💔 Chapter 6 — The Call That Broke the Calm 💔
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💗 Jay's POV 💗
The hotel suite smelled like vanilla candles and roses — courtesy of our overenthusiastic wedding planners who thought "romantic scent" was mandatory for soon-to-be newlyweds. 🙄
Keifer and I had checked in that morning along with our families for the final wedding week. The lobby had been full of laughter, photographers, and endless relatives asking, "Are you excited, Jay?"
Excited? Maybe.
Nervous? Absolutely.
And then there was him — Keifer.
He was pacing near the window now, in his white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, on a business call that made him look like he owned the entire city. I tried to ignore how unfairly good he looked when he was serious. 😳✨
I was scrolling through my phone, trying to calm my racing thoughts when my screen lit up with a call.
"Daniel calling…"
I blinked. Daniel?
Oh no.
Daniel was… an old friend. From before all this. Okay, fine—my ex-ex-boyfriend. But it wasn't like that anymore! We hadn't talked in months, and I didn't even know why he was calling now.
Before I could switch it to silent, my thumb slipped — and suddenly, the call was on speaker.
"Hello?" I whispered quickly.
"Hey, babe," Daniel's voice filled the room. "I just wanted to say… I miss you. And I love you, baby." 💔
Silence.
Like, nuclear silence.
My blood ran cold.
Keifer's head snapped toward me so fast I swear the air froze.
"Wha—Daniel—wait—!" I fumbled to cut the call, pressing the button too hard like that would somehow erase the words that just echoed across the room.
But it was too late.
Keifer was standing there, his jaw tight, his eyes burning with something I couldn't even describe — anger, hurt, disbelief.
"Jay." His voice was low. Too calm. "Who. Was. That."
"Keifer, it's not what you think—"
He stepped closer, eyes blazing. "Then explain. Because I just heard a man call my fiancée baby and say he loves you. So please—enlighten me."
My heart pounded. "He's just an old friend. It's nothing!"
"Oh, right," Keifer snapped. "Because all old friends say 'I love you, baby' for fun, right?"
His tone was dripping sarcasm now.
The Keifer Watson — usually calm, poised, unshakable — was losing control.
"Keifer, stop! You're overreacting!" I said, trying to keep my voice steady even though my chest felt like it was collapsing.
He laughed bitterly. "Overreacting? Jay, we're getting married in five days!"
I swallowed hard, words catching in my throat. "It was just a call! You don't trust me?"
He looked at me — really looked at me — and for a second, I saw something in his eyes break.
"Trust?" he said softly. "I did, Jay. I really did."
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🖤 Keifer's POV 🖤
I couldn't believe what I'd just heard.
That voice. That word. Baby.
It was like every part of me snapped at once.
I'd spent weeks convincing myself that maybe this marriage wasn't just a deal anymore — that maybe Jay actually felt something too.
The way she blushed during our dance, the way she smiled when she thought I wasn't looking, the way she fit so perfectly in my arms that night—
And now this.
A random guy telling her I love you like it meant nothing.
She looked at me with wide, guilty eyes — and somehow that made it worse.
"You know what hurts?" I said finally, voice shaking with anger. "I was dumb. I actually thought there was something real between us."
"There is!" she said, stepping closer, but I moved back.
"No, Jay," I said bitterly. "There isn't. This is just a deal, remember? You said it yourself a hundred times. A partnership. Nothing more. And I—" I clenched my fists — "was stupid enough to start believing it could be more."
Her lips trembled. "Keifer, please—"
"Don't," I snapped. "Don't say my name like that. I can't—" I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm inside me. "You proved me wrong. Completely."
She blinked rapidly, tears welling up. "I didn't mean for this—"
"Then what did you mean, Jay?" I said, voice rising now. "You keep sending mixed signals! One day you act like I matter, the next day some guy calls you baby! What am I supposed to think?!"
Her voice broke. "I don't even talk to him anymore! He just—he called randomly! I swear, Keifer!"
But I couldn't hear her anymore.
I couldn't think.
All I could see was her face, all I could hear was that voice echoing in my head — I love you, baby.
The irony burned. Because those were the words I wanted to say.
I wanted to tell her I loved her.
That she made me feel alive again.
That she wasn't just a part of the deal — she was the only thing that made it bearable.
And now… it felt like none of it mattered.
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💗 Jay's POV 💗
The silence after he stopped yelling was worse than the shouting itself.
Keifer stood there, chest rising and falling, his eyes dark and distant.
I wanted to reach for him.
I wanted to scream that he was wrong — that Daniel didn't mean anything, that I didn't love anyone but him — but the words wouldn't come out.
Instead, I whispered, "I didn't ask for this marriage either, remember? You think this is easy for me?"
He looked at me sharply. "No, but you didn't have to make it harder."
My eyes filled. "You think I wanted that call? You think I wanted to hurt you?"
He exhaled, looking away. "Then why does it hurt this much, Jay?"
I had no answer.
Because it hurt for me too.
Before I could stop him, he grabbed his jacket, heading for the door.
"Keifer, wait—"
He turned, eyes glistening under the warm hotel light.
"I was dumb, Jay," he said quietly. "Dumb enough to think this marriage was more than a deal. But you just reminded me what it really is."
The door slammed behind him, leaving me in the silence of that candle-lit suite, my heart shattering into a thousand pieces. 💔
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🖤 Keifer's POV 🖤
I walked through the hotel corridor, not caring who saw me. My thoughts were chaos — her voice, that call, the ache in my chest.
Outside, the city lights blurred as the first drops of rain hit the glass doors.
"Dumb," I muttered to myself. "So damn dumb."
Because somewhere between all the sarcasm, the fights, the teasing — I'd fallen for her. Hard.
And now I didn't even know if I could face her without seeing that moment replay in my head.
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💗 Jay's POV 💗
Hours passed.
The rain outside grew heavier.
I sat on the floor, clutching my phone, scrolling through the call log again and again, wishing I could erase that stupid mistake.
Why did Daniel have to call now?
Why did Keifer have to hear that?
Why did my heart hurt this much for someone who wasn't even supposed to matter?
Because he did.
He mattered more than I wanted to admit.
And now… I might've lost him before I even got the chance to say how I really felt. 💔
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✨🌸 End of Chapter 6 🌸✨
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