JAY'S POV
As soon as Aries dropped me off at home, I went straight to my room and collapsed onto my bed.
Honestly, dealing with those Ulopongs was a whole different level of stress. Ever since Keifer came back, they had been nonstop teasing and annoying me.
I was exhausted.
I needed some fresh air, but I was too tired to go anywhere. So instead, I decided to sleep for a while.
After changing into comfortable clothes, I finally drifted off.
You are a burden...
She is a slut...
Leave me alone...
Do your work...
Do you want another lesson?
Just give in...
Jay Jay, you're going to hurt me...
Just listen to me, you slut...
Just give in...
Leave me...
"AHH!"
My eyes flew open with a sudden jolt. The voices were still ringing inside my head. There were so many of them.
Some belonged to me.
Some belonged to Aries.
Some belonged to Jeana.
And many belonged to people I couldn't even recognize. Almost every voice carried anger, disappointment, or disgust.
I didn't even realize tears were already streaming down my cheeks. My entire body was drenched in sweat, and my hands trembled slightly. It took me several minutes to calm myself down.
When I finally managed to breathe properly again, I grabbed a glass of water and drank it in one go. My throat felt as dry as a desert.
But my mind wouldn't stop racing.
Am I really a burden?
What happened in the past?
How many people have I hurt, just like Aries?
Am I really that bad?
Is that why my mother never loved me?
Is that why my father never came for me?
"Ugh..."
I growled in frustration.
At this rate, my thoughts were going to drive me insane.
I needed to get out. CCTV and Ate were still at the company, which meant I could drive without anyone stopping me. So I grabbed my phone and car keys before heading downstairs.
Once I sat inside my car, I paused.
"Where should I go?"
Then an idea suddenly clicked. The beach. The same beach I had gone to when I found out about Keifer's engagement. Without another thought, I started the engine.
------------------THE BEACH-------------------------
I sat on the shoreline as the sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon. The sky was painted with shades of orange, pink, and gold. Darkness was beginning to settle in.
The beach was empty. Silent. Only the sound of the waves echoed through the air. For a while, I didn't think about anything.
I simply sat there and watched the sea. And for the first time in days, my mind felt quiet. Peaceful. Then I felt someone's presence behind me. My head immediately snapped toward the source.
And there he was.
Keifer.
Walking toward me.
What the hell? How did he know I was here? Don't tell me he's tracking me again.
Without saying anything, he sat beside me. Then he spoke.
"Jay... are you okay?"
Damn. Just four words. Four simple words in that deep voice of his. And suddenly every painful memory came crashing back.
The nightmares.
The blood.
The trauma.
The broken family.
The harsh words.
Everything. I stared straight ahead at the ocean because I couldn't bring myself to look at him.
If I did...I knew I'd cry.
KEIFER'S POV
I just wanted to see her. Maybe talk to her. Maybe simply make sure she was okay. Now that I could finally reach her again, I couldn't just sit around and do nothing.
So I drove to the Reyes mansion. I was about to walk inside when I saw her car leaving. Without thinking twice, I followed.
And somehow...
We ended up here. At this beach. The same beach where I had found her before. A painful ache spread through my chest. If she came here, then something was wrong.
For several minutes, I watched her from a distance. Just sitting there. Alone. Lost in her thoughts. Finally, I gathered the courage to approach her.
The moment I sat beside her, she refused to look at me. And judging from her expression, her mind was running a marathon. She wasn't thinking. She was overthinking. And I had no idea what was hurting her.
"Jay... are you okay?"
The moment I asked, I noticed the change in her posture. The trembling. The tears she was desperately trying to hold back. And suddenly I understood. She wasn't here to relax. She was here because she was hurting.
"Jay, I know things between us aren't good right now. But if you want to talk... or even if you just want to cry..." My voice softened. "I'm here. You can trust me."
And finally...
Her walls broke.
She threw her arms around me and started crying. Really crying. The kind of crying that comes from carrying too much pain for too long. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close.
Neither of us said anything.
The sound of the waves filled the silence while she cried against my shoulder. And I simply stayed there. Holding her. Letting her know she wasn't alone. Eventually, her sobs quieted. But she still didn't let go.
Then, in a broken whisper, she asked:
"Keifer... why am I like this? Why am I a burden?"
