JAY'S POV
I stood in front of Section E's building.
From outside, I could already hear their voices — the usual Section E chaos. Loud laughter, arguments, random shouting. The same noise that once felt like home.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Memories rushed back like a storm.
Betrayal. Lies. The engagement. The plan. The humiliation.
My fingers slowly curled into fists.
Then I opened my eyes and muttered quietly to myself,
"Don't lose your temper… and don't cry in front of those snakes."
I took a deep breath.
Then I walked toward the classroom.
Each step steady. Confident.
My face carried only one message:
I don't care who you are anymore.
The moment I entered the classroom, the noise faded.
I could feel their stares immediately.
Whispers spread across the room.
"Jay Jay is here…"
"She actually came."
"She looks different."
"She looks… beautiful."
I ignored all of them.
My face remained completely expressionless as my eyes searched for my old seat — between those so-called best friends who were now staring at me like they had seen a ghost.
Not happening.
I wasn't sitting there again.
Instead, I walked past them and took a seat in the front row near the door, where I wouldn't have to look at their snake faces.
The classroom stayed awkwardly silent.
The tension was almost suffocating.
As soon as I sat down, I put on my headphones and started playing music. Their voices called my name again and again, but I chose to ignore them.
They had lost that right.
After a while, I checked the time.
Class hadn't started yet.
Still early.
So I took off my headphones and unlocked my phone to check my notifications.
The moment the screen lit up, my eyes widened.
200 messages in the Section E group chat.
500+ messages from the snakes.
90+ messages from Angelo.
100 messages from Aries.
And several messages from Grandma, Mama, and Tita.
Not to mention the dozens of missed calls.
I stared at the screen in disbelief.
Then my eyes slowly moved to one specific app.
OTJ101.
My jaw tightened.
Without hesitation, I stood up and walked straight toward Edrix.
The classroom went silent again.
I stopped in front of him and handed him my phone, my expression cold.
"Edrix," I said calmly, "there's an app in my phone called OTJ101. I don't know what it is. Can you check it?"
For a second, fear flashed across his face.
Then he said hesitantly,
"I… I don't know, Jay."
I tilted my head slightly.
"But you didn't even look yet," I said innocently. "You're good at this stuff. Just check."
Edrix shifted uncomfortably.
"I really don't know about this, Jay. I can't help."
I smiled faintly.
"How are you fooling me, huh?" I said softly. "Just delete it from my phone. It's asking for a password."
He hesitated.
Then slowly took my phone.
But while unlocking it, he kept glancing nervously at Keifer.
That alone told me everything.
Finally, Edrix spoke.
"OTJ101 stands for Operation Tracking Jay 10.1."
The entire classroom froze.
My heart skipped a beat.
"It's… a tracking app," he continued quietly. "I installed it on your phone."
My voice came out tight with frustration.
"Why?"
He stared at the desk.
"Because of your meetings with Percy."
My jaw clenched.
"Anything else?"
Edrix swallowed.
"This app is also linked to another phone. All your messages and calls are routed to that phone. Whoever has the linked phone can read your texts… and listen to your calls."
For a moment, I couldn't move.
They weren't just tracking me.
They were spying on me.
Invading every piece of my privacy.
My voice turned dangerously quiet.
"Whose phone is it linked to?"
Edrix didn't answer immediately.
Then he whispered,
"Keifer's."
Before anyone could react, I snatched my phone from his hand and threw it toward Keifer.
He dodged.
The phone slammed into the wall and shattered into pieces.
Gasps filled the classroom.
My chest was rising and falling with anger.
"You really have no limits," I said coldly.
"You were so determined to win your stupid plan that you even invaded my privacy."
My eyes burned as I looked straight at him.
"I didn't know you were this cruel."
Rage boiled inside me.
How dare he go this far?
For the first time, a terrifying thought crossed my mind.
Did he ever really love me at all?
I stepped forward, ready to punch him—
But suddenly someone grabbed my wrist.
Yuri.
My so-called fiancé.
"Stop it, Jay. Please."
I let out a bitter laugh.
"Wow," I said mockingly. "I'm still the one who has to stop?"
I looked between him and Keifer.
"You and your best friend are exactly the same."
My voice turned icy.
"You're both solid jerks."
Without another word, I stormed out of the classroom and headed straight for the terrace.
But of course…
That idiot followed me.
I turned toward him, my eyes colder than ice.
"What now?"
Yuri looked desperate.
"I'm sorry, Jay."
I laughed again.
A hollow, bitter sound.
"Your apology doesn't change anything."
My voice trembled slightly with anger.
"It doesn't change the fact that you forced me into an engagement just because you didn't want to lose to your best friend."
His eyes widened.
"I did it to protect you, Jay. I love you."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Seriously, Yuri?"
"What makes you think I'm going to believe that?"
I shook my head.
"What you did wasn't love."
"It was ego."
My fingers reached for the ring hanging from the chain around my neck.
"And I'm done being the trophy in the game between you and your best friend."
I removed the ring and placed it in his hand.
Yuri's face turned pale.
"You can't do this, Jay. You know Fer Corp still depends on us."
I looked him straight in the eye.
"I don't fucking care."
Then I walked away.
Back to the classroom.
Sir Alvin was already there.
I quietly took my seat, ignoring the countless stares around me.
A few minutes later, Yuri entered the classroom.
His face looked shattered.
But this time…
I truly didn't care.
Classes continued one after another.
Ci-N kept trying to approach me the entire time.
I ignored him completely.
When lunch break finally came, I suddenly realized something.
I had forgotten to bring my lunch.
Of course.
There was no way I was going to eat with them anyway.
"Shit," I muttered.
I grabbed my wallet and car keys and started walking out of the classroom.
But suddenly—
Ci-N grabbed my wrist.
"Jay, where are you going?" he asked. "Come eat with us."
I slowly pulled my hand away and gave him my deadliest glare.
"That doesn't concern you."
My voice was cold.
"Don't try to act like nothing happened."
Then without even looking at him again, I walked out of the building.
It was the first time I had ever spoken to him like that.
But strangely…
I didn't feel guilty.
Because this time—
It was his fault.