8 Hours Before
Jay-jay (POV)
After crying so much, everyone tried to comfort me…and later, Kiefer and Cole brought food. Real food. Not hospital food that makes me feel sick just by looking at it.
"Hmm…it tastes so good," I said happily before hearing a chuckle nearby.
"What?" I asked, looking at them suspiciously.
"Didn't you cry your heart out just a while ago? Now you're eating like it's your first time tasting food," Percy said, laughing.
"I used too much energy crying. I need to recharge," I replied proudly.
"But isn't it cruel that you're eating in front of me when I can't even eat?" Jare complained dramatically from the bed.
"Hm…maybe that's why it tastes even better," I teased, making Percy burst out laughing before giving me a high-five.
"Eat and choke," Jare said while throwing a pillow at us.
"You literally eat all the junk food in London," Aries said while shaking his head.
"But the only good thing in London is the food," Percy argued instantly.
And just like that, we continued eating together, the room slowly filling with laughter instead of fear.
Then Cole Kuya suddenly returned, carrying ice cream cups.
My eyes widened instantly.
Wow.
Eating was truly the best thing in life.
Problems melted faster than ice cream when food was involved.
I happily ate while everyone continued talking around me.
Then I noticed something strange.
They were communicating with their eyes.
Small signs.
Tiny nods.
Suspicious silence.
I narrowed my eyes while eating.
What are these people plotting now?
But honestly…
The ice cream was more important.
"Jay," Clyden Kuya suddenly said.
"Hm?" I hummed without looking up.
I could already feel the atmosphere changing.
"What did you talk about with Cassian?"
And there it was.
Even without looking at them, I could feel every single eye on me.
I slowly stopped eating.
"Nothing much," I answered carefully. "I just thanked him."
"Jay…" Clyden said softly while holding my hand. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
I finally looked at Kiefer.
If he found out Cassian asked me to go with him…
No.
Kiefer would lose control.
And honestly?
Why would I ever choose someone else when my whole heart already belonged to him?
"Nothing else," I lied quietly.
Clyden tightened his hold on my hand slightly before glancing at Kiefer.
"Kiefer," he called calmly. "Can you get my Laptop from outside?"
Kiefer looked at him for a moment.
Then at me.
His eyes softened slightly before he nodded and walked out silently.
The second the door closed—
"Now tell me the truth," Clyden said immediately.
"Clyden, Kuya…" I sighed.
"Jay," he interrupted gently. "I know you're lying. And I know Cassian better than anyone here. If you don't tell us what he said, it'll be harder to understand what he wants."
I stared at my melting ice cream dramatically.
Then sighed again.
"Okay…you win."
The room instantly became quieter.
"He asked me to choose him," I admitted. "He said he could protect me better."
Silence.
Even Percy stopped moving.
"What did you say? Cole, Kuya?" asked carefully.
I blinked at him.
"Isn't the answer obvious?" I asked while shrugging. "Why would I choose him when I already have Kiefer?"
Then I smiled a little.
"I only love Kiefer."
The room exploded into laughter.
I frowned immediately.
"What is wrong with all of you?!" I complained while glaring at them.
"Nothing," Clyden said while trying—and completely failing—not to laugh.
Then Angelo leaned back against the couch and looked at me with disappointment.
"You really attract dangerous people like a magnet," he said.
I rolled my eyes and looked down to continue eating my ice cream.
Then froze.
"Wait."
The cup was empty.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
I turned to the person beside me.
Percy was eating suspiciously fast while avoiding eye contact.
"Percy," I said dangerously.
"What?" he asked coolly.
I pointed at his cup. "Isn't that mine?"
Percy paused.
Then, they continued eating calmly. "It was melting."
"So you ate it?!"
"I didn't want to waste food."
"So what am I supposed to eat now?!"
Percy looked at his spoon thoughtfully, as if he were trying to solve world hunger.
"Don't cry," he said dramatically. "I'll buy you a new one."
Then he grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside.
Kiefer (POV)
I already knew why they wanted me outside.
Clyden only asked for the laptop because he wanted to talk to Jay alone.
He knew she wouldn't tell the truth in front of me.
Because the moment Cassian's name entered the conversation…
I stopped thinking rationally.
But instead of leaving completely, I stayed near the door.
Silent.
Listening through the small gap left half-open.
Then I heard it.
"He asked me to choose him."
The second those words left Jay's mouth, something dark twisted inside me.
Choose him?
That bastard actually had the nerve—
For one dangerous second, all I could think about was dragging Cassian outside and ending everything with my own hands.
But then Jay spoke again.
"Why would I choose him when I only love Kiefer?"
And suddenly…
Everything stopped.
The anger.
The noise in my head.
The fear is clawing at my chest.
All of it disappeared so fast it almost hurt.
Because her voice sounded so sure.
So certain.
Like, there was never even another option.
I closed my eyes briefly and leaned my head against the wall.
God.
This woman was going to ruin me completely.
Then I heard movement inside the room.
Jay was coming out.
I immediately pushed myself away from the wall and slipped into the empty room beside ours before she noticed me listening like some obsessed psychopath.
A few minutes later, the door opened again.
Cole entered first.
Angelo followed behind him.
The second they saw me, the atmosphere changed.
Heavy.
Quiet.
Cole leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
"So what are we going to do now?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Honestly…
Part of me was still stuck on Jay's words.
