyes.
Slowly, the room came back into focus.
London.
My bedroom.
And Clyden Kuya kneeling beside the bed.
"See?"
His voice softened.
"It's me."
The moment I recognized him, something inside me shattered.
"Kuya..."
I threw my arms around him.
The sob that escaped me felt like it had been trapped inside my chest for years.
I couldn't stop crying.
Clyden wrapped his arms around me without hesitation.
"What happened?" he asked quietly.
I buried my face against his shoulder.
My hands shook.
"Kuya..."
My voice cracked.
"I'm scared."
The words barely made it out.
After that, I couldn't say anything else.
I just cried.
I had no idea what that dream was.
But it had felt real.
Too real.
And that terrified me more than anything.
Deep down, I knew something was pulling me toward a past I couldn't remember.
A past I didn't want to remember.
What if there was a reason I had forgotten?
What if remembering changed everything?
"Jay..."
Clyden Kuya gently cupped my face.
"Talk to me."
I couldn't.
My body felt hot.
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Even my lips trembled.
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
What if I told him?
What if the things hiding in my head were real?
What if he looked at me differently afterward?
What if he pushed me away?
I couldn't risk it.
I lowered my eyes.
"Nothing, Kuya."
My voice sounded weak.
"It was just a dream."
Clyden didn't look convinced.
"What happened in the dream?"
I immediately shook my head.
"Nothing."
"Jay."
"I was chasing a ghost."
The lie tasted bitter.
But it was easier than the truth.
Or at least easier than the truth I was afraid of.
Clyden studied me for a long moment.
Then he slowly stood.
Panic instantly shot through me.
I grabbed his hand.
"Kuya."
My voice broke again.
"Don't leave me."
His expression changed immediately.
The concern in his eyes softened.
"It's okay."
He squeezed my hand.
"I'm here."
A fresh wave of tears filled my eyes.
"You want some hot chocolate?" he asked gently.
"It always helps you calm down."
I nodded.
Unable to speak.
"Okay."
He helped me sit up.
I tried to stand.
The moment my feet touched the floor, my legs gave out beneath me.
Fear hit me all over again.
My knees buckled.
The room spun.
"Jay!"
Before I could fall, Clyden caught me.
I grabbed his shirt.
Hard.
My entire body was trembling.
"I can't..."
I hated how small my voice sounded.
"I can't feel my body."
Clyden's face tightened.
Without a word, he slipped an arm around me and pulled me closer.
"It's okay."
His hand rested on the back of my head.
"Kuya's here."
His voice was steady.
Calm.
The way it had always been whenever I fell apart.
"I've got you."
I buried my face against his shoulder.
And for the first time since waking up, I finally believed I wasn't alone.
But at the same time...
Something felt strange.
Clyden wasn't shocked.
He wasn't confused.
He didn't keep asking questions.
He didn't even seem surprised by how badly I was reacting.
It was almost like...
He'd seen this before.
The thought lingered in the back of my mind.
But I was too exhausted to think about it.
At some point, Clyden made me hot chocolate.
I ended up falling asleep on the couch with the mug still in my hands.
The next morning, I woke up sore.
My head hurt.
My eyes burned.
And the first thing I did was reach for my phone.
Nothing.
No messages.
No missed calls.
No reply.
My chest tightened.
I stared at the screen.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Nothing.
Without warning, tears filled my eyes.
I missed him.
His scent.
His warmth.
His voice.
The way he always pulled me against him whenever I couldn't sleep.
The way he always answered my calls.
No matter what.
Right now, it felt like he was the only person who could calm me down.
And he wasn't even talking to me.
My hands shook as I pressed his contact.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
No answer.
I closed my eyes.
Then I opened our chat and typed:
Kiefer... I need you.
My vision blurred.
Please answer me.
I stared at the message for a few seconds before hitting send.
And somehow...
Watching it say Delivered hurt even more.
"Asshole..."
I wiped my eyes.
"Why aren't you answering?"
The room felt too quiet without him.
Then came a knock on the door.
"Ate? Are you awake?"
Kieran peeked his head inside.
I quickly wiped away the remaining tears and forced a smile.
"Hmm? What happened?"
"Kuya and Orion said he's coming tomorrow morning," Kieran said.
