Jay-Jay (POV)
I was leaning on the couch while Kieran slept beside me, his small face relaxed in a way that made everything outside this room feel distant… almost unreal.
Is that idiot really mad at me?
I should've just forgiven him.
I made a scene… and ran.
You're really an idiot, Jay.
My phone blinked again.
A message.
Same unknown number.
"Sweetheart "
My fingers stopped before I even touched the screen.
Because something about it didn't feel like a normal text.
It felt like someone had been waiting... watching for the exact moment I'd look away.
I ignored it.
Then another message appeared.
"Sweetheart … are you really going to ignore me now? After I took so much time to find you."
My throat tightened.
I forced my hands to move.
"Sweetheart???Who the fuck are you??"
A pause.
Then—
"Why aren't you at the party? I was expecting to see you after a long time."
My eyes narrowed.
"Do you know me?"
The reply came instantly.
"More than you know me."
My grip on the phone hardened.
Then another message followed, slower this time… almost satisfied.
"I sent you clues that your husband was cheating on you… but you never even read the article properly."
My breath caught.
"You wrote the article?" I typed back.
"No, Sweetheart I only sent the photos."
My jaw tightened.
Photos.
That's all?
Another message slid in before I could think.
"I knew you wouldn't trust me… so I'll send you a gift."
A photo is attached.
I opened it.
Then the photo loaded.
The banquet hall.
Bright lights, people dressed like nothing in the world was wrong.
And Kiefer.
Standing there in a crowd, wine glass in hand, leaning slightly toward a woman I recognized instantly.
Not just familiar… connected to that same article I had once seen and never questioned.
My chest went tight.
Shaking off the uneasy feeling, I flipped back to the article.
Same woman.
The same presence beside him in the crowd.
My fingers went cold.
Another message appeared.
"Come see the truth with your own eyes, Sweetheart."
"Why should I listen to you?" I typed.
No reply came.
Only silence.
And somehow that silence felt louder than anything else.
My eyes drifted back to Kieran.
Still asleep. Still breathing softly like nothing in the world could reach him here.
If I left… he would wake up alone.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
What am I supposed to do?
I waited three days just to see Kiefer.
Three days of unanswered calls, messages that stayed unread… and this silence that didn't feel like him.
If I go to the gala… I can see him.
I can ask him directly why he's ignoring me.
Before the doubt grows into something worse.
I exhaled shakily and reached for my phone.
Sandra.
Clyden's fiancée.
"I need you," I said the moment she picked up. "Please… come stay with Kieran. Just for a while."
There was a brief pause, then her calm voice answered without question.
"I'm coming."
I hung up and moved fast after that, like if I slowed down even a second I'd lose my nerve.
I washed my face, tried to steady my breathing, tried not to look at the clock too often.
Then I stopped.
The clothes.
I hesitated in the hallway before heading straight to Clyden's room.
And there it was.
A red dress lay carefully across the bed.
A note pinned on top.
"Harriance, you will be the diamond of the gala. Wear this."
My breath caught for a second.
Of course, he knew.
Of course, he always knew what I would need before I even said it out loud.
I picked it up slowly.
Soft fabric. Perfect fit just by looking at it.
Something in my chest tightened—not just gratitude, but something warmer, steadier.
I changed quickly.
When I finally looked in the mirror… I barely recognized myself for a second.
Then I heard footsteps.
"Sandra."
She stepped in, paused, and blinked like even she wasn't prepared for the sight.
"…Okay," she said softly. "You're not going like that. Come here."
Before I could protest, she was already fixing my hair, adjusting my makeup with focused hands, turning silence into something almost calming.
When she stepped back, she exhaled.
"Perfect."
I swallowed.
"I need you to take care of Kieran," I said quietly. "Just for an hour. I'll come back soon."
She nodded immediately.
"Go. Don't overthink it."
I grabbed my coat, my phone, and my car keys.
One last look at the house.
Then I left.
