Kiefer (POV)
I had already left the house.
But for some reason… my chest felt uneasy.
Like I shouldn't leave Jay alone.
Like something bad was waiting to happen, the second I stepped away from her.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter before making a quick call to Clyden.
"I'm not coming to the meeting," I said shortly.
Then suddenly—
A car slammed violently into my side.
The impact threw my entire vehicle across the road.
Metal screeched loudly.
Glass shattered everywhere.
Before I could regain control, my car crashed hard into a tree.
Pain shot through my body instantly as my head snapped against the window.
Then gunfire exploded around me.
Fuck.
An ambush.
I quickly grabbed the gun from my dashboard and dragged myself into the back seat while bullets shattered the windows around me.
Then suddenly—
The shooting stopped.
"He must be dead, right?" someone asked outside.
"Let's check."
The front door slowly opened.
The second they leaned inside, I raised my gun and fired first.
One body dropped instantly.
Another man shouted in panic before I shot him, too.
More gunfire exploded around the car immediately afterward.
Then—
A bullet tore through my side.
Pain exploded through my body so violently that my grip almost loosened around the gun.
Fuck.
Blood spread down my shirt rapidly while my vision blurred again.
But I still forced myself to keep shooting until the remaining footsteps finally backed away.
Silence filled the road again.
Then, darkness slowly started swallowing everything
Maybe it was because of the blood loss…Or maybe because my head slammed hard against the shattered glass when they crashed my car—
But my body finally gave up.
I blacked out.
Voices echoed faintly around me afterward.
"I think he's dead."
Who the fuck said I was dead?
I'm alive.
I wanted to curse at them.
Wanted to move.
But my body felt too weak to respond.
Even breathing hurt.
Darkness kept pulling me deeper while warm blood spread beneath me.
And the only thing my fading mind could think about was—
Jay.
Eventually, they left.
I forced my shaking hand toward my phone and opened the security cameras connected to the house.
Blocked.
My entire body went cold.
Something was wrong.
She needs me.
I forced myself back into the driver's seat and drove home while blood kept dripping down my stomach and soaking through my shirt.
Every second felt too slow.
My vision kept blurring, but I forced myself to stay awake.
Because if something had happened to her while I was gone—
I would never forgive myself.
The second I stepped inside the house—
I heard crying.
Broken crying.
The kind of crying that sounded painful enough to destroy a person.
Then I saw her.
Jay sat on the floor surrounded by shattered objects, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.
"How could you do this to me…?" she cried brokenly.
"Jay!" I shouted immediately.
But she didn't react.
Then I saw Cassian standing nearby.
Why the fuck was he here?
And the guilty look on his face made my anger spike instantly.
My blood ran cold as I looked between him and Jay's shaking figure on the floor.
Did he make her cry like this?
Did he touch her?
Did he hurt her?
Before I could even think properly, rage took over my body completely.
I grabbed his collar and punched him hard without hesitation.
I wanted to hit him again.
Wanted to break every bone in his body if he had touched her.
Then—
"Kiefer…"
My entire body froze.
Jay was searching for me desperately, like she couldn't even see anything else anymore.
"Kiefer… I can't breathe…" she cried while clutching her chest tightly. "I can't—Kiefer… where are you…?"
Panic attack.
Fuck.
She was having another panic attack.
And suddenly, nothing else mattered anymore.
Not the blood running down my body.
Not Cassian.
Not the people who tried to kill me.
Nothing.
Because my wife was breaking apart right in front of me again.
"I'll deal with you later," I growled at Cassian before shoving him away and rushing toward my Jay-Jay.
But the second I got close—
"Didn't I make myself clear?" she screamed hysterically, gripping the knife tighter with trembling hands. "Don't come near me… don't touch me…"
I forced myself to stay calm despite the blood loss, making my vision blur.
"Jay…It's me," I said carefully.
But she kept shaking violently, blindly swinging the knife to keep everyone away.
Then the blade sliced across my arm.
Pain burned through me instantly.
But I didn't care.
The second she froze after seeing blood on her hands, I took the chance and pulled her tightly against me while locking her arms carefully so she wouldn't hurt herself.
