Jay's POV:
"We need to talk," he said with authority.
I looked straight at him. "You're already talking."
He inhaled sharply, his jaw tightening, his eyes dark with the weight of everything he wasn't saying. Now I understood why he had told Honey to keep Percy busy.
"Listen to me…" he began, voice low, cautious. "…I don't even know where to start—"
"At the starting line," I cut him off before he could gain momentum.
His forehead creased, fingers tugging at his collar. He looked tired—like someone fighting a battle he couldn't win.
"Okay…" He exhaled slowly. "…I was there from the beginning."
I smirked, bitter amusement spilling out before I could stop it. "Finally. Just for fun. The finish line is…?"
He stiffened. My tone was mocking, but the tremor underneath it was real. I didn't want to hear his explanation—not because I didn't care, but because I did. Because I was terrified of what the truth might do to me.
"Jay…" he said softly, but the tension laced through his voice. "…I'm trying to be nice here."
He reached for the wine glass, took a slow sip, and met my gaze again. "Please, Jay. I want to explain everything to you. So please, just sit down and listen."
Something inside me faltered. The teasing drained away, leaving only the sound of my own heartbeat. For a moment, the restaurant faded—the noise, the lights, even Honey pretending to be busy. It was just him and me, breathing the same uneven air.
"That's right, Keifer," I said finally, quietly. "…Don't explain."
"I have to," he pressed. "I want you to know everything."
"I don't want to…" My head dipped, my voice breaking. "…I don't want to listen to you."
The words came out shaky, fragile. I tried to face him again, and when I did, the look in his eyes almost shattered me—raw, remorseful, and still burning with that same unbearable intensity.
"That's enough," I whispered. "Please. I'm getting tired."
My voice cracked as tears blurred my vision. "…I'm getting tired of loving you even when I'm not doing anything… I'm trying to get away from you, but you keep pulling me back."
He froze. "Why? Why are you running away from me?"
"Because that's how it should be," I said bitterly. "…There's no reason for me to stay, right? I loved you—but you didn't love me. I was a fool for trusting you even after you cheated. I won't make that mistake again."
He stayed silent. His silence hurt more than his words ever could.
"If I had a choice, I would leave Section E. Because your presence…" I swallowed hard. "…torments me. When you're there, it's like my heart is being crushed."
The tears came faster. "Walking in is torture because it reminds me of everything we did together—all the happy memories—and then realizing it was all a lie."
I took a shaky breath. "It hurts… too much."
He didn't move. Neither did I.
"Only in Section E did I feel like I belonged," I said softly. "Friends, family… it felt real. But you took that from me. So please, Keifer…" I looked up at him through my tears. "…that's enough."
I held his gaze for a long time. Then, slowly, he dropped his napkin onto the table and leaned closer, that maddening half-smile curving his lips.
"You…" he murmured. "…You're making me crazy."
I blinked, confused.
"I'm Mark Keifer Watson," he said, smirking faintly. "Smarter than you think. Stronger than you know. And…" his tone dipped, playful but dangerous, "…the King of Ulupongs."😉
Before I could react, he moved—swift and sudden. One moment he was across the table, the next he was beside me, his hand at my neck, his lips crashing against mine.
I pushed at him, but my body betrayed me. My lips moved against his before my mind could scream stop.
When he finally broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead to mine, breath ragged.
"You're the only one, Jay," he whispered, voice trembling. "The only girl who's ever made me suffer like this."
I glared through tears. "You're the one who makes me suffer.Who at moments make me lose my sanity.."❤
He caught my hand, kissed the back of it, and pressed it to his cheek. His eyes fluttered shut.
"I'm scared," he said softly. "…I'm scared of a lot of things."
Something wet touched my skin—he was crying.
"Yuri was right," he continued hoarsely. "I lied to him. I lied to you. And I lied to myself. I have feelings for you, Jay—feelings you could never imagine."
My heartbeat turned feral. "K-Keifer…" was all I managed to say.
He touched my cheek gently. "I'm afraid to hurt you again. Like I did to Freya. But when jealousy takes over, I lose control."
My breath hitched. He was remembering the same thing I was—the night he dragged me away after seeing me kiss Yuri. The fear, the anger… the pain.
"…I won't let that happen again."
He smiled faintly. "…My birthday's coming up. You're the only gift I want."
His birthday. February 29th. I looked down, helpless. I couldn't give him what he was asking for.
He released my hand, wiped his face, and stood. When he spoke again, his voice was cold, detached. "You want me to stop? Then I will. But only for a while."
"What?" I stared at him. "You'll stop—but only temporarily? Why?"
"I'm giving you space."
A laugh burst out of me—half hysterical. "A spaceship is what I need to get away from you!"
He just smirked, unbothered. "…But when I return, you're officially mine. Whether you like it or not."
"What the hell—"
Before I could finish, someone slid into the seat beside me. I turned—and nearly screamed.
"Percy?!"
His hair was a mess, shirt wrinkled, and—dear god—his zipper was still open. He was panting like he'd run a marathon.
"Let's go!" he said, grabbing my wrist. "Come on!"
I stumbled to my feet. "What—Percy! What's happening?"
