Chapter 117– Goodbyes
Location:
Mansion, Bengaluru
Time:
8:00 PM
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The graduation ceremony was over.
---
The photographs had been taken.
---
The speeches had been given.
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The tears had been hidden.
---
And now—
everyone was gathered around the longest dining table the mansion had ever seen.
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Because apparently every person they had ever loved had decided to attend dinner.
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The Table
At one end sat:
Angelo.
Keigan.
Keiren.
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Nearby:
Grace.
Denzel.
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And between them—
the greatest menace present.
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Grazel Jay.
Age: 6.
Occupation: Chaos.
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JJ's goddaughter.
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The tiny human had somehow already stolen three desserts.
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Nobody knew how.
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Not even Grazel.
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Tita Gemma
At the center sat Tita Gemma.
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The woman who had unofficially adopted half the people at this table.
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And officially adopted none.
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Yet somehow everyone listened to her.
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Even Angelo.
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Sometimes.
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The Food
The table was overflowing.
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Filipino dishes.
Indian dishes.
Desserts.
Drinks.
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Everything.
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Because if there was one thing these people knew how to do—
it was feed each other.
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The Conversation
The noise was incredible.
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Multiple conversations.
Multiple arguments.
Multiple disasters.
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Perfect.
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Grazel
Grazel climbed into JJ's lap.
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Immediately.
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"Godmother."
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"Yes?"
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"Can I have another dessert?"
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"No."
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"Please?"
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"No."
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Grazel turned toward Keifer.
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"Future godfather?"
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Keifer nearly choked.
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The table exploded laughing.
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JJ
"DENZEL."
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"Not my child."
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"It IS your child."
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Grace was laughing too hard to help.
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Meanwhile
At the other side of the table—
Care was finally relaxed.
---
No hospital.
No exams.
No assignments.
---
Just family.
---
And for once—
she felt peaceful.
---
Which should have been a warning.
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Because peace never lasted around these people.
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The Question
It started with Keiren.
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Unfortunately.
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The teenager looked around thoughtfully.
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Then asked:
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"So."
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Silence.
---
The dangerous kind.
---
"JJ and Keifer are engaged."
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Everyone nodded.
---
"Yes."
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Then
Keiren pointed.
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Directly.
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At Cole.
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And Care.
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The entire table froze.
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Oh No
"Oh."
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Keiren smiled.
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"When are these two getting married?"
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Dead silence.
---
Absolute silence.
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The kind of silence that appears before disasters.
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Care
Care nearly inhaled water.
---
Wrong pipe.
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Very wrong pipe.
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Cole
Cole calmly continued drinking coffee.
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Which somehow made everything worse.
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The Reactions
JJ immediately sat upright.
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Aera nearly fell off her chair.
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Lyra covered her face.
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Rhys looked interested.
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Alex looked entertained.
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Keifer looked ready to watch chaos unfold.
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Grazel
Little Grazel gasped.
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"They're getting married?"
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"No."
Care answered immediately.
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"Not yet."
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The entire table exploded.
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Care
She froze.
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Realizing what she had just said.
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JJ
JJ stood up.
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Pointing dramatically.
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"NOT YET."
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"JASPER JEAN MARIANO."
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"EVERYBODY HEARD IT."
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Aera
Aera was crying.
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Actually crying.
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Because she was laughing too hard.
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Then Came Angelo
Angelo took a sip of water.
---
Looked at Cole.
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Then said casually:
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"I am curious too."
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Silence.
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Everyone turned.
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Because Angelo.
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The terrifying Angelo.
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Had joined.
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Cole
For the first time all evening—
Cole looked mildly uncomfortable.
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A rare sight.
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A historic sight.
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Angelo
"When?"
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The entire table leaned forward.
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Every single person.
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Even Grazel.
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Especially Grazel.
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Tita Gemma
Then Tita Gemma joined.
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Of course she did.
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She looked directly at Care.
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And smiled.
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The dangerous motherly smile.
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The one no human could survive.
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The Attack
"Care."
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"No."
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"When?"
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"No."
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"He's handsome."
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"Tita."
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"Rich."
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"Tita."
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"Protective."
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"Tita."
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"Responsible."
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"TITA."
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The entire table was losing control.
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Grazel
The tiny menace suddenly stood on her chair.
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And announced:
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"I CAN BE FLOWER GIRL."
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Nobody survived.
---
Nobody.
