Chapter: The Line I Drew
(Keifer's POV — Continued)
She stood there in the hallway.
Hair messy.
Eyes swollen.
Looking at all of us like she didn't understand why no one had left.
Section E didn't move.
Not one of them.
Keigan gave her a small wave.
Ci n looked away awkwardly like he didn't want to make it emotional.
Yuri couldn't even hold eye contact.
Aries stepped toward her first.
"You good?" he asked softly.
She nodded.
A small one.
Too small.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to everyone.
And that's when half the boys reacted at once.
"For what?" Blaster said.
"You didn't do anything," Mayo added.
"You fainted, not committed a crime," Ci n muttered.
She gave a weak smile.
But I saw it again.
That guilt.
Like she was apologizing for existing.
I walked toward her.
Slow.
Careful.
She looked up at me.
Searching my face.
Maybe checking if I was still mad.
I wasn't.
I was something else.
Something colder.
"Come," I said quietly.
She hesitated.
Then stepped closer.
I noticed the way her fingers trembled slightly.
The way her shoulders stayed tense.
Aries watched me carefully.
Like he knew something was about to shift.
"Who did that to you?" I asked.
Her breath hitched.
The hallway went silent again.
She didn't answer.
Her eyes dropped to the floor.
Aries inhaled slowly. "Keif."
But I didn't look at him.
I was looking at her.
"You don't react like that for nothing," I continued, voice low. "You weren't just scared. You were remembering."
Her hands curled into fists.
"It's over," she whispered.
"That's not what I asked."
Silence.
Her breathing started getting uneven again.
Aries stepped closer to her side.
"Keifer," he warned gently.
But I couldn't stop.
Not now.
Not after hearing her beg someone not to hit her.
"Was it him?" I asked.
She flinched.
That was answer enough.
My jaw tightened.
"Her mother's husband," Aries said quietly.
The words felt heavy.
Ugly.
I felt something in my chest turn sharp.
"How long?" I asked.
"Keif," Aries said again, firmer this time.
She shook her head.
"It doesn't matter," she whispered.
"It matters to me."
Her eyes snapped up at that.
I stepped closer.
Not angry at her.
Never at her.
Angry at something else.
Someone else.
"You think I can hear you beg someone not to hurt her," I said quietly, voice steady but cold, "and just move on?"
Her eyes filled again.
"It's done," she said weakly.
"No."
"It is."
"No, Jay."
The entire hallway felt like it was holding its breath.
Keigan looked confused.
Ci n looked tense.
Yuri looked guilty for even being there.
I lowered my voice.
"Did he hit you?"
She didn't answer.
That silence was louder than anything.
My injured hand clenched automatically.
Pain shot through it.
I didn't care.
Aries stepped between us slightly.
"She's safe now," he said calmly.
"That's not the point."
"It is," Aries replied firmly. "Right now, that's the only point."
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
And for the first time, I saw something I hadn't before.
He wasn't calm because he didn't care.
He was calm because he'd already burned through his anger long ago.
"You knew," I said quietly.
"Yes."
"And you didn't—"
"What?" Aries snapped, not loudly, but sharp enough. "You think I didn't want to destroy him?"
The hallway went even quieter.
Jay's breathing got heavier.
"I stayed," Aries continued, voice controlled. "I protected her the way I could. I got her out. That's what mattered."
I looked back at her.
She looked small again.
Like this conversation was dragging her somewhere she didn't want to go.
"I won't spare him," I said.
The words came out before I could stop them.
Not shouted.
Not dramatic.
Just cold.
Jay's head snapped up.
"Don't."
"He hurt you."
"It's over."
"It's not over for me."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Keifer."
"I don't care who he is," I continued quietly. "I don't care if he's still in your life or not. If I ever see him—"
"Stop," she said sharply.
I froze.
Her voice was stronger now.
"I don't want revenge," she said, shaking slightly. "I don't want fights. I don't want you hurt."
"I won't get hurt."
"You already did," she whispered, looking at my bandaged hand.
That shut me up for a second.
Aries placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
"He's angry because he cares," he said softly.
"I know," she replied.
Then she looked at me.
Not scared.
Not guilty.
Just tired.
"If you fight him," she said quietly, "it won't fix what happened."
I didn't answer.
Because part of me didn't care about fixing it.
Part of me wanted him to feel something.
Anything.
A fraction of what she must have felt.
But she stepped closer to me.
Close enough that her fingers lightly grabbed my shirt.
"I need you here," she whispered. "Not in jail. Not hurt. Not fighting someone for me."
That hit harder than anything.
The hallway disappeared again.
Just her.
And me.
And that plea.
Aries watched silently.
The squad didn't move.
"I'm not weak for surviving," she continued softly. "And you don't have to destroy someone to prove I matter."
My jaw tightened.
Because she did matter.
More than I was comfortable admitting out loud.
"I won't let him touch you again," I said finally.
"He won't," Aries replied.
There was certainty in his voice.
I looked at him.
He wasn't challenging me.
He wasn't competing.
He was standing with me.
For her.
And slowly—
The anger shifted.
It didn't disappear.
But it focused.
Not on revenge.
On protection.
I looked down at her.
"You don't ever apologize for surviving," I said quietly.
Her eyes filled again.
"And if he ever comes near you," I added, voice low but controlled, "I won't spare him."
She didn't argue this time.
She just leaned forward and rested her forehead lightly against my chest.
Exhausted.
Trusting.
And for the first time that entire day—
My anger wasn't chaos.
It was a promise.