"Relax… I'm here," I whispered shakily against her hair. "Jay, look at me… easy, babe. Breathe slowly… I'm here…"
Her entire body trembled violently in my arms like a frightened child.
"Hey…" My voice softened even more, almost breaking apart. "Open your eyes, babe… look at me. I'm here…"
I brushed her hair away from her tear-stained face.
But the tears wouldn't stop.
It was like she still couldn't fully believe I was alive.
And if I didn't calm her down soon—
She would completely break again.
Who the fuck made her cry like this while I was gone?
"No…" My voice came out weak but stubborn as I tightened one arm around her.
Stay with her before I collapse again.
I need her to feel me more.
I tightened my grip around her gently, trying to pull her out of the nightmare inside her head.
Then I cupped her face carefully, wiping away her tears so she could look at me properly.
"Now look at me," I whispered, pressing my forehead against hers. "I'm here… so stop crying now, okay?"
My voice cracked slightly.
Please, Jay… please…
Slowly—
Her eyes opened.
And finally, she looked at me.
Really looked at me.
"I'm here," I whispered again.
"Kie… Kiefer…" she breathed out shakily, relief crashing over her face so hard it almost hurt to watch.
I kissed her forehead immediately and pulled her closer against me.
"I was scared…" she cried, clutching my bloodstained shirt weakly with trembling fingers. "Kiefer, I thought I lost you…"
Never.
You're never losing me again.
Even if death itself comes for me—
I'll crawl back to you.
But fuck…
My head was spinning badly now.
My vision kept blurring at the edges.
Stay conscious.
Not now.
Not after finally calming her down.
I forced myself to stay upright, silently fighting against the blood loss.
"Kiefer…" Her voice shook violently again. "Blood…"
Damn it.
She noticed.
I immediately cupped her face again, forcing her gently to look into my eyes instead of the blood soaking through my shirt.
"Jay," I whispered carefully, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm okay… I'll be okay."
"Kiefer, no, you're not," she cried again, panic filling her voice instantly. "We need to go to the hospital right now. I can't lose you again…"
"Jay…" I slowly pulled her back into my arms so she could feel my body warmth against hers. "Don't panic, babe. I'm not leaving you, okay?"
I kissed her hair softly while holding her tighter.
"It's just a small wound," I murmured near her ear. "And you know me…"
I forced a weak smile onto my face despite the dizziness making my vision blur.
"I don't die that easily, remember?"
I teased her softly, hoping she would calm down at least a little.
But instead, her grip around me tightened harder.
"Please, Kiefer…" Her voice trembled badly. "Don't do this to me… you're bleeding… Please, let's go to the hospital…"
Fuck.
Hearing her beg like that hurt worse than the bullet.
I wiped her tears carefully with my thumb before leaning down and kissing her softly.
"Okay, wife," I whispered soothingly against her lips. "I'm here now… and I'm not going anywhere."
Then I kissed her forehead again.
"Let's go to the hospital," I said
She tried to stand up first, still holding onto me tightly.
I tried to stand with her.
But the second I moved—
My legs nearly gave out beneath me.
Fuck.
Jay lost her balance at the same time, and I immediately tried to catch her instinctively.
But my body wasn't listening anymore.
Everything suddenly felt heavy.
Numb.
Like my legs didn't belong to me.
And before I could stop it—
I lost my balance completely.
"Kiefer—!" Jay screamed in panic.
Damn it.
Don't scare her.
Get your fucking legs under control.
Before we could hit the floor, Cassian caught both of us immediately.
"Kiefer, you're losing too much blood," he said sharply.
I wanted to answer back.
Wanted to tell him to shut up before Jay panicked again.
But my shirt felt wetter now.
Warm blood kept soaking through the fabric faster than before.
Maybe I really had lost too much.
"I'll drive," Cassian said immediately.
"No…" I muttered stubbornly, tightening one arm around Jay possessively despite barely being able to stay conscious. "I can still drive."
"And crash halfway there?" he snapped back. "I don't want to watch Jay break down again because she lost you."
Then I noticed it.
His arm around Jay.
Instantly, I shoved it away.
I knew damn well that in my condition, I probably couldn't even stand without his help right now.
But I still didn't want him touching her.
Not even now.
"Don't touch her," I said coldly through gritted teeth as I pulled Jay closer against me possessively. "I can handle my wife myself."