My heart immediately skipped a beat.
"He is?"
Kieran nodded.
"He couldn't come today because he had to handle something."
I sat up straighter.
"You talked to him?"
"Yeah."
A strange mixture of relief and irritation washed over me.
At least he was alive.
At least he was talking.
But apparently not to me.
"Okay."
I forced another smile.
"I'll freshen up. Let's have breakfast."
Kieran grinned.
"Okay!"
The moment he left, another figure appeared in the doorway.
Kiegen.
Unlike his brother, he immediately noticed something was off.
"Ate."
"Hm?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Are you okay?"
I looked away.
"Did you talk to your kuya?"
Kiegen nodded.
"Just now."
My chest tightened.
"He asked if everything was okay."
I stayed silent.
"I told him everything was fine."
A bitter laugh almost escaped me.
Of course, he asked them.
"Didn't he call you?" Kiegen asked.
For a second, I couldn't answer.
"No."
The lie slipped out effortlessly.
"We talked earlier."
Kiegen looked unconvinced.
"He just wanted to know if everything was okay."
Kiegen stared at me for a moment longer.
Then he nodded.
"Okay."
I forced a smile.
"Go downstairs. I'll be there in a minute."
The moment the door closed, my smile vanished.
I looked at my phone.
Still nothing.
No messages.
No calls.
No reply.
I clenched it so hard my knuckles turned white.
"So that's how it is?"
My voice came out shaky.
"You have time to call them."
I laughed bitterly.
"But you don't have time to call me?"
Fresh tears threatened to fall.
I rubbed them away angrily.
"Gago."
I threw my phone onto the bed.
"Asshole."
A deep breath.
Then another.
"Bastard."
The words sounded childish.
Petty.
But they still hurt.
Because if Kiefer was really okay...
Then why was he talking to everyone except me?
I grabbed my phone again.
Still no message.
Still nothing.
My chest ached.
"Tss."
I stood up and headed for the bathroom.
If he wanted to ignore me...
Fine.
I'll deal with him when he gets here tomorrow.
Instead, I called Jare.
"Kuya, where are you?" I asked.
"Home."
I immediately sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Can you check if Kiefer is still alive?"
There was a pause.
"Why?" Jare asked. "Is he dead?"
"No, but that fucking asshole isn't answering my calls."
My grip tightened around the phone.
"I just want to talk to him."
Then another thought hit me.
"Is Orion with him?"
"No."
I frowned.
"He's with me."
"What?"
"I'm playing with him."
That made me blink.
"Kiefer isn't even with Orion?"
"Nope."
"Then what the fuck is he so busy with?" I demanded.
"It's not like he forgot how to breathe."
"Jay," Jare warned.
"Don't shout. You'll scare Orion."
"Tss."
"Let me see him," I said.
A moment later, the call switched to video.
"Hi."
The second Orion appeared on the screen, I smiled.
He immediately started waving his tiny hands at me.
His eyes lit up the moment he saw my face.
"Ba!"
My heart melted.
God.
He looked so much like Kiefer.
Maybe that was why I liked him so much. I spoiled him so much.
"What are you doing, caretaker?" I asked.
Orion giggled.
Then Mia suddenly appeared behind him and wrapped her arms around him.
"Playing with Tito and Tita, because My mom left me and went to London."
I blinked.
"Mia."
She pointed at Orion.
"He said that."
Orion happily smacked his hand against the screen.
"Ba!"
"See?" Mia said. "He's very sad."
I laughed.
"Mommy is sorry."
Orion tilted his head.
"Ba?"
"Next time, I won't leave your side."
Mia immediately nodded Orion's head for him.
"He forgives you."
"That fast?"
Mia looked thoughtful.
Then she grabbed Orion's little hand and made it point at me.
"He said he wants lots of toys."
Orion squealed happily.
"Ba!"
I narrowed my eyes.
"Did Orion say that?"
"Yes."
"Mia."
"What?"
"You're making things up."
"No, I'm not."
She hugged Orion tighter.
"Right, Orion?"
Orion immediately clapped.
Mia gasped dramatically.
"See? He said yes."
I burst out laughing.
"Fine. I'll buy lots and lots of toys when you come to London with your dad."
"Ba!"
Orion immediately waved his hands.
