JAY JAY POV
I went inside and sat on the edge of our small bed, my hands still shaking slightly from the adrenaline of the day.
The smell of the burnt designer clothes followed me in, a reminder that my parents now knew exactly where to find us.
"Keifer," I called out, my voice small.
"What, baby?" Keifer asked, walking over to me. He knelt down between my knees, looking up at me with those concerned, dark eyes.
"Can we move out of here?" I asked, looking around the tiny room that had been our first home.
Keifer frowned slightly, his hands resting on my thighs. "Why? I thought you liked this place"
"Keifer, I don't want to stay here anymore. What if my parents try that again? They found us so easily," I said, the panic starting to rise in my chest. "They have resources, private investigators, and people like that driver. What if they come back when you're not here? What if they actually succeed next time and separate you and me?"
The thought of being dragged back to that mansion, of being forced into a room until I agreed to marry Yuri, made me feel like I couldn't breathe.
"I can't lose you, Keifer. I'd rather live in a shack in the middle of nowhere as long as they don't have the address," I whispered, leaning forward until my forehead rested against his.
Keifer was silent for a long moment, his jaw tightening
"You're really scared," he noted, his voice dropping an octave. He reached up, cupping the back of my neck. "Jay, listen to me. I won't let them take you. I don't care if it's the Marianos or the police or the devil himself."
He sighed, glancing around the apartment. "If you don't feel safe here, then we don't stay here. We'll find somewhere else. Somewhere deeper in the city, or maybe further out. Somewhere they won't think to look for a 'princess'."
"When can we move out?" I asked, my heart still racing as I looked at the front door, half-expecting my father's men to burst through it again.
Keifer looked around our small apartment, his eyes dark and calculating. "I found a place... I kept it out of my mind because it's a bit far, but since you want to go, it's an option. It's in Aurelia City."
"Aurelia?" I repeated. I knew that name. It was the "Capital of the North"—a city with a heart of steel and glass, much like New York.
It was massive, bustling, and grand, filled with skyscrapers that almost touched the sky
"Yeah," Keifer said, nodding slowly. "It's in the Mid-Town district. It's a high-rise, not a penthouse or anything, but it's a modern apartment with its own security and a lobby that requires a keycard for every floor. Your father's team would have a hell of a time getting past the front desk without making a scene, and in Aurelia, everyone is too busy with their own lives to pay attention to us."
He walked over to the window, leaning against the frame. "The landlord is an old business contact of my father's. He's discrete. He handles high-end rentals for people who want privacy. It's a nice place, Jay—hardwood floors, a view of the city lights, and soundproof walls. It's actually better than this place, but the rent will eat through our savings faster."
"I don't care about the money," I said, already grabbing our duffel bags. "I care about the security. If it's high-up and has a lobby guard, they can't just walk in and drag me out like they tried at the park."
Keifer walked over to me, taking the bags out of my hands and setting them down for a second.
He gripped my shoulders, his gaze intense. "It's a big city, Jay. It's loud, it's fast, and it's a lot of stairs and elevators. But if we move there, we can be whoever we want. No one in Aurelia City cares about the Mariano name unless you're on the cover of a magazine—and we'll make sure you aren't."
"How soon?" I pressed.
"I'll call the agent. If we leave now, we can catch the express train and be there by midnight," Keifer said, his eyes filled with a new kind of determination. "Pack your things—only the stuff that matters. We're moving up in the world, Mrs. Watson."
A rush of adrenaline surged through me.
This wasn't just running away anymore; it was an upgrade. Aurelia City was the city of dreams, a sprawling metropolis of glass and neon where anyone could be a stranger.
"Let's go," I said, a defiant smile finally masking my fear. "Let's see them try to find us among millions of people and a thousand skyscrapers."
While I started franticly pulling our essentials into bags, Keifer stepped into the hallway to make a final call.
When he returned, he looked relieved. He walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back against his chest.
"I called the school. Since we have enough credits and our finals are done, they said we can graduate early," he whispered against my ear, his breath warm. "They already have our degrees printed. I'm going to go pick them up so we never have to step foot in this district again."
"I'll wait here. Hurry up," I urged, turning in his arms to give him a quick, nervous kiss.
He smiled, kissed my temples, and disappeared out the door.
Alone in the apartment, I moved like a whirlwind.
I packed our clothes, our documents, and the few mementos we'd gathered in our short time together.
To cover our tracks, I called the few people I trusted to explain that we were leaving.
When I called Aunt Hazel, she didn't even let me finish my sentence before she insisted on helping.
"You're going to need a deposit for a place in Aurelia, Jay Jay," she said firmly. Despite my protests that we had our paychecks, she sent over a significant transfer. "Think of it as a wedding gift. Now go, before your father gets smart."
I sat on the packed duffels, checking my watch every two minutes.
The silence of the apartment felt heavy until I finally heard the jingle of keys.
Keifer burst in, holding a thick manila envelope.
"Official graduates," he panted, his eyes bright. "Let's get to the station."
We didn't look back.
We hailed a ride to the central hub and boarded the midnight express.
As the train hummed to life and the city lights began to blur into long lines of white and red, I finally let out the breath I'd been holding.
"Aurelia," Keifer murmured, shifting the map as he pulled me closer to his side. "A new city, a new life."
Once we were settled onto the bus, the engine humming beneath us, I looped my arm through his, clinging to him as the scenery began to blur.
I leaned my head against his shoulder, finally letting out a long, shaky breath. "Thanks, Keifer," I whispered. "I know you're doing all of this for me."
Keifer turned his head, pressing a firm, lingering kiss against my forehead. "I'm not doing it just for you, Jay Jay. I'm doing this for us."
The moment was peaceful until the sharp ping of a notification shattered the quiet.
My heart plummeted into my stomach. I pulled my phone out, the screen illuminating my face in the darkened bus.
MOM: Don't expect us to help you.
DAD: You're not our daughter anymore.
I stared at the words until they blurred.
It was the finality I had been waiting for, yet it still felt like a physical blow. I felt Keifer stiffen beside me; he had seen the messages too. His hand tightened around mine, his knuckles turning white.
"They're trying to get the last word," Keifer hissed, his voice dropping into that protective, dangerous tone. "They want you to feel small so you'll think you can't survive without them."
I looked at the messages one last time. For years, those words would have broken me.
But now, looking at the gold band on my finger and feeling the heat of the man sitting next to me, they felt... empty.
"Good," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "I don't want their help. And I stopped being their daughter the moment they tried to sell me to Yuri."
I didn't reply. Instead, I opened my settings, blocked both of their numbers, and then deleted the contact names 'Mom' and 'Dad' entirely. I switched my phone to airplane mode and shoved it into the bottom of my bag.
"I'm a Watson now," I said, looking up at him
. "And Watsons don't look back."
Keifer's expression softened, a look of pure pride crossing his face.
He wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me into the crook of his shoulder so I was completely shielded by him. "That's my girl. Let them keep their money and their pride. We're going to Aurelia, and we're going to build a life they aren't even invited to see."
I closed my eyes, the steady rhythm of the bus and Keifer's heartbeat finally lulling me into a sense of security.
The city lights of the life I once knew flickered out in the distance, replaced by the dark, open highway leading us toward the towering shadows of Aurelia City