[Jay's POV]
The moment the heavy, ornate front doors of the mansion clicked shut behind us, the silence of the house hit me like a physical blow.
This was the same foyer where I had spent months glowing. This was the house where Keifer had chased me with vitamins, where the boys had debated baby names, and where the "Powerhouse" had been most active. Now, the air felt cold, as if the oxygen itself had been drained out of the estate.
Keifer was still holding me, his heart beating a steady, heavy rhythm against my shoulder. But as he stepped further into the hall, my eyes involuntarily drifted to the Grand Staircase.
The silk runner was gone. The marble had been scrubbed so clean it sparkled. But in my mind, I could still see the blur of the floor coming at me. I could still hear the sickening thud.
"No," I choked out, my chest tightening until I couldn't breathe. "No, no, no..."
The sob started deep in my gut and tore through me. I buried my face in Keifer's neck, my hands clutching his shirt so hard the fabric strained.
"I can't be here, Keif! It's too quiet! Why is it so quiet?!" I wailed. My voice echoed off the high ceilings, sounding ghost-like and hollow. Every corner of this home held a memory of a future that had just been deleted.
[Keifer's POV]
I felt Jay's body convulse in my arms, her grief hitting a new, jagged peak the second we crossed the threshold. I tightened my grip, my jaw locking so hard it ached. I had prepared the security, the medical staff, and the logistics—but I couldn't prepare the house for the absence of my son.
"I've got you, Wiefy. I've got you," I murmured, my voice cracking.
I didn't stop in the foyer. I surged forward, carrying her past the stairs, past the dining room where she had eaten her weird cravings, and straight into the elevator.
As the doors closed, Jay collapsed against me, her forehead resting on my chest as she sobbed. "He was supposed to come home with us, Keif. We were supposed to bring him through those doors in a carrier. Not like this. Not empty-handed."
I leaned my head against the elevator wall, closing my eyes. 1,000% of my strength was being used just to keep my own knees from buckling. "The system is malfunctioning, Jay. I know. Everything feels like an error."
[Author's POV]
The elevator opened directly into their private suite. Keifer carried her to the oversized velvet sofa—their "romantic spot"—but even that felt tainted now.
Mamma Serina and Pappa Keizer stood at the end of the hallway, watching silently. Mamma started to move forward to comfort Jay, but Pappa Keizer placed a firm, gentle hand on her arm, shaking his head.
"They need to process the data together, Serina," Pappa whispered, his own eyes wet. "This is the Hubby's watch now."
Inside the suite, Jay's crying didn't stop. It transitioned into a low, mournful keen that vibrated through the room. She curled into a ball on the sofa, and Keifer simply sat on the floor beside her, wrapping his large arms around her knees, anchoring her to the earth.
"He's in the chapel, Jay," Keifer whispered into the fabric of her sweater. "He's home too. He's just... in a different room."
Jay's breath hitched. She reached down, her fingers tangling in Keifer's hair, pulling him closer as they sat in the wreckage of their empire, crying for the little boy who was supposed to rule in.