"See?" Mia said proudly. "He's excited."
I laughed.
"Really?"
Mia grabbed Orion's hand and made him wave at me.
"He said okay."
"Ba!"
"And he said he can't wait to see London."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Mia..."
"What?"
"You're making things up again."
"Nope."
She shook Orion's hand dramatically.
"Okay! We can't wait to see London!"
Orion blinked.
Then happily slapped Mia's arm.
"Ba!"
Mia pointed at him.
"See? He agrees."
I couldn't stop laughing.
Mia grinned.
Orion had absolutely no idea what was happening.
He just kept smiling and waving at me.
And somehow, that made me miss home even more.
"Jay, is everything okay?" Jare Kuya asked.
I forced a smile.
"Hmm. Nothing happened."
I looked at Orion on the screen.
"I just miss home."
Mia immediately pointed at me.
"Didn't you run away in the first place?"
I stared at her.
"Traitor."
Mia giggled.
"Hmm."
I sighed dramatically.
"I'm regretting it now."
That earned another laugh from Mia.
But Jare didn't laugh.
His expression softened.
"Did something happen?"
He studied my face.
"You look sad."
I looked away from the screen.
"Nothing, Kuya."
The lie came too easily.
"I'm fine."
He didn't seem convinced.
But he didn't push.
I was grateful for that.
"Okay," I said, forcing another smile.
"I need to go."
"Bye, Mommy!" Mia shouted.
Orion immediately waved both hands.
"Ba!"
I smiled despite myself.
"Bye, babies."
Then I ended the call.
The moment the screen went dark, the smile disappeared from my face.
The room felt quiet again.
Too quiet.
My eyes drifted back to my phone.
Still no message.
Still no call.
And somehow, that hurt more than before.
I freshened up and headed downstairs.
The moment I entered the dining room, I froze.
The table was crowded.
Angelo.
Cole.
Cassian.
Clyden.
Kiegen and Kieran.
Everyone was there.
My eyes immediately searched the room.
Looking for someone.
I knew he wasn't here.
I knew that.
But a part of me still looked anyway.
"Kiefer isn't here."
I blinked.
Cassian was staring directly at me.
"Tss."
I pulled out a chair and sat down.
"So what are the main figures doing here?"
I leaned back.
"Who are you planning to destroy this time?"
That earned a few laughs.
Cole immediately opened his arms.
"Has it really been that long since you've seen me?"
I narrowed my eyes.
"What?"
"Shouldn't you be hugging me first?"
I rolled my eyes.
But I got up anyway.
"You're dramatic."
Cole grinned as I hugged him.
Angelo immediately held out his arms too.
"Me next."
"You're worse."
I hugged him as well.
Then Cassian pointed at himself.
"What about me?"
I stared at him.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because if Kiefer sees that, he'll bury you."
The entire table burst out laughing.
"See?" Clyden said. "At least someone here is smart."
I walked over and gave him a quick side hug before tapping his shoulder.
Then I sat back down.
The smile on my face slowly faded.
"Why isn't he here?"
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
For a second, the room went strangely quiet.
Then—
"He has work," Clyden, Cole, Cassian and Angelo replied in perfect sync.
I narrowed my eyes.
That was suspicious as hell.
"Tss."
I crossed my arms.
"Work."
Something about the way they all answered together made me even less convinced.
And judging by the guilty looks they were suddenly avoiding...
They knew it too.
"Don't you all have work?" I asked.
"We're here because of work," Cassian replied.
Then he smirked.
"And we came early because you're here."
"Tss."
I ignored him and focused on my food.
The rest of breakfast passed with the usual chaos.
After that, all of us headed out.
Shopping.
Sightseeing.
Whatever caught our attention.
It should have been fun.
And honestly, it was.
At least until my phone vibrated.
My heart immediately jumped.
Kiefer.
I grabbed my phone so fast it was embarrassing.
But the excitement disappeared just as quickly.
It wasn't Kiefer.
It was an unknown number.
I frowned.
Then looked at the message.
Don't you miss me?
What the hell?
I stared at the screen.
Then typed back.
Who is this?
The message showed as delivered.
I waited.
Nothing.
No reply.
No typing indicator.
Nothing.
"Jay?"
