KEIFER POV
Everything was going fine—or at least, as fine as a dinner party in a minefield could go—until Andi opened his mouth and decided to ask the one question that could detonate the entire room.
"Jay-jay, I never heard you talking about your mother. What happened to her?" he asked, his voice filled with that casual, neighborly curiosity that felt like a slap in the face.
Shit.
I stopped breathing. The sound of clinking silverware vanished. I looked at Jay-jay, and I could feel the tension radiating off her like a physical heat. Beside me, Aries' jaw tightened so hard I thought his teeth might actually shatter.
"Yeah, Jay. What did happen to her?" Kaia added, her voice dripping with that fake innocence that always signaled another headache.
"Dad..." Jace muttered, nudging his father. Even he knew they were stepping into a graveyard.
I glanced at Jeana. She looked like she'd just been struck by lightning. Her face was a mask of pure, unadulterated horror, her eyes wide and fixed on her plate as if she were praying for it to open up and swallow her whole.
Jay-jay didn't lower her head. She didn't flinch. She just sat there, her fingers curling around her glass until her knuckles were ghost-white.
"She's a bitch," Jay-jay answered.
The word hit the table like a lead weight.
"She left when things were bad and only comes around when everything is good," Jay-jay continued, her voice flat, cold, and sounding older than I'd ever heard it. It wasn't the voice of my clumsy, cake-loving teacher. It was the voice of the girl who had been forced to grow up in the dark.
"Right now, I don't know where exactly she is or where she's playing family," she said, her eyes finally flickering over to Jeana—a gaze so sharp it was lethal. "But I don't really know if she's alive or dead... and I don't plan to get to know."
The silence that followed was suffocating. I felt Jay-jay's hand trembling under the table, and without even thinking about it, I pulled her hand into my lap, squeezing it tight. I wanted to pull her out of this house and never let her look back.
"Jay, that's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Andi stammered, looking completely lost. He looked at Jeana, then at Angelo, searching for someone to tell him it was a joke. "She's still your mother."
I felt the growl starting in my chest.
"A mother stays," I said, my voice low and dangerous, drawing everyone's attention. I didn't care about politeness anymore. I didn't care about 'family' dinners. I looked at Andi, then pointedly at Jeana. "A mother doesn't hit the reset button on her life and pretend her children were just a minor inconvenience. If Jay-jay says she's dead to her... then she's dead."
Jeana let out a small, broken sob, her hand flying to her mouth.
"Let's go," I whispered to Jay-jay, standing up and pulling her with me.
I didn't wait for permission. I didn't wait for Tita's dessert
My wife's heart was worth more than a slice of cake.
"Keifer," Aries said, his voice cutting through the heavy silence.
I stopped, my back to him. I felt the tension in Jay-jay's hand. I slowly turned my head, my expression like stone. "What?" I asked.
"Take Jay to her room upstairs," Aries said, not looking at me but keeping his eyes on his plate. He looked like he was struggling to swallow his own pride. "There's a weather hazard happening soon. The roads won't be safe. Just stay here for the night."
I blinked. Wait. Did the donkey just offer me a peace treaty?
"Aww! Aries baby! You actually care about Keifer baby!" Percy chimed in, lunging forward to hug Aries from behind like a hyperactive koala. The dramatic mood of the room shattered instantly as Percy started rubbing his cheek against Aries' shoulder. "Our boys are finally bonding! It's a miracle!"
"Son of a—!" Aries barked, trying to elbow Percy off while his face turned a violent shade of red. "I care about my sister, you idiot! And get off me! You have a girlfriend! Go hug Honey or someone"
"Jay-jay is my sister too! We are all one big, happy, chaotic family!" Percy yelled, still clinging on for dear life.
I looked at Aries—the guy who usually looks at me like he's calculating the best place to hide my body. He was still avoiding my gaze, but the message was clear. For tonight, the rivalry was on hold. For tonight, he was trusting me with his most precious person in her own childhood home.
I looked down at Jay-jay. She looked exhausted, her eyes red-rimmed and her shoulders slumped. She needed a safe place, and apparently, the storm outside was giving us no choice but to find it here.
"Fine," I said, my voice softening just a fraction. I looked at Aries and gave him a short, almost invisible nod—the closest thing to a 'thank you' he was going to get from a Watson.
"Upstairs, Jay," I murmured, guiding her toward the stairs.
As we walked away from the chaos of the dining room, I heard Percy's yelp and the sound of a chair falling over.
"GET. OFF. PERCY!"
"NEVER! LOVE WINS, ARIES!"
I shook my head. Gago. Truly.
We reached the second floor, the hallway quiet and smelling of old wood and Tita's floor wax. Jay-jay led me to a door at the very end, her footsteps heavy. She pushed it open, and I stepped into a room that was 100% Jay-jay Mariano.
There were old trophies on the wall, a shelf full of well-worn books, and—of course—a small mountain of plushies on the bed. It was simple, cozy, and felt like a sanctuary.
