I was really excited to give Ci-n his gift. I had spent a lot of time preparing it with Rakhi, teasing her the whole time about Ci-n.
I left the gift with her because I was afraid I might break it while driving. I told her to bring it to the party since we were both going together anyway.
I was driving straight toward my house because it was getting late.
The road I was on was almost completely abandoned. There were no streetlights, and the whole place was dark and quiet.
Then I noticed a car stopped a little ahead of me on the road.
Before I could even process it, two more cars suddenly drove in front of me and blocked the entire road.
I stopped my car.
"What the hell…" I muttered.
I looked carefully and saw someone stepping out of one of the cars.
It was Ram.
I sighed in frustration.
I was really not in the mood for any fight right now. My hand had just started recovering, and if I got into another fight it might break again.
But damn.
There was no way they would let me leave without a fight.
Soon several men started stepping out of the cars. I tried to count them.
Maybe ten.
I could fight them… but it would definitely be risky.
So I decided to call someone for help.
I quickly grabbed my phone and started scrolling through my contacts. I thought about calling Kuya Cris.
But before I could press the number, there was a knock on my window.
Startled, my phone slipped from my hand.
I looked up.
One of Ram's men was standing beside my car.
"Come out," he said coldly. "Boss is waiting."
I clenched my jaw.
There was nothing I could do except follow their order.
I stepped out of the car.
And there he was.
Ram was leaning casually against his car, a mischievous smirk spread across his face.
At that moment, I really wanted to punch his face so hard that he would never even think about smiling in front of me again.
"What do you want now, Ram?" I asked coldly.
He chuckled.
"You really think I would just let you go after what you did to me? I'm going to make you pay for it."
I rolled my eyes.
"I don't want your damn payment. But if you don't let me go, you might end up in the hospital again. And this time you won't be leaving that hospital bed anytime soon."
His expression darkened.
"You're way too confident, you know that? This time it's not just me. There are ten other men with me. Do you really think you can fight all of us?"
I smirked.
"Well, that just proves one thing. You're a coward. You can't even fight me alone."
Ram's face turned red with anger.
"You bitch! Don't you dare say that to me!"
I shrugged.
"Oh? Did that hurt? But it's the truth. You're a coward."
"Shut up!" he shouted angrily. "Now I'm going to make you regret every word you just said."
I cracked my knuckles slowly.
"Let's see."
And then—
The moment the words left my mouth, the air around us turned heavy.
Ram's face twisted with anger.
"Beat her."
That was all he needed to say.
The men started moving toward me.
Ten against one.
Great.
I slowly rolled my shoulders, trying not to move my injured hand too much. It still hurt like hell, but there was no way I was backing down now.
Okay… calm down. Don't rush. Take them one by one.
The first guy charged at me.
Too slow.
I stepped aside and kicked him hard in the stomach. He groaned and collapsed to the ground. Before I could even breathe, another one swung a punch at my face.
I ducked.
My elbow slammed straight into his ribs.
Crack.
He staggered back.
But the others didn't stop.
Two of them grabbed my arms from behind.
Pain shot through my injured hand and I clenched my teeth.
"Bad move."
I slammed my head backward into the guy behind me. He cursed and loosened his grip. I twisted free and punched the other one in the jaw.
One more down.
But they started surrounding me now.
Four in front.
Three on the sides.
Two behind.
Ram stood near his car, watching like it was some kind of show.
That smug smile still on his face.
"Looks like the tiger is getting tired."
I wiped the blood from the corner of my lip.
"Come here and say that to my face."
He laughed.
"Why would I? My men are doing the job justfine ."
One of them suddenly rushed forward and slammed a punch into my shoulder. The impact pushed me back against my car.
Pain exploded through my arm.
Damn it.
My injured hand was starting to give up.
Another man grabbed my collar and punched me straight in the stomach.
My breath left my lungs.
For a second… everything spun.
But I refused to fall.
I kicked his knee as hard as I could.
He screamed and collapsed.
I pushed him aside and stood straight again.
Breathing heavily.
Seven still standing.
Ram slowly clapped his hands.
"Impressive. But how long can you keep this up?"
I glanced quickly at the dark road around us.
No cars.
No lights.
No help.
My phone was still lying somewhere inside the car.
Damn it… I should have called someone faster.
The men started closing in again.
And this time…
They all attacked at once.
A punch hit my back.
Another slammed into my ribs.
Someone grabbed my hair and threw me to the ground.
My vision blurred.
But before one of them could kick me—
A loud sound suddenly echoed through the empty road.
SCREEEECH!
A car stopped hard behind Ram's vehicles.
Headlights flooded the entire road.
Everyone froze.
Ram turned around, annoyed.
"Who the hell—"
A car door slammed.
Then another.
Footsteps approached slowly.
And a cold, furious voice cut through the darkness.
"Get your hands off her."
My heart skipped a beat.
I knew that voice. It was -
KEIFER
How did he even get here?