I looked up.
"Hm?"
"You've been staring at your phone for five minutes," Angelo said.
"Tss."
I locked the screen.
"It's nothing."
But even after putting my phone away, the message stayed in the back of my mind.
Who was it?
And how did they get my number?
The rest of the day passed without another message.
And without a single call from Kiefer.
By the time Gale's event arrived, my patience was gone.
Everyone in the house was busy.
People were running around.
Talking about schedules.
Security.
Guests.
Timing.
Who needed to be where?
I had already made it clear that I didn't want to attend.
So while everyone else prepared, I sat alone on the couch.
Waiting.
My eyes never left the front door.
Part of me knew it was ridiculous.
But I kept looking anyway.
Waiting for it to open.
Waiting for Kiefer to walk through it.
So I could smack him on the head.
Then hug him.
Then smack him again.
And demand an explanation for why he had ignored me for days.
"Tss."
I crossed my arms.
"Asshole."
But even then...
My eyes never left the door.
Everyone was getting ready.
The house was unusually busy.
Everyone was tense.
And every single one of them was wearing black.
Clyden Kuya walked over and handed me his tie.
"Fix this."
"Tss."
I took it from him and started adjusting it.
Even while doing that, my eyes kept drifting toward the front door.
"If he comes home, he'll come inside," Clyden Kuya said.
"Hmm."
I finished tying the knot.
Then looked around the room.
"You all look like bodyguards."
Everyone immediately looked at me.
"Jay."
"Black is a normal color."
"No, it isn't."
"It is."
"No."
Cassian sighed.
"You're impossible."
"Wait here."
Before anyone could ask questions, I disappeared upstairs.
A few minutes later, I returned carrying several garment bags.
Everyone frowned.
"What is that?" Angelo asked.
I started handing them out.
"This one's yours."
I handed a navy-blue suit to Angelo.
"And this one."
A velvet suit for Clyden.
Cole received the cream-colored one.
Cassian got the dark green suit.
The room fell silent.
"You bought these?" Cole asked.
I shrugged.
"I got them while shopping."
Then I looked around at all of them.
"I knew you'd wear black anyway."
Cassian immediately opened his bag.
The others followed.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Clyden smiled.
"You thought of us?"
"Tss."
I looked away.
"Don't make it weird."
"Too late."
"Shut up."
Everyone laughed.
Then Cassian noticed the last garment bag still hanging from my arm.
His eyes narrowed.
"Who's that one for?"
The room went quiet again.
I looked down at the bag.
The peach-colored suit.
The one I'd spent the longest choosing.
The one I kept imagining on him.
My grip tightened slightly.
"It's for Kiefer."
Nobody said anything.
"He isn't here to wear it."
The words came out flatter than I intended.
For some reason, it hurt more than I wanted to admit.
The room went quiet.
Even Cassian didn't have a joke ready.
And for the first time all day, I stopped pretending I wasn't waiting for him.
Cole Kuya leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Are you really not coming with us?" he asked again.
"Nope," I said, dropping onto the sofa like my body had finally given up on me.
Clyden Kuya walked past and flicked my forehead.
"If you change your mind, there's something in my room," he said casually.
Then, just like that, everyone started leaving.
One by one.
Footsteps faded.
Doors closed.
And suddenly, it was just me… Kieran… and the silence.
Keigen said he'd go with them, wearing the outfit I picked.
Good.
They'd all look perfect tomorrow.
I could already imagine it.
The magazines. The cameras. The headlines.
Kieran climbed onto the sofa beside me without saying anything.
We played video games for a while.
No talking.
Just the sound of buttons, small laughs, and quiet focus.
At some point, I didn't even realize when he fell asleep, curled up on the sofa like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The clock showed 9 PM.
Too quiet.
Too still.
Then my phone vibrated.
My heart reacted before my mind did.
I grabbed it immediately.
A photo is loaded on the screen.
And for a moment…
Everything in me stopped.
If I hadn't opened it…
I would've gone to the party.
I would've seen it myself.
My husband.
Kiefer.
Kissing someone else.
Not me.
Note:
I know you might feel like there's no bond between Jay and Orion, but there is something there. I hope you'll wait until it's revealed. But do you really think she would ignore everything after what she went through with her own mother?