Jay's pov:
Use it if you ever feel like something bad has happened to me.
My chest tightened.
This wasn't just "something bad."
I straightened suddenly. "Keifer."
He turned immediately. "What is it?"
"We need to go. Now."
He frowned. "Go where? Jay, Keigan just—"
"I know," I interrupted, already moving. "But trust me. We have to go home. My house. Right now."
He stepped closer. "Jay, what are you talking about? What happened?"
I shook my head, panic bubbling inside me. "I can't explain. Not here. Just—please. Come."
Elara, who had been quietly standing near the door, looked at my face and instantly understood something was wrong. "Jay…?"
"Come with us," I said, grabbing her wrist without thinking. "Please."
Keifer hesitated for only a second before nodding. "Okay. Let's go."
The ride felt endless.
Keifer kept glancing at me from the driver's seat. "Jay, you're scaring me. What do you know?"
"Just drive," I whispered, fingers digging into my palms. "Please."
When we reached my house, I jumped out before the car even fully stopped.
"Wait here," I said quickly. "Both of you. Don't come in.
Before they could argue, I ran inside.
Keifer's pov:
She stepped out of the car, shut the door with a sharp thud, and walked straight into the house like she already knew what she was about to face.
That alone told me everything.
I moved after her immediately.
Not because I didn't trust her.
Because she had told me not to follow.
And that scared the hell out of me.
My hand was already on the gate when Elara stepped into my path.
"She said not to," Elara said.
I didn't stop.
"Move."
"She looked at you," Elara continued, voice steady, "and she asked you not to follow."
That made me halt for half a second.
Then the fear snapped into anger.
"You think I don't know what that means?" I shot back. "When Jay tells me not to come, it means she's about to do something reckless."
"She knows what she's doing."
I let out a sharp breath, pacing once. "No. She knows what she has to do. There's a difference."
I took another step toward the door.
Elara didn't move.
"Keifer," she warned.
"I'm not staying out here," I snapped. "I trust her. That's exactly why I won't let her face something alone."
That's when Elara changed.
The calm vanished.
Her eyes hardened, spine straightening like a blade pulled free.
I'd seen anger before—mine, Keigan's, even Jay's.
But this… this was different.
Quiet, controlled, predatory.
Like a lion that hadn't roared yet but already decided the fight was over.
"ENOUGH."
The sound hit me like a wall.
"You think trust means hovering?" she barked. "She didn't ask you to guard her. She asked you to wait."
I stared at her, stunned for a split second.
Elara stepped closer, voice rising, sharp and unyielding.
"She knows you'll run in if she falters. That's why she drew the line. And if you cross it, you're not protecting her—you're disrespecting her."
My jaw clenched.
"I'm not afraid for myself," I said through my teeth. "I'm afraid for her."
"And she knows that," Elara snapped back. "Which is why she trusted you with restraint."
Silence fell hard between us.
I dragged a hand through my hair, chest tight, anger slowly collapsing into forced control.
I hated this.
I hated standing still.
But I hated the idea of breaking her trust more.
Finally, I stepped back.
"Five minutes," I muttered. "I'm not going anywhere."
Elara nodded once, still breathing hard. "She won't need even that."
I leaned against the car, eyes never leaving the door.
Trusting Jay wasn't the issue.
It was learning when loving her meant staying exactly where she left me.
Jay's pov:
My room felt unfamiliar, like it didn't belong to me anymore. I rushed to the cupboard, opening drawers, throwing clothes aside, my heart racing.
"Where is it… where did I keep it…" I muttered, panic rising.
I dropped to my knees, checking under the bed, inside bags, pockets, books. Nothing.
My breathing grew shallow.
No. No. No.
Then I saw it.
Tucked in the far corner of my almirah, half-hidden behind an old box.
I lunged for it.
The key.
My fingers closed around it like it was alive.
Without wasting another second, I ran back outside.
Keifer straightened the moment he saw it in my hand. "What is that?"
"A key," I said, breathless. "And I think it's meant for Keigan."
"Watson house now"
I didn't explain anything even when we reached Keifer's house.
The moment we stepped inside, I turned to him sharply. "Where's Keigan's room?"
"What?" he asked, stunned. "Jay, what's going on?"
"Just tell me," I snapped, urgency overriding everything.
He pointed upstairs. "First floor. Last room."
We barely took two steps when a voice echoed from behind us.
"Jay… don't."
We turned.
Keigan stood at the entrance.
But it didn't feel like him.
His hair was disheveled, eyes wild, breathing uneven. His hands trembled violently, fingers clenching and unclenching like he was trying to hold himself together.
"Don't go there," he whispered, shaking his head. "Please… don't."
My chest hurt at the sight of him like this.
But something inside me stayed firm.
I looked at Elara. "Can you stop him?"
She didn't ask how. She didn't ask why.
She nodded. "Go."
As Keigan suddenly lashed out, punching the wall, shouting incoherently, Elara moved without hesitation—blocking his path, grounding him, speaking calmly but firmly, keeping his attention on her.
I trusted her.
I turned and ran upstairs with Keifer.
Inside the room, I held up the key again. "Do you know this?"
He shook his head slowly. "No."
"Then help me find where it fits."
We searched everywhere—drawers, cupboards, shelves.
Nothing.
Then I remembered.
"Under the bed," I whispered.
We crouched down, and my fingers brushed against something heavy.
A trunk.
We dragged it out together.
I knelt in front of it, my hands trembling.
"This key," I said quietly, "Keigan gave it to me at the hospital. He said to use it if something bad happened to him."
Keifer stared at the trunk, shock written all over his face.
I inserted the key.
It fit perfectly.
The lock clicked.
And as I lifted the lid—
Everything changed.
(Huahaha..... Author leave you with suspense 😜😜😁)