Keifer's POV
I watched Jay stand up after the second class.
She picked up her bag.
She was leaving.
Ci N followed her.
I wanted to stop her.
I wanted to call her name.
But...
I couldn't.
Not after everything.
She needed time.
And maybe...
I deserved this distance.
I watched them walk out of the classroom.
A few seconds passed.
Then a minute.
I couldn't do it anymore.
I stood up.
"I'll be back," I muttered before walking out of the class.
My feet moved on their own.
I wasn't even thinking anymore.
I just...
Wanted to make sure she was okay.
As I reached the school campus...
Voices stopped me.
"...Look at her."
"She's so shameless."
"Keifer humiliated her in front of the whole school."
"And she's still with him."
"She has no self-respect."
"She's only with him because he's rich."
Every word felt like a punch.
I looked ahead.
Jay was standing there.
Silent.
She didn't defend herself.
She just listened.
Because...
Some part of her believed them.
I knew that look.
I was about to walk over.
To stop them.
To make them shut up.
But before I could...
Jay quietly said something to Ci N.
He nodded.
She walked out of the school gate alone.
Ci N started walking back.
The moment he saw me...
He immediately tried changing his direction.
My eyes narrowed.
He's hiding something.
Probably because Jay asked him to.
But right now...
That didn't matter.
I walked straight toward the group of students.
They all looked at me.
"If any of you talk to Jay like that one more time..."
My voice was cold.
"You'll all pay for it."
Silence.
"Understand?"
"And I don't need to tell you what I'm capable of."
"Oh?"
A girl stepped forward.
"Capable of?"
She folded her arms.
"Yeah."
"We all know very well what you're capable of."
My jaw tightened.
"First it was Freya."
"You wanted to control her."
"And when you couldn't..."
"You hurt her."
My fists slowly clenched.
"Then Ella."
"She didn't even want to be with you."
"But you hated Aries for taking her away?"
She scoffed.
"Seriously?"
"Ella isn't some object."
"She chose Aries herself."
"You just couldn't digest the fact that a girl dumped you."
She pointed toward the school gate where Jay had disappeared.
"And now..."
"That poor, foolish girl."
"You disrespected her in front of everyone."
"And now you're saying we're bullying her?"
She laughed bitterly.
"Seriously?"
"How you—her own cousin—treated her..."
"Do you forget?"
"If we compare ourselves to you..."
"We're doing nothing."
Her words hit harder than she knew.
Because...
She wasn't completely wrong.
"You know what?"
She looked me straight in the eyes.
"You're just a person who wants to control her."
"Oyu, your whole Section E is good for nothing."
"You—"
I stepped forward.
Before I could say another word...
A boy—probably her boyfriend—stood in front of her.
"What, bro?"
"My girl said nothing but the truth."
He looked me up and down.
"First learn to respect your own girl."
"If you don't respect her..."
"Why would anyone else?"
Something inside me snapped.
"You bastard."
I grabbed his collar.
"I do respect her."
"I love her."
Before anything else could happen—
"Enough!"
Several teachers rushed over.
"All of you!"
"This is a school campus, not a wrestling ring!"
"Go back to your classes!"
I slowly let go of his collar.
He yanked my hand away with a glare before walking off with the others.
The crowd slowly disappeared.
But I stayed there.
Frozen.
Because their words...
Wouldn't leave my head.
You disrespected her in front of everyone.
First learn to respect your own girl.
I closed my eyes.
They're right.
I have done so much wrong to her.
Jay deserves someone much better.
Someone who protects her.
Someone who respects her.
Someone who never makes her cry.
I took a deep breath.
"...Then I'll become that person."
"The better one."
"...The best one."
"For her."
Without wasting another second...
I ran outside the school gate.
I had to talk to her.
I had to—
My steps slowed.
A familiar sports car was parked across the road.
The roof was down.
Jason was sitting in the driver's seat.
Jay was beside him.
He handed her a bag.
Maybe clothes.
Maybe something else.
I didn't know.
She took it from him.
Jason said something that made her nod.
Then...
The engine roared.
The sports car drove away.
And all I could do...
Was stand there.
Watching it disappear.
With the girl I loved...
Getting farther away from me.
Again.
Jay's POV
The moment I walked out of the school gate...
I saw Jason's sports car waiting for me.
He noticed me immediately.
I walked over and got into the passenger seat.
The second I closed the door...
I leaned back against the seat.
Jason looked at me for a moment.
"You look tired."
I let out a small sigh.
"Yeah..."
"Maybe a little."
He didn't start driving.
Instead...
He looked at me seriously.
"Jay..."
"I want to talk to you about something really important."
I blinked.
Jay.
Not darling.
That meant...
Whatever he was about to say...
Was serious.
"Yeah, Jass."
"Say."
He took a deep breath.
"Victoria is in the Philippines right now."
A sudden wave of hatred rushed through me.
Of course she is.
She would never let me live peacefully.
But Jason wasn't finished.
"It doesn't end there, Jay."
That caught my attention.
I slowly turned towards him.
"What else is it?"
His expression became even more serious.
"From my and Percy's resources..."
"...he was seen with her."
My heart stopped.
"He has also landed in the Philippines..."
"...but disappeared the moment they landed."
I stared at him.
Unable to process what I had just heard.
"H-how is that possible, Jass?"
My voice shook.
"H-he's dead..."
"Why would Victoria let him live?"
I looked away.
"There is no way that's true."
"There is no way..."
Jason stayed quiet for a few seconds.
Then he gently took my hand.
"I don't know, Jay."
"But you told me something once."
I looked at him.
"You guys never found his body."
I froze.
"So..."
"It could be possible."
Without another word...
He unlocked his phone and showed me a photograph.
A boy.
Around my age.
Walking through an airport.
Several guards surrounded him.
But...
Something felt wrong.
They didn't look like bodyguards protecting him.
They looked like people...
Making sure he couldn't escape.
I stared at the picture.
Unable to look away.
"If..."
My voice came out as barely a whisper.
"If he's alive..."
"Then where was he all these years?"
Silence filled the car.
I closed my eyes.
"Jason..."
"I'm tired of carrying this fake hope with me."
"It hurts every single time."
"But..."
I looked at the photograph again.
"If he's actually alive..."
My fingers slowly curled into fists.
"Then Victoria..."
"She's going to pay for it."
"For keeping him in the dark..."
"For keeping him away from me..."
"Away from Grandpa..."
"Away from Grandma..."
"When we needed each other the most."
A tear threatened to fall, but I blinked it away.
"I won't let her go that easily."
"My revenge..."
"...has been waiting for years."
Jason gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
"Yeah."
"We'll bring him back."
I nodded slowly before taking a deep breath.
"Well..."
"We should go."
"We'll be late otherwise."
Jason smiled faintly.
"Yeah..."
"Oh, wait, darling."
I looked at him.
"I got this for you."
He reached into the back seat and handed me a branded shopping bag.
I looked at it in confusion.
"What's this, Jason?"
"Clothes for the meeting."
A small smile appeared on my face.
"Oh."
"Okay."
"Thanks."
He smiled.
"Anything for you."
I placed the bag on my lap.
Jason started the engine.
And together...
We drove away.
-------------------------
7+ comments for next chapter 🎯