Chapter 57 – The Night JJ Disappeared
The mansion slept peacefully.
Too peacefully.
Like the universe was being cruel on purpose.
12:47 AM.
The digital clock beside JJ's bed glowed faintly in the darkness while she sat motionless on the floor.
Her suitcase was small.
Smaller than it should've been for someone leaving everything behind.
Because this wasn't a trip.
And deep down—
JJ knew it.
---
Her hands trembled slightly while folding clothes.
Not from fear alone anymore.
The dizziness had gotten worse tonight.
Her vision blurred randomly every few minutes.
Twice she had to stop moving because the room tilted too hard.
But she kept going.
Because if she stopped—
she wouldn't leave.
And if she didn't leave—
she would stay long enough to watch Keifer break piece by piece beside her.
She couldn't do that to him.
Couldn't.
---
The Room
JJ stood slowly in the middle of her room afterward.
And looked around.
Really looked.
The messy bookshelf.
The stolen hoodies.
The photos.
The tiny scratches on the desk from Percy dropping dumbbells there once.
The blanket Keigan spilled juice on.
The balcony Keifer climbed through like a criminal every other night.
Home.
Her home.
Her throat tightened painfully.
Because she suddenly realized something horrifying.
She would miss this place even after death.
---
Her eyes landed on the desk.
And the letters sitting there.
Several envelopes.
Each with shaky handwriting.
Some cleaner than others.
Some visibly ruined slightly by water stains.
Tears.
There were letters for everyone.
Percy.
Aries.
Angelo.
Tita Gemma.
Section E.
Her girls.
And—
Keifer.
The biggest one.
Folded carefully despite how messy the writing looked.
Some sentences scratched out.
Some words rewritten.
Like she couldn't decide how to say goodbye properly to the person she loved most.
In the end—
she wrote them anyway.
Even if the words probably weren't enough.
Nothing would ever be enough for him.
---
JJ stared at Keifer's letter for the longest time.
Then carefully touched it once.
Softly.
Like touching him.
Her chest hurt immediately.
"…sorry," she whispered.
And this time—
there was nobody around to hear it.
---
What She Took
She packed lightly.
Cash.
Documents.
Medicine.
Clothes.
Care's and Lyra's letters.
That was important.
She couldn't leave those behind.
If anyone saw them—
they'd know.
India.
Ahmedabad.
Hope.
She couldn't risk anyone following her.
Especially Keifer.
Because if he came—
she knew herself well enough already.
She would stay.
---
Then her eyes landed on one more thing.
Keifer's hoodie.
Still carrying his scent faintly.
JJ held it against herself for a second before stuffing it carefully into her bag.
After that—
she grabbed Snorlax.
Her Snorlax.
The same one everyone teased her endlessly about.
The same one she slept with almost every night.
The same one that silently carried every version of her.
Happy.
Sick.
Lonely.
In love.
JJ hugged it tightly to her chest.
"…you're coming with me, okay?"
Her voice broke halfway through the sentence.
---
The Phone
Then came the hardest part.
Her phone.
JJ stared at it silently.
Photos.
Messages.
Group chats.
Voice notes.
Keifer's calls.
Percy's spam.
Cin's nonsense.
Aries pretending not to care through ten missed calls.
Her entire life existed inside this device.
And she had to leave it behind.
Because if she carried it—
they would find her.
Eventually.
---
Her fingers hovered over Keifer's contact for a dangerously long time.
One call.
That's all it would take.
One call and she would collapse completely.
One "wifey" from him—
and this entire plan would die instantly.
So instead—
JJ slowly turned the phone off.
Placed it gently beside the letters.
And stepped away before she could change her mind.
---
Leaving the Mansion
The hallway outside was dark.
Silent.
JJ walked slowly.
Carefully.
One hand against the wall occasionally when dizziness hit too hard.
She stopped outside Percy's room first.
Could hear faint snoring inside.
JJ smiled weakly through tears.
"…bye, idiot."
Then Aries's room.
Silence.
Of course.
That man slept like a military commander preparing for war.
"…don't be too angry," she whispered softly.
Then Angelo's office downstairs.
Light still on under the door.
Working late again.
JJ's eyes softened.
"…thank you for staying."
And finally—
Tita Gemma's room.
JJ almost cried again there.
Because Tita Gemma loved quietly.
The gentlest kind of love.
The kind that makes leaving unbearable.
---
At the mansion entrance—
JJ stopped moving completely.
One last look.
One last breath.
One last moment as part of this home.
Then—
she walked away.
---
Airport
By the time she reached the airport—
her body felt terrifyingly weak.
The bright lights hurt her eyes.
Noise blurred together strangely.
Twice she almost stumbled completely.
But somehow—
somehow—
she made it through.
Ticket purchased.
Ahmedabad, India.
Departure before dawn.
She bought herself new phone to call Care or Lyra once she reach there.
---
While waiting—
JJ sat alone near the terminal window holding Snorlax tightly.
Watching airplanes move slowly through the dark.
Completely alone for the first time in months.
And suddenly—
the reality hit fully.
She had actually done it.
She left.
Without telling them.
Without letting Keifer hold her one more time.
Without hearing Percy scream dramatically.
Without Aries glaring protectively.
Without Cin hugging her.
Without Section E chaos.
Without home.
---
Tears rolled down silently again.
JJ wiped them quickly.
Then stood slowly when boarding began.
One hand gripping her suitcase.
The other holding Snorlax.
And hidden inside her bag—
Care's and Lyra's letters waited quietly beside the tiny fragile hope that had dragged her across the world tonight.
Hope that maybe—
if fate was merciful for once—
this wouldn't become her final goodbye after all.