"Home sweet home," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly
I closed the door, locking out the world and the mess downstairs.
I just reached out and pulled her into my arms, tucking her head under my chin.
I hugged her like she was the most fragile thing in the world—because right now, she was.
"Let it go, Jay. I'm here," I said softly, my voice barely a rumble against her hair.
I knew exactly how she felt. That hollow, heavy sensation in your chest that makes you feel like you're drowning even when you're standing on dry land. I hated that feeling. It was the same one I had when I realized my mother wasn't coming back—except her ghost was sitting right downstairs, acting like a guest in her own daughter's tragedy.
"It's better to let it go than to keep it in. It only makes things harder, Teach," I murmured.
I felt her shoulders hitch. For a second, she tried to fight it—that stubborn Jay-jay pride that makes her want to be the one taking care of everyone else. But then, the dam finally broke.
She started to cry.
It wasn't a dainty, cinematic kind of cry. It was a raw, heartbreaking sob that shook her whole body. She buried her face in my chest, her fingers clutching the fabric of my shirt like she was afraid the world would disappear if she let go.
My heart felt like it was being put through a paper shredder.
I didn't tell her to stop. I didn't tell her it was okay, because it wasn't. It wasn't okay that she was abandoned. It wasn't okay that she had to see that woman again. I just held her tighter, rocking her slowly as the rain hammered against the roof, drowning out the sound of her pain.
"I've got you," I whispered, closing my eyes and resting my cheek against her head. "You don't have to be the strong teacher right now. Just be Jay-jay."
She sobbed harder at that, her tears soaking through my shirt. I didn't care. I'd buy a hundred more shirts if it meant I could absorb even a fraction of the ache she was feeling.
I realized then that Aries was right. The weather hazard wasn't just outside. It was right here, in this room, in the middle of a girl who had been rejected by the one person who was supposed to love her unconditionally.
But I wasn't going to be another person who walked away.
I stayed there, my arms locked around her, acting as her shield while the storm—both inside and outside—finally ran its course.
I never thought I'd be the type to get emotional over a girl crying, but then again, I never thought I'd meet someone like Jay-jay Mariano.
"Cry it all out, Teach," I murmured, my hand stroking her hair. "I'm not going anywhere."
"How could she act like everything is fine after everything?" Jay-jay asked me, her voice trembling and hollow.
I didn't answer. There was no logical answer to give. How do you explain a mother who has a black hole where her heart should be? You don't. You just hold the person she left behind.
After some time, her breathing evened out. She calmed down, though her eyes were still puffy and red. I stood up and got her some water from the small flask on her nightstand. She took it with shaking hands and started to drink
Then, a knock echoed through the door.
"Come in," I said, my voice slipping back into its cold, defensive tone.
The door creaked open, and Jeana stepped inside. She looked hesitant, her eyes searching the room—searching for a connection that she had severed herself years ago.
The moment Jay-jay saw her, her face turned to stone.
"Keifer, let's go. Please. I don't want to stay here any longer," Jay said, her voice sharp and urgent. She didn't even look at the woman standing in the doorway.
I nodded. If she wanted to leave, I'd drive through a hurricane to get her out of here. "Jay-jay—" Jeana started, her voice pleading.
"Get your keys," Jay-jay said to me, her gaze fixed on the wall.
"Jay, I'm talking to you! Please, just listen for a second," Jeana cried out, taking a step forward.
Jay-jay finally looked at me, a mocking, bitter tilt to her lips.
"Wow. Keifer, do you hear a ghost speaking? Can ghosts even speak? Because I swear I hear a noise, but I don't see anyone there worth my time," Jay asked me.
My wife is a savage when she's hurt.
I looked at Jeana. She looked like she had just been slapped. Her face was pale, and her eyes were brimming with tears that Jay-jay clearly had no intention of falling for.
"The weather hazard is still out there, Jay-jay," Jeana tried again, her voice trembling. "It's dangerous to drive."
"I'd rather crash into a tree than breathe the same air as a stranger for another hour," Jay-jay countered, standing up. She grabbed her bag and walked straight toward the door, not even flinching as she brushed past Jeana.
I stood up, giving Jeana one last look—the kind of look I reserve for business rivals I'm about to crush.
"You missed your chance, Jeana," I said quietly. "You can't summon a daughter like she's a ghost when you're the one who buried the relationship."
I followed Jay-jay out, leaving Jeana standing in the middle of a room full of memories she no longer had a right to.
Gago. Truly. I never thought I'd be in the middle of a family drama this intense, but as I saw Jay-jay's back—stiff and proud even as she was breaking—I knew one thing for sure.
I was never letting her face this alone again.
"Wait up, Teach!" I called out, reaching for my keys. "If we're going to brave a storm, we're doing it with a bucket of chicken in the backseat. My treat."
I saw her shoulders relax just a tiny bit at the mention of food.
"Extra gravy, Watson!" she yelled back, her voice sounding a little more like my Jay-jay.
"Deal."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++