The question shattered me.
"You're not a burden, Jay Jay. Who told you that?"
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
"Then why did my mother never protect me when I needed her? Why did her husbands hurt me? Why did I stab my own brother? Why did my father never come for me?"
Her voice cracked.
"I always hurt people..."
I gently shook my head.
"None of that was your fault. You are not the one to blame. You were the one who got hurt."
I squeezed her hand.
"And despite everything you've been through, you're still here. You're stronger than you realize, Jay."
She cried harder after that. And honestly...I let her. Because sometimes tears say what words can't.
The moment she pulled away from our hug, I missed her instantly. The warmth of her body vanished, leaving behind an aching emptiness that settled deep in my chest.
Then she looked straight into my eyes and whispered,
"You hurt me too."
My heart clenched painfully.
"And I hate myself for that," I admitted, my voice cracking. "I hate myself for every night you spent crying because of me. I hate that I wasn't there when you needed me the most."
She didn't respond.
Instead, she broke eye contact. Somehow, that hurt more than any harsh words ever could. Her silence was slowly tearing me apart from the inside.
"Jay," I said softly, desperation creeping into my voice. "I can take your punches. Your kicks. Your yelling. Your harsh words. But not this silence. Please... say something."
Jay stared at the sea.
Finally, she spoke.
"I don't know what to say, Kiefer. I'm out of words."
"Then let me speak. Please... just listen."
She remained silent for a few moments before finally nodding.
"Fine. Speak."
I took a deep breath. This was it.
"The plan to make you fall for me and get revenge on Aries... it was real."
Tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
"When we found out you were a Fernandez, I asked Rory and Edrix to gather information about you. That's when I learned that you and Aries were siblings."
I lowered my gaze.
"I was furious at him. Everyone in Section E was. Because of what he did to us. When we noticed how much Aries cared about you, I came up with that plan."
Jay didn't interrupt. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she listened. Every tear felt like a knife to my heart.
"But the plan backfired." A bitter smile touched my lips. "I fell in love with you."
I looked at her.
"Even Section E noticed it. They knew. But none of them objected because they started caring about you too. Without any of us realizing it, you became our Mutya."
A painful silence settled between us.
"But I had to push you away."
The words felt like poison.
"My enemies were growing stronger. My relatives started targeting you. And I couldn't let anything happen to you."
I swallowed hard.
"At that time, I was weak. I wasn't strong enough to protect my siblings and you at the same time. So I made a sacrifice. I pushed you away to protect you."
Then I added quietly,
"And to protect you from myself too."
Jay frowned.
"You?"
I nodded.
"You were right. I was letting my anger consume me. I was becoming the monster I swore I would never become."
My voice trembled.
"So I made myself a promise. I would change. I would become a better person."
My eyes softened as I looked at her.
"For you." A pause. "For us."
Jay remained silent for a moment before asking,
"And the engagement?"
I sighed.
"It was forced. Just like yours with Yuri. Back then, I didn't have the power to fight it. But the moment I received my inheritance, I ended it."
JAY'S POV
As I listened to his explanation, it felt like a massive weight had finally been lifted from my shoulders.
For more than a month , I'd carried questions.
Doubts.
Fears.
Insecurities.
And now, one by one, they were finally being answered.
But the pain hadn't completely disappeared. The memories were still there. The nights I cried. The loneliness. The heartbreak. I wanted to punch him. Slap him. Yell at him. Hold him. Kiss him. All at the same time. But there was still one thing I needed to know.
"Why didn't you tell me the truth?" I asked quietly. "Didn't you trust me enough?"
Kiefer immediately shook his head.
"It wasn't because I didn't trust you. It's because I know you."
I blinked.
"What?"
"If I had told you the truth, you would've involved yourself. You would've tried to help. That's who you are. And I couldn't risk your life when I wasn't even sure I could protect you."
I stared at him. Then asked the question that had haunted me.
"What if you're still lying?"
Kiefer looked directly into my eyes. There wasn't a trace of hesitation. Not even a flicker.
"I have no reason to lie to you, Jay. Believe me. I'm telling you the truth."
I searched his face carefully. Looking for cracks. For uncertainty. For deception. But there was nothing. Only honesty. And love. Then I asked the question I'd been dying to know.
