JAY-JAY POV
By the time we got home, Keth was half-asleep in my arms, clutching the stuffed toy he'd won at the ring toss.
His hair smelled faintly of cotton candy, and his cheeks were still flushed from laughter.
I laid him gently on his bed. He mumbled, "Mama… best day ever," before drifting off completely. My heart clenched — all the noise, the tension, the carousel, I kissed his forehead
Keifer lingered in the doorway, watching us.
His expression was softer now, stripped of the jealousy and pride he'd worn at the park.
For a moment, he looked like the man I used to know — the one I wanted to forgive.
"You did good tonight," he said quietly.
I didn't answer right away. I went to my room
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Keifer POV
After Jay got Keth to bed, the house fell into that quiet hum only nighttime brings.
I sat in the living room, staring at nothing in particular, just letting the silence settle.
That's when I noticed it — a book on the coffee table.
Not just any book.
More like a diary.
I hesitated, my hand hovering over it.
Part of me knew I shouldn't.
But something about the worn cover, the way the pages bent from being opened too many times, pulled me in.
I flipped it open.
Her handwriting stared back at me — raw, messy, alive.
Date: 4/20/25
I'm 2 months pregnant with my baby.
It's been 1 month since I left the house.
I didn't want to be a burden to them.
The words hit me like a punch. My throat tightened as I traced the ink with my finger, imagining her alone, carrying that weight without me.
Page after page, her voice poured out — promises she made to herself, to the baby. I'll protect you. I'll give you joy even when I have none. I'll never let you feel unwanted.
And then the entry that broke me:
I thought about telling him. About saying we have a child. But I know what he'll say. He'll call it a mistake. That's why I didn't tell him.
I froze. My chest burned. She thought I'd call our child a mistake. She thought I'd walk away.
I shut my eyes, guilt flooding me. She carried all of this alone. She raised him alone. And I wasn't there.
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't angry. I wasn't proud. I was broken. And I knew one thing with absolute certainty: Keth was no mistake. He was the best thing I'd ever been given.
"Keifer, that isn't for you," Jay's voice cut through the quiet.
I snapped the diary shut, guilt rushing through me. She stood in the doorway, arms crossed, her eyes sharp but trembling at the edges.
"I… I didn't mean to," I stammered, though the truth was I couldn't stop myself once I saw her words. "Jay, I had to know. I had to understand what you went through."
Her jaw tightened. "You don't get to understand by reading my pain like it's a story. You weren't there when it happened. You weren't there when I needed you."
I swallowed hard, the weight of her words pressing down. "I know. And I hate myself for it. But don't ever think I would've called him a mistake. Keth… he's the best thing in my life. Even if I wasn't there, he's mine. He's ours."
Jay's eyes softened, just a fraction, but the hurt was still there. "You don't get to erase the years I carried him alone. You don't get to erase the nights I promised him he'd never feel unwanted."
I stepped closer, careful, almost pleading. "I can't erase them. I can only try to be here now. For him. For you. If you'll let me."
Jay looked at me, her eyes wet but steady. "We'll see, Keifer. We'll see."
I was about to say something when Percy yelled her name
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JAY-JAY POV
"Jay," Percy yelled one more time.
"Percy, shut up — Keth's asleep," I hissed, lowering my voice. The last thing I wanted was for him to wake up again.
"You coming tomorrow?" he asked.
"Where?" I asked, already bracing myself.
"To NYC," he said, like it was the simplest thing in the world.
"I can't come tomorrow. I have work on Monday," I replied, shaking my head.
"Well, take a break, sis. Like a one-week break," Percy pushed, his tone half teasing, half serious.
"Percy—" I started, but he cut me off.
"Before you say anything, Mama and Papa want to see you."
That stopped me. My chest tightened, the weight of his words pressing down.
"Fine," I muttered, though softer this time. "I missed them."
The truth was, I did. More than I wanted to admit. I missed Mama's cooking, Papa's quiet wisdom, the way home felt like a place where I didn't have to carry everything alone. But going back meant facing questions, facing memories, facing the parts of myself I'd buried.
I glanced at Keth, sleeping peacefully, his small hand curled around his toy. He deserved to know them. He deserved to feel that love too.
Tomorrow, NYC. Tomorrow, family.
And maybe tomorrow, a piece of myself I'd been too afraid to reclaim.
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Sorry its short
I will try to upload another chapter soon