Jay's POV
Six months later.
For the first time in a long time—
There was no chaos.
No gunfire.
No fear breathing down my neck.
Just the ocean.
Soft waves rolling in, the sky painted gold and pink as the sun began to set.
And me—
Standing in a white dress.
I looked down at it again, still not fully understanding.
"Keifer… what are you doing?" I whispered under my breath.
Then I stepped forward—
And everything stopped.
They were all there.
Tita Gemma, already teary-eyed. Angelo beside her, trying to act composed but clearly failing. Aries, Keiren, Keigan, Percy—
And then Section E—
Yuri, David, C-in, Felix, Blaster, Drew, Kit, Mayo, Josh, Eman, Calix, Denzel, Rory, Edrix—
Loud, smiling, watching.
And the girls—
Freya, Ella, Grace, Rakki—
Practically vibrating with excitement.
But then—
My people.
My family.
Mia stood with her arms crossed but a soft smile on her face. Brooke next to her, already emotional. Andrew, calm but watching everything closely like always.
Drake—
Of course—
Grinning like he'd been waiting for this moment his entire life.
And beside him—
Alys.
Her hand slipped into his, smiling warmly at me like she already belonged.
And honestly?
She did.
My chest tightened.
Because this—
This was everyone.
Everyone who mattered.
"…What is this?" I asked softly.
No one answered.
They just looked behind me.
So I turned.
And there he was.
Keifer.
Dressed in white, standing against the ocean breeze like something out of a dream I never thought I'd get to live.
My heart—
Completely gone.
He walked toward me slowly, like he didn't want to rush a single second of this.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey…" I breathed.
"You look…" he paused, smiling softly, "dangerously beautiful."
I laughed quietly. "That's new."
"I'm serious," he said.
I could tell.
That made it worse.
Better.
Everything.
He reached for my hands, grounding both of us.
"Jay," he started, his voice softer now, deeper.
And just like that—
I knew.
"I spent most of my life thinking I'd end up alone," he said. "Or worse… becoming someone I didn't want to be."
My grip on his hands tightened.
"But then you came into my life," he continued. "And you didn't just stay—you fought for me. You chose me. Again and again."
My vision blurred.
"I don't think I ever said this properly," he added, his voice unsteady for the first time, "but you saved me."
"Keifer…" I whispered.
He shook his head gently.
"Let me do this right."
And then—
He stepped back.
Dropped to one knee.
Gasps erupted behind me.
My heart completely stopped.
"Jay Mariano," he said, pulling out a ring, his eyes locked on mine, "you are everything I never thought I deserved… but somehow got anyway."
Tears spilled freely now.
"You're my peace. My chaos. My home."
Behind me, I could already hear Brooke crying and Drake whispering, "FINALLY," while Alys laughed softly.
"I don't want a future that doesn't have you in it," Keifer said. "No more running. No more almost losing each other."
He took a breath.
Then—
"Will you marry me?"
Time froze.
The world faded.
It was just him.
Just us.
I let out a breath that turned into a shaky laugh, tears falling nonstop.
"Yes," I whispered.
He blinked.
Like he needed to hear it again.
So I stepped closer, hands gripping his.
"Yes," I said again, stronger.
Then I shook my head, smiling through tears.
"Yes… a million times, yes."
The moment the words left my lips—
Everything exploded.
Cheers.
Shouting.
Pure chaos.
Keifer stood quickly, slipping the ring onto my finger before pulling me into a kiss—
Deep.
Certain.
Forever.
Everyone rushed us at once.
Mia hugged me tightly, whispering, "About time." Brooke was full-on crying. Andrew gave Keifer a firm nod—the kind that meant more than words.
Drake whooped loudly, pulling Alys with him. "I CALLED THIS MONTHS AGO," he shouted.
Alys laughed, hugging me right after. "Welcome to the chaos," she said warmly.
"I've BEEN in the chaos," I laughed.
Section E was losing it—Blaster yelling, Drew hyping everything up, Felix pretending he wasn't emotional, Yuri recording the whole thing—
And the girls?
Screaming.
Actually screaming.
Tita Gemma pulled me into a tight hug, tears falling freely. "You deserve this," she whispered.
Keifer found me again through the crowd, pulling me gently back into him, his forehead resting against mine.
"Guess you're stuck with me now," he murmured.
I smiled, my hand tightening in his.
"Good," I said softly. "Because I chose you… a million times."
The sun dipped lower.
The waves kept moving.
And surrounded by everyone we loved—
For the first time—
It felt like nothing could take this away.