The car engine hummed beneath my hands as I drove toward the gala. The city lights blurred past the window, streaks of gold and white that should've felt beautiful… but only made my chest tighten harder.
Because I wasn't thinking about the road.
I was thinking about him.
About finally seeing Kiefer.
Finally hearing his voice instead of silence.
My heart kept rushing ahead of me, as it had already arrived before I did.
When I reached the venue, I stepped out of the car slowly.
The moment my heel touched the ground, the noise hit me— flashes, music, laughter, glass clinking, the distant rhythm of a world pretending nothing was wrong.
I walked in.
And immediately started searching.
Not for anyone else.
Just him.
"Jay, you're here."
Clyden's voice pulled me slightly out of the noise. He was walking toward me, a familiar calm in the middle of everything.
I nodded once.
"I knew you'd come," he said lightly, then added with a teasing smile, "You look… dangerous tonight. I can't wait to see Kiefer's reaction."
I didn't answer.
My eyes were already moving past him.
Across the hall.
Through the crowd.
Searching.
Then—
I saw him.
Kiefer.
Not his face—just his back.
But I knew it was him instantly.
My heart felt like it was about to burst from the force of it.
It had only been three days.
Three days.
Yet seeing him again made it feel as though years had passed between us.
For a second, I could only stare.
I still couldn't believe he was really here.
Kiefer.
The king of Ulupong.
The man I'd been desperately trying to reach.
The man I could finally reach again.
My breath caught instantly.
Without thinking, I moved.
Faster.
Then faster.
Almost running.
"Kie—"
I didn't care who was watching.
I didn't care where I was.
The moment I saw him, my body moved before my mind could catch up. All I wanted was to run to him, crash into his arms, and feel his warmth again.
To finally end the distance between us.
To finally be close enough to touch.
I took a step forward—
Then I saw it.
Him.
Kissing her.
The same woman from the article.
The same woman from the photographs.
The same woman the article claimed Mr. Watson was planning to divorce me for.
My feet stopped moving.
My breath caught in my throat.
Not a misunderstanding.
Not a second too long.
Not a mistake I could twist into something else.
Just… him.
Lips against hers.
Close.
Certain.
Like I wasn't even part of the same world anymore.
My steps stopped mid-motion.
The sound around me didn't fade.
It didn't slow.
It stayed the same.
But something inside me… didn't.
It shattered so cleanly I didn't even feel the break at first.
My fingers went cold around my phone.
My throat tightened, but no sound came out.
I just stood there.
Watching.
Because there was nothing left to ask.
No unanswered calls that needed explaining.
No messages that needed replies.
Just the truth.
Right in front of me.
And for the first time that night…
I understood silence.
He wasn't my Kiefer.
Not anymore.
The hurt shattered into something hotter.
Anger.
How could he?
How could he kiss someone else when he had me?
When he was always saying I was his.
When he wouldn't stop acting like I belonged to him.
Asshole.
I wanted to punch him.
Wanted to smash that calm look off his face for ignoring my calls.
For ignoring my messages.
For disappearing without a word and making me worry myself sick.
"FUCK YOU KIEFER!!!!!" I shouted.
The words echoed through the gala.
Every head in the room turned toward me.
Then Kiefer turned too.
For a moment, it felt as though the hundreds of people around us disappeared.
There was only him.
And me.
"Jay."
The way he said my name usually made my heart race.
Tonight, it tasted bitter.
Because I could see the lipstick on his lips.
My stomach twisted.
My anger exploded.
Without thinking, I slipped off one of my heels and threw it at him.
It hit him square in the chest.
"You jerk! How could you?!"
I threw the other one.
Kiefer dodged it.
Of course he did.
I hated that he could still move so calmly while my entire world was falling apart.
The room had gone silent.
Kiefer looked at me without saying a word.
Then he bent down, picked up both heels, and started walking toward me.
Slowly.
Calmly.
As if nothing had happened.
As if he hadn't shattered me.
