Jay's POV
The rain followed me home.
It clung to my skin, soaked into my clothes, like it refused to let me forget what happened tonight.
What I saw.
What I didn't say.
I pushed the door open quietly.
Everything was still.
Too still.
For a moment, I let myself believe he was still asleep.
That I had time.
That I could figure out how to say it.
Or if I even should.
"Jay?"
My breath caught.
Keifer stood at the end of the hallway, his voice rough with sleep, eyes half-lidded—but searching.
Always searching.
I forced a small smile. "Hey… I didn't mean to wake you."
He stepped closer.
Slow.
Careful.
Like approaching something fragile.
"You weren't here," he said. Not accusing. Just… stating it.
That hurt more.
"I had to take care of something," I replied, slipping off my jacket, avoiding his eyes.
Silence.
Then—
"You're bleeding."
I froze.
Damn it.
I glanced down. A thin line of red traced along my side where the suit had torn.
"It's nothing," I said quickly.
But Keifer was already in front of me.
Of course he was.
He always is.
His hands were gentle as he lifted my shirt slightly, his jaw tightening the second he saw it.
"They did this to you?"
"It's just a scratch—"
"Jay."
My name.
Soft.
But firm.
The way he says it when he's trying not to break.
I swallowed.
"It's handled," I said.
Another silence.
He didn't move his hands.
Didn't look away.
"You always say that," he murmured.
And there it was.
Not anger.
Not yet.
Just… something deeper.
Something tired.
I gently pulled away. "Keifer—"
"Where were you?"
The question landed heavier this time.
I hesitated.
Too long.
His eyes darkened.
"Jay," he said again, quieter now, "don't lie to me."
I wasn't planning to.
But the truth?
The truth would destroy him.
I turned away, running a hand through my damp hair. "It was just a job. Oliver—"
The moment I said his name—
I felt it.
The shift.
Sharp.
Immediate.
Keifer stilled behind me.
"…Oliver?" he repeated.
I closed my eyes.
Too late.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then—
"And?"
I could hear it now.
That edge.
That storm building under his skin.
"We got him," I said. "It's over."
That part wasn't a lie.
But it wasn't the truth either.
Because the truth was still out there—
Riding away into the night.
Alive.
Breathing.
Untouched.
Keifer stepped closer again.
"Who else was there?"
My chest tightened.
Don't ask that.
Please don't ask that.
"…Jay."
I turned slowly.
And when I saw his face—
I knew.
He already felt it.
That instinct he has.
The one built from years of being left in the dark.
"Someone was there," he said.
Not a question.
A fact.
I stayed silent.
His voice dropped.
"Who?"
My heart was pounding now.
Loud.
Painful.
I could still hear Kaizer's voice in my head.
Does he still look at people like they'll leave?
I clenched my fists.
"I handled it," I said instead.
Wrong answer.
I saw it the second it left my mouth.
Keifer stepped back like I'd hit him.
"You handled it," he repeated quietly.
"I'm trying to protect you—"
"From what?" His voice snapped—not loud, but sharp enough to cut. "From the truth?"
"It's not that simple."
"Then make it simple."
I shook my head. "You don't understand—"
"Then help me understand!"
The room felt smaller.
Tighter.
Like the walls were closing in.
I took a step toward him.
"Keifer—"
"Was he there?"
Everything stopped.
My breath.
My thoughts.
My heartbeat.
"…who?" I asked, even though I knew.
His eyes locked onto mine.
And this time—
There was no softness left.
"My father."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
I couldn't lie.
Not about this.
Not to him.
So I didn't.
"…Yes."
The word barely came out.
But it was enough.
Keifer didn't react right away.
That scared me more than anything.
He just stood there.
Still.
Too still.
Like something inside him had just—
Snapped.
"…Did you kill him?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"No."
A long pause.
"Did he try to kill you?"
"No."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
And then—
"Did you let him go?"
I couldn't speak.
Because that—
That was the truth.
And he saw it.
Of course he did.
A hollow laugh left his lips.
"Of course you did."
"Keifer—"
"You let him walk away," he said, his voice trembling now—not with weakness, but with something raw. "After everything—after what he did—"
"I didn't have a choice—"
"There's always a choice!"
His voice finally broke.
And so did something in me.
"I was thinking about you!" I shot back.
The words hung between us.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Keifer froze.
"What?"
"I was thinking about what it would do to you," I said, my voice unsteady now. "If I killed him. If I took that choice away from you."
"That's not your decision to make."
"I know!"
The confession tore out of me.
"I know, okay? But I saw him and all I could think about was you—as a kid—alone—and I didn't know if killing him would fix anything or just break you more!"
Silence.
Again.
But this time—
It wasn't empty.
It was full.
Of everything we weren't saying.
Keifer's voice dropped to a whisper.
"…What did he say?"
I hesitated.
Then—
"He asked about you."
Keifer flinched.
Barely.
But I saw it.
"He doesn't get to do that," he said, his jaw tightening. "He doesn't get to care now."
"I don't think it was care," I said quietly.
"Then what was it?"
I met his eyes.
And told him the truth.
"He said… it's better that you hate him than become him."
The words settled heavily between us.
Keifer didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't breathe.
And for a second—
I thought he might shatter.
But instead—
He laughed.
Soft.
Broken.
"Yeah," he said. "That sounds like him."
My chest ached.
"Keifer…"
He looked at me.
And this time—
I didn't see anger.
I saw something worse.
Distance.
"You should've told me," he said quietly.
"I was going to—"
"When?"
I didn't have an answer.
Because the truth was—
I didn't know if I ever would have.
He nodded slowly.
Like that confirmed everything.
"I need some air," he said.
"Keifer, wait—"
But he was already walking past me.
Just like—
No.
Not like that.
Not the same.
But it still felt too familiar.
The door opened.
The rain rushed in.
And then—
He was gone.
I stood there.
Alone.
Again.
And for the first time since tonight—
I wasn't thinking about Oliver.
Or Kaizer.
Or revenge.
I was thinking about the look in Keifer's eyes.
And how I might've just become another person who let him down.
Even if I never meant to.
The rain didn't stop.
And neither did the feeling—
That something between us just broke.