He threw some cash on the table and dragged me out of the restaurant. The cold night air slapped my face as we sprinted to his car.
"What's wrong with you?!" I shouted as we jumped in.
He started the engine, still breathing hard, eyes darting everywhere.
"Hey!" I yelled over the roar of the car. "What's going on?! And your zipper is still open!"
He slammed the brakes so hard I nearly face-planted the dashboard. He zipped up wordlessly, hands shaking, then gunned the car forward again.
"Percy!" I snapped. "You're acting insane!"
He made a sound halfway between a sob and a growl. His face twisted. "Jay…" he whimpered. "…Iwas tricked… by Honey!"
And then, right there at a red light, my stepbrother broke down crying like a child.
I blinked, speechless. The chaos of the night caught up with me. My heart still pounded from Keifer's words, from the kiss, from everything I couldn't process.
And now Percy was sobbing beside me because of Honey.
"What the hell," I muttered under my breath. "What is my life even right now?"
Keifer's POV:
The moment Jay walked out with Percy, my entire world tilted.
I didn't move at first — couldn't. Her perfume still clung to the air, her tears still burned in my mind, her words still cut through me like glass. The restaurant felt suddenly too loud, too bright, too small for the storm raging inside me.
I sat there, hands clenched under the table, watching her retreat through the glass door — Percy dragging her away like she was being rescued from a monster.
Maybe I was.
Honey's voice broke through the static in my head. "Keif?" she said softly, pretending confusion, though the corner of her mouth curved in that knowing way she always did when she thought she'd stirred enough chaos.
I turned to her, eyes cold. "What did you do?"
She raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence as she took a sip of her wine. "Me? Nothing. I just told your dear stepbrother the ladies' room was in the other hall and that you and Jay needed privacy." She leaned back, her voice playful but sharp. "Didn't expect him to return that quickly."
I exhaled through my nose. "You played him."
Honey smirked. "Please. I just nudged him in the right direction. You're the one who kissed her in public like a man with a death wish."
I leaned back, eyes following the door Jay had disappeared through. Rain had started to drizzle outside, faint patterns forming against the glass. My reflection looked broken — just like I felt.
"She hates me," I said quietly.
Honey didn't answer right away. Her expression softened for the first time. "No. She's hurt. There's a difference."
I looked at her sharply, and she held my gaze. "You told me to keep Percy busy so you could talk to her. You didn't ask me to make her forgive you."
"She won't," I muttered. "Not now. Maybe not ever."
Honey tilted her head. "You still plan to leave for London today?"
My jaw clenched. "Yes."
"You sure?"
I didn't respond, and that was answer enough.
She sighed. "Keifer, you can't keep fighting this alone. The Watsons won't stop coming for you. Or her."
I finally looked at her — really looked. Honey was dangerous, but she was also one of the few who knew the truth, who had seen what Kaizer did to me, what I'd done to survive.
"They won't touch her," I said firmly. "Not while I'm alive."
"Right," she said dryly. "Except you nearly destroyed her trying to protect her."
Her words landed like a slap. I didn't argue, because she was right. Every time I tried to shield Jay, I ended up being the reason she broke.
"I can't lose her, Honey," I whispered, my voice raw. "Not like my mom."
For a moment, silence filled the space between us. Then Honey reached over, her hand brushing mine lightly. "Then fix this," she said. "Stop pushing her away with half-truths and self-hate. Tell her the whole story before the Watsons do."
I shook my head, forcing the tremor from my hands. "She's safer not knowing. The less she's tied to me, the better chance she has."
Honey gave a humorless laugh. "You sound like a walking tragedy, Keifer. You really think love disappears just because you decide to cut it off?"
I didn't reply. I couldn't. Because no matter how much I wanted to believe she'd move on, I'd seen the pain in Jay's eyes. The same pain that lived in mine.
I stood up, pulling on my coat. "I'll send you the documents tonight. Make sure tito Ryder gets them."
"You're really leaving already?" Honey asked, rising too.
"Yeah." I looked one last time at the door she'd run through. "If I stay, I'll ruin her again."
As I walked out into the rain, I caught sight of Percy's car speeding off down the street. Jay was in the passenger seat, her head turned toward the window, eyes downcast.
I didn't follow. I just stood there, letting the rain soak through my shirt, eyes fixed on the car until it disappeared from sight.
Honey came to stand beside me, coat in hand. "You really do love her, huh?"
Igave a bitter smile. "Enough to let her hate me."
She hummed softly. "You Watson men have a strange definition of love."
"Maybe," I said quietly. "But at least I learned it before I became him."
Honey frowned. "Kaizer?"
I nodded once, the word leaving a sour taste in my mouth. "Yeah. And I'll burn every last thing he built before I ever let him touch her."
The rain drops falling slowly drowned the sound of my heartbeat, but I could still feel it — unsteady, breaking, alive only because of her.
Jay.
My beginning. My end. The only thing I'd ever wanted to protect… even if it meant destroying myself in the process.
"Wait for me my future Mrs. Watson I'll return soon.. My Jasper Jean Mariano Watson.. I love you until scientists find the end of the universe.... Always❤"