As if he hadn't ignored my calls.
As if he hadn't disappeared for days.
As if I hadn't just seen him kissing another woman.
He stopped in front of me.
His eyes were steady.
Gentle.
His eyes were steady.
Gentle.
Infuriatingly calm.
"Jay. You're here."
And then he smiled.
That smile only made something inside me snap.
As if he was happy to see me.
My vision blurred with rage.
I punched him before he could touch me.
Gasps erupted around us.
His head snapped to the side.
I hit him again.
Harder.
Kiefer lost his balance and fell to the floor.
For a second, I wanted to climb on top of him.
I wanted to grab his collar.
I wanted to keep hitting him until he finally explained himself.
A hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me back.
"Jay. Stop."
I struggled against the grip before turning around.
"Let me go!"
Clyden stood behind me, holding me.
Beside him were Cole, Cassian, and Angelo.
All four of them looked like they had run straight into a disaster.
And judging by the expressions on their faces—
they had no idea what had just happened.
"What happened?" Cole asked, looking between me and Kiefer.
"Ask that asshole," I snapped, jerking my arm away from Clyden Kuya.
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too loud.
Too suffocating.
My gaze landed on a half-full champagne bottle sitting on a nearby table.
I grabbed it.
Then I turned and walked away.
I didn't look back.
Didn't care when they called my name.
Didn't care when footsteps followed me.
All I wanted was to get out.
"Clyden, follow her," Cole ordered behind me.
"What did you do?" Angelo demanded from Kiefer.
I didn't stay to hear the answer.
I pushed through the doors and stormed outside barefoot.
The cold pavement bit into my feet, but I barely felt it.
I ran straight toward my car.
My hands were shaking so badly I almost dropped the keys.
I slid into the driver's seat.
The moment I reached for the ignition, the driver's door was pulled open.
"Clyden Kuya—"
He took the keys from my hand before I could start the engine.
"Move."
"No."
"Jay."
"I said no."
My voice cracked.
Not from fear.
From anger.
From heartbreak.
From the terrifying possibility that if I stayed still for even one second—
I might start crying.
"JAY, MOVE!"
Clyden Kuya's voice cracked through the night.
I didn't argue this time.
I slid into the passenger seat while he climbed behind the wheel.
The moment the car started moving, I twisted open the champagne bottle I'd stolen from the party and took a long drink.
Then another.
And another.
I wanted to forget.
Wanted to erase everything I'd just seen.
Wanted to drown the image until it disappeared.
But it didn't.
If anything, the alcohol made it worse.
Sharper.
Clearer.
Every detail was burned into my mind.
His face.
Her face.
The lipstick on his lips.
The way he'd smiled at me afterward.
"Jay, stop drinking and tell me what happened."
I ignored him.
Instead, I tilted the bottle back and took another long drink.
The champagne burned down my throat.
Not enough.
Nothing was enough.
I took another swallow.
And another.
"Jay."
I pretended not to hear him.
If I stopped drinking, I'd have to think.
And if I thought about what I'd seen—
I was going to fall apart.
Clyden suddenly reached across the center console and snatched the bottle from my hand.
"Hey!"
Before I could grab it back, he rolled down the window and threw it outside.
The bottle vanished into the darkness.
"What the fuck happened?" he demanded.
The question broke something inside me.
I laughed.
A short, broken sound.
Then I looked at him.
"Kuya..." My voice cracked. "Am I not enough for Kiefer?"
Clyden's head snapped toward me.
"What?" he said immediately. "Who told you that?"
I looked down at my trembling hands.
Nobody had told me.
But the image wouldn't leave my head.
Kiefer.
Her.
His lips on hers.
The way he'd smiled at me afterward.
"I found Kiefer."
Relief flashed across his face.
It vanished immediately when he saw mine.
"I rushed to that gala because I wanted to see my husband."
The word husband nearly broke me.
"I wanted to apologize for being childish."
My voice trembled.
"And then..."
