Jay's POV
London never rushes to greet anyone.
It simply stands there, composed, watching you arrive like it already knows who you are and what you've come for.
The jet landed smoothly, the soft thud of wheels against the runway pulling me out of my thoughts. I didn't move right away.
Neither did anyone else.
Aurora finally broke the silence. "So… London again."
Sebastian adjusted his jacket. "Smells like old money and bad decisions."
Leo smirked. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Chloe leaned forward from the seat behind me. "I say we survive this trip first, then judge."
I smiled faintly. My friends had a talent for making heavy moments lighter without breaking them.
Eli was already waiting when we disembarked, efficient as ever. "Welcome, ma'am. Cars are ready. Hotel security has been double-checked. No press."
"Perfect," I said. "I like London best when it doesn't stare."
The drive through the city was quiet but not tense. Streetlights blurred into gold streaks against the windows. History and ambition sat side by side, neither trying to outshine the other.
My phone buzzed.
Saved contact.
Keiran.
I froze.
Aurora noticed immediately. She didn't ask.
She just gave my knee a gentle squeeze.
I answered.
"Jay," Keiran's voice came through, softer than I expected, but familiar. Too familiar.
"You're up late," I said quietly.
He snorted. "You're in London. That makes it your problem now."
I smiled despite myself. "How did you know I landed?"
"I always know," he said simply. Then added, like a kid trying to sound older than he was, "Also, flight tracking exists."
"Fair," I said. "So. Why are you calling?"
There was a pause. Not awkward. Heavy.
"Because you deserve to know," Keiran said.
. "And because Keifer would never forgive me if something happened to you and I stayed quiet."
My chest tightened.
Aurora mouthed, Keiran?
I nodded.
"Jay," Keiran continued, "he didn't betray you."
I closed my eyes.
"I know you think that," he rushed on, voice cracking just a little. "I know it looked horrible. It was horrible. But it wasn't real."
"Keiran," I said gently, "you're twelve. You don't have to fix—"
"I know what I'm saying," he interrupted.
Then, softer, "I see things. I hear things. I've seen him break."
The car felt too small.
"He found out that certain people in our family were digging into you," Keiran said.
"Not gossip. Files. Surveillance. If they confirmed how important you were to him…"
He didn't finish the sentence .
"He told me," Keiran whispered, "that loving you openly would be like putting a target on your back."
I pressed my fingers to my forehead.
"So he chose to make me hate him," I said.
"Yes," Keiran replied. "He chose to make you safe."
Silence filled the line.
"He watches the news like you might appear on it," Keiran added quietly. "He flinches when someone says your name. He still has your contact saved… just muted. He calls it 'self-control.' I call it stupid."
Sebastian let out a soft laugh despite himself.
"I yelled at him," Keiran went on. "Told him he was an idiot. Told him hurting you like that wasn't protection, it was self-destruction."
"And what did he say?" I asked.
"That he'd rather be hated than attend your funeral," Keiran said flatly.
Something inside me shattered. Not loudly.
Just… finally.
"I'm sorry," Keiran said quickly. "I didn't mean to make you cry."
I wiped my cheek. "I'm not crying."
Aurora raised an eyebrow.
"Okay," I corrected. "I'm processing aggressively."
That earned a small laugh from Keiran.
"You're still mad at him," he said.
"Yes."
"But you don't hate him," he added.
"No," I admitted.
"Good," Keiran said. "Because he loves you like an idiot."
The call ended quietly, no dramatics. Just truth left sitting between heartbeats.
The car stopped at the hotel.
Inside the elevator, no one spoke for a moment.
Then Chloe broke the silence. "So. Emotional devastation aside… anyone else hungry?"
I laughed. A real laugh. It surprised me.
Leo nodded. "Trauma burns calories."
Aurora smiled softly. "You okay?"
I looked at my reflection in the mirrored walls. Same girl. Different understanding.
"I will be," I said. "Just not tonight."
Later, alone in my suite, London glowing beneath the window, I finally let the tears come. Not messy. Not loud. Just honest.
Keifer hadn't stopped loving me.
He'd just chosen to suffer quietly.
I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
The game wasn't over.
It had just changed rules.
Outside, the city breathed.
And somewhere across London, I knew…
So did he.
.....