(TIMELINE - When keifer came home after meeting Angelo at Kingsground )
KEIFER'S POV
After the conversation with Angelo, I didn't go to my room.
Instead, I went straight to the basement. Straight to the mini bar. I grabbed a bottle and started drinking without thinking twice.
I wanted to erase the heaviness crushing my chest. Even imagining the situation where I had to reveal the plan made it hard to breathe.
Angelo was right.
I had to push her away. Until I was strong enough to protect her… I had to do it. But seeing her in pain… I didn't know if I could survive that. I was drowning in my thoughts when a voice suddenly interrupted me.
"Kuya."
Keigan. I looked at him tiredly.
"What are you doing here, Keigan? You should be asleep."
"You also."
"I will. You go first."
But instead of leaving, he sat beside me. For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. Then he finally broke the silence.
"Kuya… I know you're not okay. I'm your brother. You can share your problems with me."
I laughed softly. A broken laugh.
"Life is fucked up, Keigan."
He looked at me carefully.
"Is it about her?"
(IN THIS STORY, KEIGAN IS NOT MENATLLY ILL AND HE LIKES JAY JAY)
I looked down at the bottle in my hand before laughing again.
"You know me well, don't you?"
"Not much," he muttered. "But the last time I saw you like this… was when Mama died."
Silence.
Heavy.
Painful.
Then he spoke again.
"You love her so much, right?"
I closed my eyes for a moment.
"More than myself." My voice cracked. "And knowing I'm going to be the reason for her pain… is killing me inside."
Keigan stayed quiet before asking softly—
"Can you handle seeing someone point a gun at her head?"
My grip on the bottle tightened.
"No."
"Can you survive seeing her get hurt because of you?"
I swallowed hard.
"I can't."
Keigan sighed.
"Then don't blame yourself too much, Kuya. You have no choice. You can't protect all of us at the same time. You need your inheritance. Not only because of Mama's sacrifice… but for us too."
I nodded silently. Because honestly… I didn't know what to say anymore.
"This is temporary," Keigan continued. "When you come back, you'll have all the time in the world to win her back."
He smiled faintly.
"And from the few times I met her… I know she's kind. She'll give you a second chance."
Maybe she would. But I was terrified. Because the moment I left… Yuri and David would try their best to win her heart. And maybe… I would lose her forever. The thought alone was enough to destroy me. I couldn't bear imagining her in another man's arms.
"I hate my life."
Keigan laughed lightly.
"You don't hate ours."
For a little while longer, we sat there talking and laughing quietly. It reminded me of the life I always wanted. A happy family. A caring mother. A supportive father. And us. Me, Keigan, and Keiran.
But fate was cruel. We lost our mother. And our father… He was never really a father.
So now—
It was just the three of us against the world. Finally, Keigan stood up.
"You should sleep. You really need it."
I exhaled tiredly.
"Yeah… I do."
After emptying the bottle, I went back to my room. I changed my clothes before throwing myself onto the bed. I was about to close my eyes when my gaze drifted toward the nightstand.
A photo frame. Mine and Jay Jay's first picture together. I liked it so much that I framed it.
Slowly, I picked it up. My thumb brushed over her smiling face. And suddenly… I broke.
"I'm sorry, Jay…"My voice came out barely above a whisper."I'm really sorry."
A tear slipped down my face before I even realized it.
"But believe me… I have no choice."
More tears followed.
"I would rather see you cry… than hold your lifeless body." My chest felt like it was being ripped apart."I know there's a chance you'll hate me." I laughed bitterly. "Maybe you won't even want to see me again." I clenched the frame tighter."But when I come back… I'll be stronger. Strong enough to protect you and my brothers at the same time. And even if it takes my entire life to make you forgive me…I will."
Eventually, exhaustion won.
Not because I wanted to sleep. But because I no longer had the strength to keep my eyes open. The next morning, I woke up with the same heaviness crushing my chest. And I knew why.
Because today was the day.
Originally, I planned to wait a little longer. But I couldn't drag this any further. I couldn't keep pretending everything was normal while knowing what I was about to do. I had no strength left.
After getting ready, I stood in front of the mirror.
My eyes looked lifeless. Cold. Exactly how I needed them to look. Because today… I couldn't show any emotion.
After dropping Keigan and Keiran at school, I headed toward mine. Every step toward the classroom felt heavier than the last. My heart screamed at me to stop. To leave. To disappear without saying anything. But I forced myself forward.
Because this had to be done. There was no going back now. The moment I entered the classroom, almost everyone was already there. Most of them avoided looking at me like I was some kind of disease. I didn't blame them. I was acting like an asshole. Just like Jay Jay said—Hari ng Ulopongs.
I sat down quietly, completely drained. A few seconds later, Ci-n approached me, but I stopped him immediately.
"Stop."
He frowned. "Kiefer… this is about Jay Jay, isn't it?"
"So what?"
Yuri suddenly snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you, Kiefer?"
I looked at him blankly. "Nothing is wrong with me."
Ci-n stared at me in disbelief. "Why are you acting like this? Like you don't care about her?"
I forced myself to answer.
"I don't."
Lie. I cared too much. That was the problem. But I couldn't show it. I really couldn't.
Then Ci-n lowered his voice. "You really carried out the plan… didn't you?
Rory immediately looked at me. "What about Jay Jay now?"
Calix sighed heavily. "I think we should've stopped this a long time ago."
Everyone started talking at once. But I stayed silent. Expressionless. Because I couldn't tell them the truth. I already stopped the plan. But I couldn't involve them in my mess anymore.
Originally, I even thought about involving another girl. But knowing my girl… She would probably beat the hell out of her.
"Tell her already," Eman muttered. "There's no point hiding it now."
"He should tell her," Rory added.
"She's going to be angry," Eren said nervously.
"I already feel sorry for her," Josh sighed.
"We'll ask for forgiveness," Eman muttered.
Ci-n shook his head. "She won't forgive us."
"We'll make it up to her," Edrix argued.
Suddenly, Drew pointed a finger at me angrily. "This is all your fault! You should've stopped the plan long ago!"
Felix scoffed. "And weren't you the first one who agreed to it?"
Calix glared at him. "You were literally the one who started the bet!"
"Like you didn't join me!" Drew shouted back.
"Shut up!" Rory snapped.
Then Mayo laughed awkwardly. "Wow… and you were all so confident Jay Jay would fall for Kiefer."
Something inside me snapped. I stood up so fast the chair screeched loudly against the floor.
"Shut the fuck up, asshole."
I was ready to punch him. How dare he bring that up again? But Yuri immediately grabbed my arm before I could move.
And before anyone could say another word—
The classroom door opened. Jay Jay walked in.
My heart nearly stopped. Because I knew…
This was the moment both of our hearts were going to break.
I'm sorry, Jay Jay.
For everything I'm about to say.