I laughed again, but there was no humor in it.
"I saw my husband kissing another woman."
Silence.
The memory alone was enough to make my chest ache.
My throat tightened.
"The same woman from the article."
I stared out the window before my voice dropped to a whisper.
"And the worst part?"
I laughed again.
"Do you know how pathetic that feels, Kuya?"
My voice cracked.
"I missed him."
The confession hurt more than anything.
"I missed him so much."
I stared out the window, blinking hard.
"And then I found him in another woman's arms."
The words came out barely above a whisper.
"I hate it, Kuya."
Silence filled the car.
"Jay..." Clyden said carefully. "It's not what you think. You need to—"
"Kuya."
I cut him off.
He glanced at me.
"Take me to a nightclub."
"Jay—"
"If you don't, I'll jump out of this car."
His hands tightened around the steering wheel.
"Don't say that."
"I'm serious."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Clyden let out a long sigh.
"Okay."
I looked away.
"I'll take you."
The city lights blurred past the window.
And for the first time since seeing Kiefer—
I didn't want answers.
I just wanted the pain to shut up for a while.
Clyden (POV)
The second we arrived at the club; Jay was out of the car.
She didn't wait for me.
Didn't look back.
She stormed straight inside.
And started drinking like a fish.
I tried to stop her at first.
Tried to take the glass from her hand.
Tried to get her to sit down and talk.
But I knew what was really happening.
She was holding herself together.
Holding back tears with alcohol and anger.
Because if she stopped—
if she gave herself even a second to breathe—
she would break.
And that was somehow harder to watch than the drinking.
Another shot disappeared.
Then another.
Then she climbed onto the bar.
I rubbed my forehead.
"Jay..."
She ignored me.
The music pounded through the club as she started dancing.
And the entire room noticed.
How could they not?
She was dazzling.
The dress she'd worn for Kiefer made her look breathtaking tonight.
The fabric caught the flashing lights, shimmering every time she moved.
Heads turned wherever she went.
Men stared.
Women stared.
Even the bartenders were watching.
Jay usually didn't notice attention like that.
Tonight, she didn't care.
Or maybe she wanted someone to look.
Anyone except the man she'd spent the last three days missing.
I stayed close enough to intervene if things got out of hand.
Far enough to let her vent.
But my eyes never left her.
Because despite how angry she looked—
I could still see the heartbreak underneath.
And it hurt.
I had wanted tonight to be special for her.
I wanted her reunion with Kiefer to be everything she'd been hoping for.
Instead, it had turned into a disaster.
A vibration in my pocket pulled me from my thoughts.
I pulled out my phone.
Kiefer.
Of course.
I answered immediately.
The music was so loud I could barely hear anything.
"Kiefer?" I shouted into the phone. "What the hell happened?"
I glanced through the glass doors.
Jay was still dancing.
Still drinking.
Still pretending she wasn't falling apart.
I pushed through the crowd and stepped outside.
Only then could I hear him clearly.
"Where's Jay?" Kiefer asked immediately.
"At a nightclub."
There was a pause.
"Why?"
I let out a bitter laugh.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Silence.
"Didn't I tell you to attend the party with your wife?" I snapped. "Instead, she finds you kissing the same woman from that article."
I ran a hand through my hair.
"You have any idea what that did to her?"
"Send me the address."
The line went dead.
"Kiefer—"
Too late.
He had already hung up.
I stared at my phone for a second before shoving it back into my pocket.
Then I went inside.
The moment I stepped through the doors, I heard Jay's voice.
"Don't touch me!"
A man was trying to grab her arm.
Before I could think, I crossed the distance and punched him.
"Don't touch my sister."
The guy stumbled back, holding his jaw.
My attention immediately shifted to the counter.
The drinks.
Jay.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
I looked at the half-finished glass in front of her.
Then at her pupils.
The way she was swaying.
The way she couldn't stop smiling one second and looked like crying the next.
My stomach dropped.
"Jay..."