And somehow—
I did.
Barely.
We both managed to get into the car together.
The entire ride, Jay kept crying quietly while staring at the blood covering my shirt and hands.
"I'll be fine, wife," I whispered, trying to calm her down.
But guilt twisted painfully inside my chest.
I had promised myself long ago that she would never have to see me covered in blood again.
Yet here I was—
Making her cry because of me all over again.
Every time she looked at my wounds, her breathing shook harder.
And even through the dizziness, all I could think was—
Don't panic again.
Please don't cry like that again.
When we finally reached the hospital, my entire body already felt numb.
My vision blurred in and out.
But I couldn't collapse.
Not in front of Jay.
If she saw me fall now—
It would destroy her.
"Doctor…" I forced the words out carefully as the second medical staff member rushed toward us. "Can you check on my wife first, please?"
"No." Jay instantly grabbed my arm tighter. "I'm not leaving you."
Her voice sounded terrified.
Like if she let go of me for even one second, I would disappear again.
I looked toward the doctor silently.
Just one look.
And thankfully—
He understood immediately.
"Ma'am, please come with me first," the doctor said gently while guiding Jay away carefully.
"No, wait—Kiefer—"
"I'll be right here, wife," I whispered quickly before she could panic again. "Go."
She hesitated.
Then, finally, let the nurses guide her away.
And the second, her figure disappeared from my sight—
The strength holding my body together vanished instantly.
My knees gave out.
Everything went dark and distant.
I collapsed with a small smile still on my face.
Because at least—
She was safe now.
Before my body could fully hit the floor, someone caught me.
Cassian.
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath as blood soaked onto his hands instantly.
His voice sounded distant now.
Distorted.
"Doctor!" he shouted sharply.
Suddenly, everything around me became chaos.
Footsteps.
Doctors yelling orders.
Machines.
Bright hospital lights burned into my blurry vision.
But none of it mattered anymore.
Because my body finally gave up the second I knew Jay was alive and safe.
And then—
Everything went black.
Jay-Jay (POV)
After the nurse spoke to me, I stood outside the room for a few seconds, holding the door handle tightly.
Then I took a deep breath and slowly walked inside.
And there he was.
Kiefer lay quietly on the hospital bed, completely still except for the soft rise and fall of his chest.
Alive.
He was alive.
I had seen him injured so many times before.
But somehow…
My heart never got used to it.
And I never became stronger.
Tears filled my eyes again before I could stop them.
A sob almost escaped my throat, and I quickly covered my mouth with my hand so I wouldn't wake him up.
It felt unfair.
Every time I finally became happy…
Something always happened to take that happiness away from me again.
And every single time I tried to hold myself together—
Life felt like it was standing in front of me, pointing and laughing.
Weak.
How was I supposed to stay strong while looking at him like this again?
Covered in injuries.
Lying in another hospital bed because of me… because of this life.
I wiped my tears quickly and turned away, trying to calm myself before I completely broke down again.
Then suddenly—
A warm hand grabbed mine gently.
I froze and looked back immediately.
Kiefer was awake.
Slowly, he opened one arm toward me and nodded weakly.
And just like that—
Every wall inside me collapsed again.
I walked toward him immediately and hugged him carefully, terrified of hurting him.
But my tears still slipped down silently.
"Wife…" he murmured weakly with a small smile. "It's not like I died. Why are you crying like that?"
"You gago…" I whispered shakily before pulling back slightly just to look at him properly.
"You know how scared I was when I saw those photos and videos of you getting shot?" My voice cracked harder with every word. "You're always telling me I can't fight against guns… then what about you?"
Tears kept falling, no matter how much I wiped them away.
"Every time you get hurt… You end up in a hospital bed like this…" I cried softly while touching the old scars on his arm carefully. "Every fight leaves another scar behind, you jerk…"
Kiefer just smiled at me softly.
And somehow that made me cry even harder.
"Jay…" His voice turned gentler. "You know why I never tell you these things?"
He slowly brushed his thumb under my eyes, wiping away my tears.
"Because I hate seeing you cry for me."
Then he smiled weakly again.
"And I don't die easily… especially when my wife is waiting for me at home."