---
Keifer
Even Keifer was bent over laughing.
---
JJ was literally hiding behind him.
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Grace had tears in her eyes.
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Denzel was useless.
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Completely useless.
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Cole
Then everyone looked at Cole.
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Waiting.
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Watching.
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Hoping.
---
The CEO looked around the table.
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At all the grinning faces.
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At Care.
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At the chaos.
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Then finally said:
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"Why is everyone looking at me?"
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The room exploded again.
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Dinner never recovered.
---
The topic never died.
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The teasing continued for hours.
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And by midnight—
the official family consensus had been reached.
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JJ & Keifer
Confirmed.
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Rhys & Aera
Basically confirmed.
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Care & Cole
Hopeless.
---
Absolutely hopeless.
---
According to everyone present.
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Except Care and Cole.
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Who remained in complete denial.
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Unfortunately for them—
their entire family had already decided otherwise.
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And judging by the smiles around the table—
they had absolutely no intention of letting it go.
🖤😂🍽️🎓✨👨👩👧👦💕
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The Next Morning
The mansion was quiet.
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Too quiet.
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And everyone hated it.
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Because today wasn't a celebration.
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Today was goodbye.
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Not forever.
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Never forever.
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But still goodbye.
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And somehow—
those were always the hardest.
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The Living Room
Suitcases stood near the entrance.
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Bags.
Backpacks.
Travel pillows.
Passports.
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Evidence that people were leaving.
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And nobody liked seeing it.
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Especially not JJ.
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JJ
She sat on the sofa.
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Silent.
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Which immediately worried everyone.
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Because silence from JJ was unnatural.
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Suspicious.
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Dangerous.
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Almost illegal.
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Care
Care sat beside her.
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Without speaking.
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Without asking.
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Just there.
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The same way she had been there two years ago.
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When JJ remembered nothing.
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When she didn't know her own name.
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When her world had been empty.
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JJ
She leaned her head onto Care's shoulder.
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Like she had done hundreds of times before.
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And quietly said:
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"I don't want to go."
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Care smiled softly.
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"I know."
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And somehow—
that made it worse.
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Lyra
Lyra joined them.
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Immediately.
---
The three sat together.
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Exactly like they used to.
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Roommates.
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Sisters.
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Family.
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Not by blood.
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By choice.
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The Hug
JJ suddenly wrapped both arms around Care and Lyra.
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Refusing to let go.
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Absolutely refusing.
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Aera
Aera walked past.
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Saw it.
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Then silently joined.
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Nobody invited her.
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Nobody needed to.
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Now four women were hugging in the middle of the living room.
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Nobody questioned it.
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The Others
Elsewhere—
goodbyes were happening too.
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Aries & Ella
Standing together.
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Holding hands.
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Talking quietly about future plans.
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About Manila.
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About what came next.
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Yuri
Yuri was pretending he wasn't emotional.
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Failing.
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Very badly.
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Percy & Honey
Honey was already crying.
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Percy was trying not to.
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Neither succeeded.
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Freya & Edrix
Freya announced:
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"If anyone ruins my makeup with tears, I'll sue."
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Then immediately cried herself.
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Mica & Calix
They stood together quietly.
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No dramatic words.
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No speeches.
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Just understanding.
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Sometimes that was enough.
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Cin & Rakhi
Cin was trying to act tough.
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Nobody believed him.
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Not even Cin.
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Grace
Grace held Grazel's hand.
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Watching everyone.
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Smiling softly.
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Because somehow—
these people had become family too.
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Grazel
The six-year-old looked around.
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Then asked:
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"Why is everybody sad?"
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Silence.
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Because nobody knew how to answer.
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Denzel
Denzel eventually crouched beside her.
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"We're not sad."
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"Then why are they crying?"
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Nobody recovered.
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The Departure
Cars slowly began arriving.
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One by one.
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The reality settled.
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This was happening.
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Keifer
Then came another reality.
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Keifer wasn't even going with JJ.
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He was leaving with Cole.
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For London.
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Business.
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Family matters.
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A different road.
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A different destination.
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For now.
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JJ
That realization finally broke her.
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Not dramatically.
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Not loudly.
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Just quietly.
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And somehow—
that hurt more.
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The Hug
She walked toward Keifer.
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Stopped.
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Then hugged him.
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Tightly.
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Very tightly.
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The kind of hug that says:
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> Don't leave yet.
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Even when you know they have to.
