JAY-JAY POV
Aunt Seriana left that afternoon.
The house was quiet — too quiet.
Her warmth had lingered like sunlight after rain, but now it was gone, replaced by the heavy silence that Keifer wore like armor.
Every creak of the floorboards reminded me of his clipped voice, his wounded pride, the bruise blooming across his jaw.
I stared at the walls, at the polished furniture, at the suffocating stillness.
No laughter.
No kindness.
Just Keifer's shadow stretching across the house
Mica called me, her voice bubbling through the phone like it always had in high school. "Hey, Jay," she said.
"Hi, Mica," I answered, smiling despite myself.
"I think you forgot me after marrying," she teased, half‑serious.
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, shut up. Like you aren't obsessed with Calix."
She laughed, then shifted quickly. "Leave that. Actually, me and the girls are planning to meet tonight. You coming?"
I hesitated. "Which girls? That's a lot."
"Who else? Rakki, me, Freya, Ella," she said.
Ella. Aries's wife. The name hit me like a memory.
I hadn't spoken to them since the marriage.
They tried — calls, messages, invitations — but I cut them off.
Aries, Kuya Angelo, Tita Gemma… all tied to the family I had married into, all reminders of the silence I lived in.
But Ella was different.
I still talked to her, quietly, carefully. She never judged, never pushed. She just… stayed.
I sat there, phone pressed to my ear, the house heavy with Keifer's clipped silence.
And for the first time in years, I thought: Maybe I need this. Maybe I need them.
"Alright," I said finally, a smile tugging at my lips. "Tonight."
Mica squealed. "Good. We'll make it a night to remember."
After talking to Mica, I went to my room to see what I was going to wear.
I'm telling you — when I say I'm going all out for the party tonight, I mean it.
Dresses scattered, shoes tossed, makeup sprawled across the vanity.
The room looked like a storm had passed through.
"Jay!" Keifer's voice cut through the air, sharp, clipped.
"What?" I answered back, not even looking up.
He stormed in, eyes narrowing at the chaos. "What the hell are you doing?"
I glanced at the mess, then at him, smirking. "Right, I forgot to tell you. I'm going out with my friends tonight. I might not come back until midnight, I think."
His jaw tightened, his pride bristling. "Midnight?" he repeated, voice clipped like he was announcing a scandal at a press conference.
I shrugged, holding up two dresses against the mirror. "Maybe later. Depends how lively it gets."
Keifer stepped forward, straightening his shirt, trying to salvage control. "Jay, you can't just—"
I cut him off, sharp, playful. "Oh, I can. And I will. You don't own my nights, Keifer."
Silence stretched, heavy, his glare burning into me.
But I didn't flinch.
Because tonight, the music would drown him out.
"Fine, I'm going out with my friends," Keifer said, his tone clipped, like he was announcing a corporate decision.
He turned around, stiff and deliberate. I couldn't resist. I mimicked him under my breath, exaggerating his seriousness: "I'm going out with my friends."
He spun back, glare sharp. "Don't drink too much."
I smirked, leaning against the dresser, dress still in my hand. "I wasn't planning to… but now I will."
His jaw tightened, pride bristling. "Jay."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Relax, Keifer. You'll survive one night without controlling me."
I finally picked my outfit. I got ready, every detail deliberate — the shimmer of the dress, the heels clicking against the floor, the perfume that smelled like freedom.
When I stepped outside, Keifer was there. His eyes narrowed, jaw tight, voice clipped. "Where the hell are you going looking like that?"
I didn't flinch. "To my mother's house," I said, smirking.
He walked toward me, each step heavy, deliberate, until we were so close I could feel the heat of his pride burning. "I'm telling you — don't talk to me like that."
I met his glare, unflinching. "Fuck off."
I pushed him back, sharp, sudden, and walked past him.
The night air hit me like a rush of freedom.
I finally reached the club.
Yeah, it was a club — neon lights flashing, bass pounding, laughter spilling across the dance floor.
I spotted the girls immediately, their voices rising above the music. I waved, weaving through the crowd until I reached them.
"Jay, you're looking hot!" Freya shouted, her grin wide.
I laughed, hugging her. "You also look good."
Mica pulled me in next, squealing. "Finally! We thought you'd forgotten us after marrying."
I rolled my eyes, teasing. "Oh, please. Like you weren't busy being obsessed with Calix."
Rakki smirked, raising her glass. "Well, tonight you're ours. No Keifer, no silence, just us."
Ella smiled softly, her warmth cutting through the chaos. "It's been too long, Jay."
I nodded, heart tugging. "Yeah… it has."
"How is it?" Freya asked, leaning closer over the music.
"Same old, same old," I said, shrugging.
"I don't think it's old," she shot back, eyes sharp.
"Why?" I asked, raising a brow.
Rakki grinned knowingly. "Because if you were the same Jay as two weeks ago, you would've definitely said no to the party tonight."
I laughed softly, shaking my head. "I guess I finally started to choose myself."
Ella's smile was gentle, but her words cut deeper. "I hope you made that decision two years ago."
Freya frowned, curious. "What happened two years ago?"
Ella sighed, her voice low. "Nothing big. Just a girl who lost her dream job because she had to stay and work at Watson's Enterprise."
The music thumped, lights flashing across our faces.
I felt the weight of her words pressing against me, the bruise of memory almost as heavy as the one on Keifer's jaw.
I reached for Ella's hand, squeezing it gently. "Ella, enough. We're here to enjoy, not think about the past."
She nodded, her smile returning, and the girls pulled me back into the laughter, into the music, into the freedom of the night.
For once, I wasn't the silent wife in Keifer's house. I was Jay — alive, laughing, choosing myself.
"Here, drink," Mica said, pressing a glass into my hand.
I took it. One turned into two, two into three, and three into… well, I stopped counting.
The music pulsed harder, the lights blurred brighter, and suddenly the dance floor felt like freedom itself.
I moved with the beat, laughter spilling out, hair wild, body alive.
For once, I wasn't the silent wife in Keifer's house.
I was Jay — untamed, unafraid.
But then I felt it. Eyes on me. Heavy, steady, burning through the flashing lights.