My chest hurt painfully hearing that.
"And trust me," he whispered, squeezing my hand carefully. "I'm going to live a long life with you."
His eyes softened warmly.
"I'll stay until we're old enough to hold our great-grandchildren together."
A small laugh escaped me through my tears.
And seeing me smile made him smile too.
"Believe me," he whispered while pressing his forehead gently against mine.
"I'm not disappearing, wife."
A knock suddenly echoed through the room.
Then the door opened.
Cassian walked inside casually, holding his phone in one hand.
"Sorry for disturbing your romantic moment," he said lazily while shaking his phone slightly. "But I got something important."
Kiefer's entire expression turned cold instantly.
"What are you doing here?" Kiefer asked flatly.
Cassian looked completely unbothered.
"Bro," he said casually.
The room instantly went silent.
Even Kiefer looked genuinely shocked.
"…What bro?" he asked slowly, like he seriously thought he had misheard him.
Cassian sighed dramatically.
"Remember? We're cousins," Cassian said while pointing at him lazily. "Or did you hit your head too hard during the crash?"
Then he winked at me before proudly pointing in my direction.
"And Jay's my friend now."
He even waved at me like this was completely normal.
I stared at him blankly.
Kiefer stared even harder.
Then slowly—
Kiefer turned toward me with narrowed eyes.
"…Did he buy you food?" Kiefer asked suspiciously.
I blinked at him in disbelief.
"What?"
"That's how everyone becomes your friend," Kiefer muttered weakly while glaring at Cassian. "They buy you snacks once, and suddenly you adopt them."
"What are you even talking about, Kiefer?" I asked in disbelief. "I didn't even agree to anything yet, and you're already acting as if he bribed me, you asshole."
"Talk about this later," Cassian interrupted casually while handing his phone to Kiefer. "These are the details of the people who attacked you."
Kiefer's expression immediately darkened.
The playful jealousy vanished from his face completely as he grabbed the phone and started scrolling through the information silently.
Meanwhile, Cassian suddenly placed a food bag in front of me.
"Here, Jay," he said awkwardly. "Eat something. You haven't eaten anything, and that's not good for the baby."
Then he scratched the back of his neck slightly.
"I bought everything because I didn't know what you liked."
I stared at the bag for a few seconds.
Then slowly—
A grin spread across my face.
"Thanks," I said while taking it from him. "I'll eat it, Cassy."
The room instantly turned cold.
I didn't even need to look up to know Kiefer was glaring at me.
"So you already accepted him as a friend?" Kiefer asked dangerously. "And now you're giving him nicknames too?"
I could practically hear his teeth grinding.
Meanwhile, Cassian looked weirdly pleased.
"By the way," he said proudly while pointing at himself, "I like the nickname, Jay."
Then he walked out of the room, grinning as if someone had just handed him the greatest achievement of his life.
And somehow…
For a second, he reminded me of Clyden.
Lonely people really did get attached to small things easily.
"Jasper Jean Mariano Watson."
Uh-oh.
The full name.
That meant Kiefer was about to start a lecture.
I slowly turned toward him while trying not to laugh.
He was pouting.
Actually pouting.
"Are you really trusting him?" he asked while pointing toward the door. "After everything he did? He even tried to kiss you."
I walked closer to the bed and kissed his cheek softly.
"Just because someone walks into my life doesn't change anything between us," I whispered. "Remember?"
Then I winked at him playfully.
"I'm yours."
The effect was immediate.
Kiefer froze.
His ears turned red instantly, and even the heart monitor started beeping faster.
I could barely hold back my laugh.
"Jay, I'm serious," he muttered while trying to regain control of himself.
"Tss…" I sat beside him carefully. "I don't fully trust him yet."
Then my expression softened slightly.
"But when he asked to be my friend… he looked serious."
"And guilty."
I glanced toward the door quietly.
"I want to give him one chance. It's not like he asked me for anything."
Kiefer stared at me for a long moment before sighing tiredly.
"You seriously attract troubled people," he muttered before flicking my forehead lightly.
"Ouch!" I rubbed my forehead dramatically while glaring at him.
Then I crossed my arms and looked at him suspiciously.
"Now," I said while narrowing my eyes at him, "you owe me an explanation."