The moment my private jet touched down in Manila, I felt something I hadn't felt in weeks:
Hope.
Keiren was bouncing in his seat, excited to be home.
Keigan was quiet, staring out the window like he always did when he wasn't sure which version of himself, he was supposed to be.
But me?
I was ready.
Ready to finally see her.
Ready to fix everything I broke.
Ready to hold her, even if she tried to push me away.
I didn't even go home first.
I had the driver take us straight to school.
As soon as I stepped into the Section E building, everyone froze.
Ci-N dropped his snacks.
Mayo elbowed Kit.
Eman blinked like he was seeing a ghost.
"Uh… bro?" Ci-N whispered. "You're back?"
"Where is she?" I asked immediately, voice flat, heart pounding.
They all looked at each other.
Kit stepped forward. "Keifer… Jay-Jay isn't here."
My jaw tightened. "Then where is she?"
"We don't know…" Felix answered quietly.
I scanned their faces one by one.They weren't lying.
"There's no way you don't know," I snapped. "You're her friends. She would've told one of you."
Ci-N shook his head. "We tried contacting her, Keifer. She hasn't answered any of us. We thought she was with you."
That hit me like a punch.
She wasn't answering them either.
Just like me.
Something inside my chest twisted painfully.
And I hated that I didn't know where she was.
I turned to Edrix — who was sitting in the back with his laptop.
"Edrix," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I need you to track her location."
He stared at me for a few seconds, then nodded slowly. "Give me her number."
I typed it in his laptop myself.
He cracked his knuckles dramatically. "Alright. If she's anywhere with a signal, I can find her."
Everyone crowded behind us — Ci-N nervously eating chips again, Mayo holding Kit's arm, Eman whispering a prayer.
After a few minutes of typing, Edrix's eyes widened.
"I got it."
My heart stopped.
Keifer Watson, future CEO, heir to a massive empire…was terrified to hear one simple thing:
Where she was.
Edrix turned the laptop toward me.
The screen showed her location bouncing, then settling on one spot.
One name.
One place.
Florida.
My blood ran cold.
Florida.She left the country.She left… me.
I swallowed hard, staring at the screen like it might change if I blinked.
"Why didn't you guys fvcking do this sooner!!" I said with pure rage. but they ignored me.
Ci-N whispered, "She really left us…"
Eman muttered, "I didn't think she'd go that far."
Kit looked down. "Keifer… I'm sorry."
But I couldn't respond.
Keiren tugged my shirt again, quiet. "Kuya… we're going to get her, right?"
I looked at my little brother — the only person who still believed I could fix anything.
And with a voice colder than I meant to use, I said:
"Yes.I'm bringing her back."
Whether she wanted to come back or not.
Because no matter how far she runs…no matter how long she stays away…
Something always pulls us back to each other.
And I wasn't losing her again.
Not this time.