I didn't call him.
I don't even have his number.
Ram looked just as confused.
"How the hell did you get here?" he asked, glaring at him.
Keifer stepped out from the harsh beam of the headlights and walked a little closer. His face looked the same as always—calm and unreadable.
"That doesn't concern you," he said quietly. "The only thing you should be concerned about… is yourself."
Ram's expression darkened, but Keifer didn't even look at him again.
His eyes moved to me instead.
"Stay behind me. I'll take care of them."
That immediately annoyed me.
"And why should I?" I said. "This is my fight."
He clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Tss… why are you so stubborn?" His eyes moved briefly to my arm. "Isn't your arm injured?"
I frowned.
"So what? I can still fight."
I stepped forward slightly.
"I'm not just going to stand here and watch you fight seven people. Those are the guys I should be fighting."
For a moment he just looked at me, like he already expected this answer.
Then he sighed.
"Fine. Arguing with you is clearly a waste of time."
He paused for a second before speaking again, his voice quieter this time.
"Just don't push yourself too much. I can't see you in pain."
That caught me off guard.
For a moment, I didn't know what to say.
Something felt stuck in my throat.
So instead of replying, I simply nodded.
The men hesitated for a moment after Keifer stepped forward, but it didn't last long. And just like that, the fight started again.
Two men rushed toward Keifer while another came straight at me.
I stepped aside as the man swung at me and drove my knee into his stomach. He bent forward instantly, and I pushed him away.
Beside me, Keifer blocked a punch and slammed his fist into someone's jaw. The man dropped to the ground with a groan.
Another one tried to grab my arm from behind.
Pain shot through my injured hand, but I twisted out of his grip and kicked him hard in the leg. He stumbled back.
Keifer moved past me and knocked another man down with a sharp punch.
Within seconds, three of them were already on the ground.
The rest looked less confident now.
One of them tried to rush Keifer again, but he dodged easily and pushed him down onto the asphalt.
Seeing that, the last two stepped back. They looked at each other for a second. Then they ran.
Their car engines started a moment later, tires screeching as they sped away down the dark road.
Silence slowly returned.
I exhaled and straightened up, brushing dust off my jacket.
Then something suddenly felt off.
I looked around.
"…Where's Ram?"
Keifer glanced toward the road.
His expression didn't change.
But Ram's car was gone.
I frowned.
"That coward…" I muttered. "Looks like he slipped away while we were fighting."
We both looked at each other.
And for some reason I couldn't explain… we started laughing.
Like everything that had just happened—ten guys, the fight, Ram running away—was some kind of ridiculous joke.
The sound echoed in the empty road.
But it didn't last long.
Reality slowly settled in.
Our laughter faded.
Silence returned between us.
I looked at him.
There were so many things I wanted to ask. So many questions running through my mind. I took a step closer.
But instead of asking anything…
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. For a second, even I didn't understand why I did it. Maybe because it looked like he needed it.
I could see something on his face earlier… something heavy.
But the moment I hugged him—
His arms wrapped around me too.
Tighter.
Much tighter.
Like I might disappear if he loosened his grip.
For a moment I just stood there.
Then my mind finally caught up with me.
What the hell, Jay?
You should be angry at him.
Why the hell are you hugging him?
He might think you forgave him that easily.
I tried to pull away from him.
But his arms didn't loosen.
"Enough, Keifer," I said. "Let go of me."
He didn't move.
"Are you sure?" he said quietly. "Feels like you want more."
I frowned.
"Am I the one who wants it… or you?"
"I'm sure," I said. "Let me go."
"I can feel it," he murmured. "You want more."
Unbelievable.
He was clearly the one holding on, and yet he was acting like it was me.
"Let me go," I said again, my voice turning serious. "I'm asking nicely."
He must have heard the tone in my voice.
Because this time, he let go.
The moment his arms left me, the cold air suddenly felt heavier.
And before I could stop it…
Tears slowly filled my eyes.
I quickly looked away.
I didn't want him to see me like this.
"Thanks for the help," I said quietly. "I'm leaving now."
I turned toward my car.
"You're injured," Keifer said. "Let me drive you home."
"No need," I replied. "I'll take care of myself."
"Don't be so hardheaded, Jay. You're really not in a condition to drive."
I stopped and looked back at him.
"So what?" I said. "Why do you care?"
He didn't answer.
"You already admitted you never loved me," I continued. "Then why are you acting like you care?"
My chest tightened.
"Tell me, Keifer… do you still have feelings for me?"
Silence.
He didn't say a word.
That silence gave me my answer.
"Fine," I said quietly. "I get it."
I got into my car and started the engine.
"I'm going now."
I drove away without looking back at him.
Not even once.
But the questions kept echoing inside my head.
Why, Keifer?
If you love me… why are you acting like this?
Why can't you just say it?
Don't you trust me enough?
Or maybe…
Maybe I was the only one who still believed he had feelings for me.