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Keifer
His arms wrapped around her instantly.
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Protective.
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Gentle.
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Familiar.
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JJ
"What if I miss you?"
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"You will."
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"That's rude."
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Keifer smiled.
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"Then call me."
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JJ buried her face in his chest.
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Refusing to let go.
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Again.
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The Promise
Keifer kissed her forehead.
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"I'll be back before you know it."
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JJ pointed.
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"You better."
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Meanwhile
Outside.
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Near the cars.
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Another goodbye was happening.
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A quieter one.
---
Care & Cole
Neither had sought the other.
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Yet somehow—
they ended up alone near the garden.
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Like always.
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Silence
The morning wind moved softly around them.
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Neither spoke immediately.
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Because some conversations didn't need rushing.
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Care
"You'll be gone for a while."
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Cole nodded.
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"Probably."
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She hated that answer.
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More than she expected.
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The Truth
For a moment—
neither looked away.
---
Neither joked.
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Neither hid.
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Care
"Be careful."
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Simple words.
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But not simple at all.
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Cole
Something softened in his expression.
---
Very slightly.
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Only enough for her to notice.
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"I always am."
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Care immediately rolled her eyes.
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"Liar."
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The smile that followed was small.
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Real.
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Dangerous.
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Because she liked it far too much.
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Then
Cole reached into his pocket.
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And handed her something.
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A small silver keychain.
---
Simple.
---
Elegant.
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Nothing expensive.
---
Nothing flashy.
---
Just a tiny silver star.
---
Care
She stared.
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Confused.
---
Cole
"You like looking at stars."
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Her heart forgot how to function.
---
Immediately.
---
Care
For once—
she didn't have a sarcastic response.
---
Didn't have a comeback.
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Didn't have a shield.
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Just silence.
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The Goodbye
The cars were starting.
---
People were calling names.
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Time was running out.
---
Cole
"Take care of yourself."
---
His voice was quiet.
---
Steady.
---
But something about it felt different.
---
Care
"You too."
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A pause.
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Then:
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"Don't disappear again."
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The words slipped out before she could stop them.
---
Cole looked at her.
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Really looked at her.
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And for a second—
everything else disappeared.
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The noise.
The people.
The world.
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Just two people standing there.
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His Answer
"I'll come back."
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No joke.
---
No teasing.
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No smile.
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Just certainty.
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And somehow—
she believed him.
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Completely.
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Eventually—
the cars began moving.
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One by one.
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People waving from windows.
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Laughing.
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Crying.
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Shouting promises.
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Promises to call.
Promises to visit.
Promises to stay family.
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And as the last car disappeared down the road—
the mansion suddenly felt much bigger.
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Much quieter.
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Much emptier.
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Care stood there holding the small silver star.
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Watching the road long after everyone had gone.
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And somewhere on another road—
Cole looked back once through the car window.
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Toward the mansion.
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Toward the people he'd leave behind.
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Toward one person in particular.
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Then the road turned.
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And both disappeared from each other's sight.
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For now.
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Because some goodbyes aren't endings.
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They're simply pauses.
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Before the next chapter begins.
🖤✨🚗🌅⭐
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Bengaluru
The mansion felt wrong.
---
Not empty.
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Wrong.
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Because for two years there had always been noise.
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JJ screaming.
Percy complaining.
Yuri arguing.
Freya being dramatic.
Keifer flirting.
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Now?
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Nothing.
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Just silence.
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And Care hated it.
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The Problem
The problem wasn't that people had left.
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The problem was that she missed them.
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All of them.
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Especially one very annoying CEO.
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Which was irritating.
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Extremely irritating.
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Living Room
Lyra and Alex were sitting together.
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Working.
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Or pretending to.
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Because Alex kept looking at Lyra instead of his laptop.
---
And Lyra kept pretending not to notice.
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Enter Care
Care walked in.
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Saw them.
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And immediately chose violence.
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"Oh."
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Alex sighed.
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"No."
---
"Is this a workplace or a staring competition?"
---
Lyra threw a cushion.
---
Care dodged.
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Professionally.
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Round Two
Care sat down.
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Grinning.
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"Alex."
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"No."
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"How many times have you looked at Lyra today?"
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Alex didn't answer.
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Which was an answer.
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Lyra
For once—
Lyra was the one blushing.
---
A rare sight.
---
A very rare sight.
---
Care immediately took a picture.