She looked at me.
"Did you drink that?"
She nodded happily.
"Yeah."
"Did you leave it unattended?"
Another nod.
"Yeah."
"Shit."
Ice flooded my veins.
I grabbed her hand.
"We're leaving."
"No."
"Jay."
"I like it here."
Her words slurred together.
The smile on her face wasn't normal.
"It feels funny."
My grip tightened.
"Jay."
"The room is spinning." She giggled. "My heart is beating really fast."
My blood ran cold.
"I feel like I'm flying."
She leaned against me.
"And it doesn't hurt anymore."
For a second, my chest ached.
Because beneath the strange smile...
Beneath whatever she'd been given...
The heartbreak was still there.
"Jay-Jay..."
She reached for another shot.
I snatched it away.
"Jay, stop. You've had enough."
That was when she broke.
The smile vanished.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"How could he do this to me?"
People nearby turned to look.
She didn't care.
"While I was blaming myself..." Her voice cracked. "While I was worried about that asshole..."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"He was kissing someone else."
The pain in her voice hit harder than any punch.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Jay, stop."
She shook her head.
"Let's go home."
"No."
"Jay."
She turned toward me.
Her eyes were glassy.
Unfocused.
Heartbroken.
"Kuya..." she whispered.
I leaned closer.
"It hurts a lot."
The words were so quiet I almost didn't hear them.
Then she rested her head on my shoulder.
For a moment, she looked small.
Not angry.
Not stubborn.
Just hurt.
A few seconds later, she suddenly pointed toward the entrance.
"Kuya..."
I followed her finger.
"He keeps looking at me."
Then she giggled.
"But he's handsome."
I looked up.
And nearly cursed.
Kiefer.
That asshole had finally arrived.
Before I could stop her, Jay pushed herself off my shoulder and started walking toward him.
Or at least trying to.
She swayed with every step, bumping into people as she crossed the crowded floor.
"Jay!"
She ignored me.
Halfway there, she stumbled.
Kiefer caught her before she hit the ground.
Jay blinked up at him.
For a second, she just stared.
Then she frowned.
"Kuya..." she said, still looking directly at Kiefer. "I think I'm imagining things."
Her hand reached out blindly, searching for me.
"He looks like Kiefer."
My chest tightened.
Kiefer closed his eyes briefly.
Like the words had physically hurt him.
"Jay," he said softly.
She froze.
The sound of his voice seemed to cut through the haze for a moment.
Then confusion crossed her face.
"No..."
She shook her head.
"You're not real."
I reached them and grabbed her arm.
"Jay, you've had too much to drink. Let's go."
This time she didn't argue.
She just kept staring at Kiefer.
I guided her outside.
The cold night air hit us the moment we stepped out of the club.
Before I could open the car door, Jay suddenly grabbed Kiefer by the collar.
The force of it surprised all of us.
"Didn't you miss me at all?"
Kiefer went still.
"Why didn't you call me back?"
Her voice cracked.
"Why didn't you answer me?"
The anger was gone.
Only hurt remained.
The kind that comes from loving someone too much.
Kiefer didn't answer.
He couldn't.
His eyes were already red.
Shining with unshed tears.
For a second, neither of them moved.
Then Kiefer looked at me.
"I'll drive."
I nodded.
He opened the back door.
Together, we helped Jay into the car.
Kiefer slid into the driver's seat.
I sat beside Jay in the back.
The car pulled away from the club.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
The city lights flashed across the windows.
Jay stared down at her hands.
Silent.
Broken.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Jay..."
She didn't look up.
"Cry if you want."
My voice softened.
"Don't hold it in."
The second the words left my mouth, her face crumpled.
As if that was all the permission she needed.
"I was terrified, Kuya..."
Her voice shook.
"If I started crying... I felt like I wouldn't be able to stop."
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
She clutched my shirt.
"I wanted to believe Kiefer."
A sob escaped her.
"I still want to believe him."