"Did you ever come back here after you left for London?"
His eyes widened slightly.
"Because sometimes..."
My voice softened.
"I felt your presence. I could never find you, but... I felt like you were there."
His answer came instantly. Without hesitation. Without thought.
"Many times."
I froze.
"What?"
A small smile appeared on his face.
"There were times when I missed you so much that I couldn't bear it anymore. So I crossed the distance between London and the Philippines..."
His gaze returned to mine.
"Just to see you."
My breath caught.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you show yourself?"
Pain flickered across his face.
"Because if I had...I don't think I would've been able to leave again."
My heart squeezed painfully. He continued.
"There was a point where I felt like I couldn't do it anymore. I was exhausted. Lost. Then came the engagement. Everything was falling apart."
His eyes softened.
"But when I came here...When I talked to you.....When you comfort me..."
A small smile appeared.
"You gave me a reason to keep fighting."
I frowned.
"What are you talking about? When did I ever talk to you?"
He chuckled. Like I'd asked the most obvious question in the world.
"You remember the day Kuya Cris told you about my engagement?"
I nodded.
"And you came here alone to drink?"
My eyes widened.
"Yeah..."
"But I only told you about that over the phone. I never saw you."
Kiefer's smile grew.
"You did. Try to remember."
I opened my mouth to argue.
Then suddenly—
The memory hit me. The dream. The one where Kiefer sat beside me. Where I cried. Where we talked. Where he held me.
My breath caught.
"Wait..."
My voice trembled.
"It wasn't a dream?"
His eyes softened.
"No."
A tear slipped down my cheek.
"You were really there?"
"I was."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"When you called me, I'd just landed in Manila. I came because I wanted to see you. But when you told me you were alone at an abandoned beach..."
He shook his head.
"I couldn't stay away anymore."
My heart shattered and healed all at once.
"So everything was real?"
His smile was gentle.
"Everything."
At that moment, I felt my entire world melt. The hug. The tears. The comfort. The kiss. It had all been real. He had never stopped loving me. Not even once.
"What did I do to deserve you, Kiefer?"
His eyes immediately filled with emotion.
"I'm the lucky one, Jay."
He reached for my hand.
"Because after everything...You never stopped hoping. I was terrified. Terrified that one day I'd wake up and you'd stop loving me."
He smiled through the tears.
"But that day never came."
His thumb brushed against my skin.
"And I can't tell you how grateful I am for that."
For the first time in what felt like forever—
I smiled. A genuine smile. Because every question had finally been answered. Every insecurity had faded. Every doubt had disappeared.
He loved me. He truly loved me. The silence that followed was no longer painful. It was warm. Comfortable. Peaceful.
Then Kiefer slowly moved closer. My breath instantly became uneven. His hands gently cupped my face. His eyes locked onto mine. Then slowly drifted to my lips. His voice was soft. Broken. Hopeful. Almost pleading.
"Please, Jay..."
His thumb brushed against my cheek.
"Let me kiss you."
I saw it in his eyes.
The fear.
The longing.
The love.
And because I had missed him just as much—
His touch.
His warmth.
His lips—
I nodded. And the moment I did, relief flooded his face. Then he closed the distance between us. And crashed his lips against mine.
The kiss was not soft or gentle. It was furious, desperate, passionate and hot. Like he was trying to make me forget all the pain. We were devouring each other or I should say feasting at each other.
We finally pulled away, when we were breathless. Our chests were rising and falling rapidly , our lips were red and swollen from the intense kiss.
Then I cupped his face, give him a last soft kiss on his lips.
Then when our breathing finally become even.
I pulled back slightly and looked straight into his eyes.
"That doesn't mean I've forgiven you, Kiefer." My voice was firm despite the emotions swirling inside me. "I'm still angry at you."
For a moment, he simply stared at me before a small, gentle smile appeared on his face.
"And I'll work hard to earn your forgiveness."
There was no hesitation in his voice. No doubt. Only determination.
"I don't care how long it takes or what I have to do. I'll prove myself to you every single day."
My heart betrayed me with the way it softened at his words. His eyes filled with warmth and affection.
A look that made me feel like I was the only person in his world. His fingers gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before he whispered,
"Because at the end of the day, Jay. You are mine....and I'm yours."