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The Distraction
Truthfully—
she knew exactly what she was doing.
---
Because every time her mind became quiet—
it wandered.
---
Toward London.
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Toward a certain person.
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Toward silver stars.
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Toward promises.
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And she wasn't ready for that.
---
Not yet.
---
Meanwhile
Somewhere Above Europe
A private jet cut through the clouds.
---
Inside—
the cabin was unusually quiet.
---
Keifer sat near the window.
---
Cole sat across from him.
---
Coffee in hand.
---
As usual.
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The Brothers
For a while—
neither spoke.
---
Watching the clouds.
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Watching the world pass beneath them.
---
Keifer
Then he broke the silence.
---
"What do you want?"
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Cole looked up.
---
"What?"
---
"The future."
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A pause.
---
"What do you actually want?"
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Silence
For a moment—
Cole didn't answer.
---
Because people rarely asked him that.
---
Most people asked about companies.
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Money.
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Power.
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Plans.
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Not dreams.
---
Keifer
"I know what I want."
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Cole raised an eyebrow.
---
"JJ."
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The answer came instantly.
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Without hesitation.
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Without doubt.
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Keifer Continued
"A home."
---
"A family."
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"Kids."
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"Her."
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Simple.
---
Certain.
---
Cole
A small smile appeared.
---
"You've thought about it."
---
"Obviously."
---
Keifer looked offended.
---
"I already named my future children."
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Cole immediately regretted asking.
---
Then
The smile faded slightly.
---
And Keifer asked quietly:
---
"What about you?"
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The Question
The cabin became still.
---
The engines hummed softly.
---
Clouds drifted outside.
---
And for the first time—
Cole answered honestly.
---
Cole Watson
"I used to think I didn't need anything."
---
His voice was calm.
---
Steady.
---
"I had work."
---
"My company."
---
"Responsibilities."
---
"That was enough."
---
Keifer
"But?"
---
The Truth
Cole looked out the window.
---
Toward the endless sky.
---
And smiled.
---
A real one.
---
Rare.
---
Dangerous.
---
Because it revealed too much.
---
His Words
"Then she happened."
---
Keifer already knew.
---
Of course he knew.
---
Everybody knew.
---
Even the furniture probably knew.
---
Cole
"Care is..."
---
He stopped.
---
Searching for words.
---
Which was unusual.
---
Cole always had answers.
---
Finally
"Different."
---
The word sounded too small.
---
Too simple.
---
For what he meant.
---
He Continued
"She's stubborn."
---
Keifer laughed.
---
"Very."
---
"Impossible."
---
"Definitely."
---
"Annoying."
---
"Frequently."
---
Then
The smile softened.
---
"But she's also the first person who sees me as just..."
---
A pause.
---
"Me."
---
Silence filled the cabin.
---
Cole
"Not Watson."
---
"Not a CEO."
---
"Not a responsibility."
---
"Just me."
---
His gaze drifted toward the clouds again.
---
And for the first time—
his voice became quieter.
---
Almost vulnerable.
---
The Confession
"She's become..."
---
Another pause.
---
"Someone else entirely."
---
Someone irreplaceable.
---
Someone dangerous to lose.
---
Someone who somehow became home.
---
Then
Cole exhaled softly.
---
And finally said the words.
---
The words he'd never spoken aloud before.
---
Not to anyone.
---
Cole Watson
"I'm in love with her."
---
Silence.
---
Pure silence.
---
The engines continued humming.
---
The clouds continued drifting.
---
The world continued moving.
---
But something had changed.
---
Because for the first time—
Cole Watson had admitted it.
---
Keifer
He stared.
---
Then grinned.
---
Slowly.
---
Very slowly.
---
Cole
"What?"
---
Keifer
"Nothing."
---
The grin grew.
---
"Wifey is going to be insufferable when she finds out."
---
Cole closed his eyes.
---
Immediately.
---
Regretting everything.
---
Thousands of miles away—
Care sat in the mansion.
---
Absentmindedly spinning the tiny silver star keychain between her fingers.
---
Thinking about someone she definitely wasn't missing.
---
Absolutely not.
---
Not at all.
---
And above the clouds—
Cole stared out the airplane window.
---
Thinking about someone he absolutely was.
---
Neither knew what the other was feeling.
---
Neither knew they were thinking the same thing.
---
But fate knew.
---
And somewhere far away—
it smiled.
🖤✈️⭐✨🌙