Tears streamed down her face.
"But there are so many questions in my head right now that I don't even know what to believe anymore."
The car was silent except for her crying.
"I don't know what's real."
She wiped at her eyes.
"I don't know if what I saw was the truth."
Her breathing became uneven.
"When he fell on the floor..."
She laughed bitterly.
"I wanted to grab his collar."
Another tear rolled down her cheek.
"I wanted to ask him..."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"'Are you in a relationship with her?'"
She closed her eyes.
"'Are you cheating on me?'"
The words shattered coming out of her mouth.
"But I was scared to hear the answer."
Her fingers tightened around my sleeve.
"What if he said yes?"
The question hung heavily in the air.
"What if he told me he doesn't need me anymore?"
She broke completely.
"What am I supposed to do, Kuya?"
Her shoulders shook violently.
"I can't live without him."
The confession came out raw.
Terrified.
"What if he leaves me?"
Then she buried her face against my shoulder and cried.
Not the quiet crying she'd been holding back all night.
The kind that came from a heart finally breaking.
I held her and gently rubbed her back.
"It's okay."
For once, she didn't argue.
She just cried.
And cried.
Until exhaustion finally won.
Her sobs slowly faded.
Her grip loosened.
And eventually, she fell asleep with her head resting on my lap.
The car became quiet.
I looked up.
Kiefer hadn't said a single word the entire drive.
He just kept his eyes on the road.
His jaw tight.
His hands gripping the steering wheel hard enough for his knuckles to turn white.
A few minutes later, the car rolled to a stop at the side of the road.
The engine went silent.
Kiefer sat there for a moment.
Then he turned around.
Carefully.
As if afraid of waking her.
His hand trembled slightly as he brushed a strand of hair away from Jay's face.
She didn't stir.
She was finally asleep.
Kiefer stared at her for several seconds.
His expression cracked.
"Jay..."
His voice was barely audible.
"I'm here."
His thumb gently brushed her cheek.
"And I'm always yours."
The words broke something inside him.
"I would never cheat on you."
His voice shook.
For the first time that night, tears slipped from his eyes.
And he didn't bother hiding them.
I stared at him.
"Are you really going to hide it, Kiefer?" I asked.
He wiped his eyes and looked out the windshield.
"Why don't you just explain everything to her?"
The silence stretched between us.
"I will."
His voice was quiet.
"But not now."
"Kiefer—"
"Not now."
There was something in his tone that stopped me from arguing.
So I stayed silent.
The engine started again.
And we drove home.
When we arrived, the lights were still on.
Everyone was awake.
Waiting.
Worried.
The moment the front door opened, they rushed toward us.
"What happened?"
"Is she okay?"
"Did she throw up?"
Questions came from every direction.
Kiefer ignored them all.
He carefully lifted Jay into his arms.
Still asleep.
Still exhausted from crying.
The second she felt his arms around her; she instinctively moved closer.
Her face brushed against his chest.
Like her body recognized him even in sleep.
Like it knew where home was.
The sight hurt.
Because after everything that had happened tonight—
she still reached for him.
Kiefer froze.
His arms tightened around her.
Then Jay stirred.
Barely awake.
Barely conscious.
A soft mumble escaped her lips.
"Kiefer..."
Everyone fell silent.
Her fingers curled weakly into his shirt.
And then she whispered the words that broke every person in the room.
"Kiefer..."
Her voice was small.
Fragile.
"Don't get sick of me."
The room went dead silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Because those weren't the words of someone angry.
They were the words of someone terrified of being left behind.
Kiefer's entire body went rigid.
His face crumpled.
A broken sound escaped him.
Before anyone could react, he buried his face against her hair and held her tighter.
As if letting go wasn't an option.
As if it never had been.
And when he finally spoke, his voice was barely more than a whisper.
"Never."
A tear slipped down his cheek.
"Never, Jay."
Another followed.
"You'll get sick of me first."
But Jay was already asleep.
She never heard him.