I only love Kiefer.
My chest tightened again.
"What kind of stupid question is that?" Angelo said flatly. "Of course, we're going to show them exactly who they messed with."
I stayed quiet.
Because another thought kept repeating in my head instead.
What can I do to make Jay feel safe with me again?
Not protected.
Safe.
There was a difference.
"Then what about Jay?" Cole asked after a moment.
That finally pulled me back.
I rubbed my jaw slowly before answering.
"We handle it in secret. Like always."
Cole's expression darkened slightly.
"I don't want Jare, Percy, or Aries involved in this again," Angelo continued. "Especially after what happened."
"They'll find out eventually," Cole muttered.
"Then we make sure it's too late for them to stop us," Angelo replied coldly.
Silence filled the room again.
Then Angelo looked at me.
"Kiefer," he called quietly. "What do you think?"
I finally met his eyes.
"I want to do it too."
My voice sounded calmer than I felt.
"But I don't want Jay finding out."
My jaw tightened as I looked toward the hallway where she had disappeared earlier.
Because if she saw what I was capable of right now…
I didn't know if she would still look at me the same way.
"If this gets out of hand…" I continued softly, "I don't want to lose her again."
Nobody spoke after that.
Because every person in that room understood exactly what I meant.
Almost losing Jay once was already enough to destroy me.
I wouldn't survive a second time.
After a while, I went back toward Jay's hospital room.
My mind was still restless.
Too many thoughts.
Too much anger.
Too much fear.
But the second I reached the door…
Something felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Then—
Footsteps.
Not Jay's.
I looked through the small glass window on the door and saw movement inside the room.
Multiple people.
My entire body went cold instantly.
I pushed the door open slowly, acting normal.
Like, I didn't notice anything.
One of them looked at me and tried to move first—
I hit him before he could react.
Hard.
The sound echoed through the room.
Another man rushed toward me immediately, and I slammed him against the wall before he could touch me.
No guns.
At least that's what I thought.
Maybe they assumed Jay would still be asleep.
Maybe they thought they could finish everything quietly.
That thought alone made something violent snap inside my head.
Because if Jay had returned before me—
If she walked into this room alone—
I grabbed another man by the collar and punched him hard enough to make blood hit the floor.
Then suddenly—
Metal flashed.
Gun.
One of them pulled out a gun from behind him.
My heartbeat stopped for one terrifying second.
Without thinking, I grabbed the flower vase near the table and threw it directly at him.
The vase shattered against his face.
The gun slipped from his hand and crashed onto the floor.
Then the door burst open.
Cole entered first.
Angelo is right behind him.
And after that…
Everything became chaos.
Punches.
Blood.
Broken glass.
The sound of bodies hitting the floor.
The hospital room that Jay laughed in just an hour ago looked destroyed now.
By the time it ended…
The room was silent.
Too silent.
My breathing was ragged.
Blood covered my hands.
My clothes.
The floor.
Some of it wasn't even mine.
A body lay motionless near the broken table.
"Kiefer," Angelo said sharply. "It's not safe here anymore."
But I barely heard him.
I was staring at the room.
At the blood.
There is broken glass near Jay's bed.
And all I could think was—
What if she came back first?
What if she saw this?
What if she got caught in the middle of it?
"We need to clean this before Jay returns," I said coldly.
Cole looked at me for a second before nodding.
"She can't see this."
My jaw tightened painfully.
I was angry at myself.
Because I promised to protect her.
Yet danger still found its way into her room.
I knew Jay was strong.
Stronger than most people.
But strength meant nothing in front of a gun.
And that thought alone terrified me more than the blood covering my hands.
After we cleaned everything, I changed my clothes quickly.
The blood was gone from my skin.
But not from my mind.
I washed my hands three times.
Still, I could feel it.
I looked at myself in the mirror for a long second before leaving the room.
Calm face.
Controlled breathing.
Normal.
Because Jay could never find out what happened upstairs.
Not tonight.
I went downstairs to look for her.
Just to make sure she was okay.
That she was smiling.
That she was safe.
But the second I reached the hallway near the waiting area—
I froze.
Cassian.
And Jay.
My eyes immediately locked onto them.
Jay was standing near the vending machine holding ice cream while Cassian leaned closer to her.
Too close.
My chest tightened instantly.
I started walking toward them slowly.
Then I saw it.
Cassian lifted his hand and gently touched Jay's face.
And before I could process anything—
He leaned down like he was about to kiss her.
Something inside me snapped violently.
The sound of my heartbeat became louder than everything around me.
My vision darkened.
But before Cassian could even touch her—
Jay shoved him hard.
"Asshole!" she shouted enough to echo through the hallway. "How dare you do that?!"
Then she kicked his leg without hesitation.
Hard.
Cassian actually stumbled back slightly in surprise.
And before he could even recover—
"CASSIAN!"
My voice came out cold enough to make both of them turn immediately.
Jay's eyes widened slightly when she saw me.
Cassian slowly straightened, completely calm.
Like he wasn't standing inches away from my wife.
My wife.
The thought alone made my hands curl into fists again.
"Kiefer—" Jay started.
But I couldn't stop staring at him.
The way he looked at her.
Like he wanted something that belonged to me.
And after everything that happened tonight…
After seeing blood on the floor of her hospital room…
After almost imagining her getting shot—
I was already one second away from losing control completely.