(Jay's POV)
The tires made a soft sound against the road as we drove away from my dad's big house. A few minutes ago, we were laughing. Now, Keifer was looking at me with a small smile. I could see him out of the corner of my eye. He had that little look on his face that meant he was about to tease me. We had just left my dad's mansion, and I was finally starting to relax.
"So," Keifer said, and his voice sounded very amused. "You fell right into my arms. Literally. Are you sure you did not do that on purpose, wifey? Were you just looking for an excuse to hug me?"
I gasped loudly and hit his arm playfully. "What? No! You opened the door on purpose! You knew I was leaning against it to spy on you!"
"I had a feeling," he laughed, keeping his eyes on the road. He looked funny, honestly. He is the rich CEO of Watson Enterprises, and he wears a perfect dark suit. But right now, he was using his big brain just to tease me about falling over.
"But you have to admit, it was a very nice fall. You landed right where you belong."
"Oh, please," I laughed, rolling my eyes. "I was trying to save you from my dad's scary business talk. You should thank me. I am a hero."
"A hero who listens through keyholes," he said, shaking his head. "Very brave, Jay. Truly."
We laughed together, and the sound filled the quiet car. It felt good to laugh. The whole morning had been a total mess. First, my coffee was ruined, then I panicked about meeting my dad. It was a lot for a normal girl like me to think about.
But looking at him now, he was just Keifer. My Keifer. He was the guy who promised to buy me a whole Starbucks just to make me smile.
I reached into my bag to grab my phone. I wanted to text tita gemma and tell her about the crazy day. I put my hand deep into the bag.
Keys. Lip balm. Keifer's socks, wait what? An old paper. A food wrapper. A coffee bill. No phone.
I frowned and looked deeper. I dumped everything from my bag onto my lap. Still no phone.
"Uh oh," I said, and my heart gave a nervous jump.Keifer looked over. "What is wrong? Did you lose your lip bam?"
"Worse," I groaned, putting my hand on my face. "I forgot my phone at my dad's house. It is probably on the dining table. Oh no, I am so silly."
I waited for him to sigh or get mad. We had been driving for twenty minutes, and there were many cars on the road. Most guys would complain about turning back. But Keifer did not care at all.
He looked in his mirrors, turned the steering wheel with one hand, and calmly drove the car in reverse to turn around. He looked completely relaxed.
"No problem, wifey," he said softly, giving me a kind smile. "We can go back. It is just a phone. Do not worry."
My heart felt very warm and happy then. "You are too nice to me. It is suspicious. Are you trying to win boyfriend points? We are already engaged, you know. You already won."
"I want husband points now," he said, and he winked at me as he pushed the gas pedal.
When we pulled up to the big Mariano mansion again, the front door was wide open. Standing on the porch was my chaotic brother, Percy. He looked like he was ready to cause trouble. His arms were crossed, and he had a giant pout on his face.
The moment I stepped out of the car, Percy threw his hands in the air.
"I knew it! I knew you could not live without me!" he shouted, running down the steps like he was in a movie. "You missed my handsome face, didn't you, Jay? It has only been twenty minutes, but my charm is too strong! You were sad without me!"
I stood there and let out a loud laugh. Then I looked at him with big judgment. I stared at him with my eyebrows raised very high. He was wearing a shirt with too many buttons open, and he looked very proud of himself.
"Percy," I said, my voice flat. "I am judging you so hard right now."
"You hurt my feelings, sister. You hurt my soul," he said, holding his chest dramatically.
"I forgot my phone, you weird boy," I said, walking past him. "I am just going to grab it from the dining room. Do not touch My Keifer while I am gone."
"Oh, I cannot promise that!" Percy shouted after me.
I walked quickly into the house and went straight to the big dining room where we ate pastries earlier. The house was very quiet now.
Behind me, I heard heavy footsteps. I turned around and saw Keifer. He had followed me inside, probably because he was afraid Percy would try to hug him again.
Right then, Percy burst into the room behind Keifer. His face looked full of fake sadness. He pointed a shaking finger at Keifer and started throwing a giant tantrum.
"Baby!" Percy wailed, making his voice sound fake and sad. "Oh, my beautiful, handsome brother-in-law! Look at you! Why are you becoming so slim? Huh? Tell me the truth!"
Keifer stopped walking. He did not look scared. He just looked like a man who was very tired of my brother. He slowly turned his head to look at Percy.
"Percy," Keifer started, but Percy did not stop.
"I know the truth!" Percy cried, waving his hands wildly. "I know why you are melting away, my sweet baby! Jay eats all your food! She is a monster! She starves you and steals your meat! Look at your face, Keifer! You need help!"
Keifer slowly rolled his eyes very hard. He crossed his arms over his dark suit and looked completely unimpressed. "Percy, your lame jokes will never get old, will they? Mostly because they are already ancient."
"I am speaking from my heart!" Percy sniffled, wiping a fake tear.
I ignored their silly fight and walked over to the long dining table. My phone was sitting right there next to an empty cup. I grabbed it and felt happy. But as I picked it up, my eyes saw something else on the table.
It was a very thick brown folder. It looked heavy, and written across the front in big, black letters was the word: IMPORTANT.
Normally, I try not to be nosy. Okay, that is a lie. I am very nosy, especially with my family.
Seeing a giant file that said "IMPORTANT" out in the open was like a big sign for me. I wanted to know what was inside right away.
What was it? A secret business plan? A map to hidden money?
I looked back at Keifer and Percy.
Percy was currently trying to measure Keifer's waist with his hands, and Keifer looked like he wanted to throw Percy out the window. They were completely busy.
I quietly stepped closer to the table. My fingers touched the edge of the folder. I knew I should not open it. It was private. But my brain kept saying, Just look! One second!
I took a deep breath and opened the file.
My eyes looked at the first page. It was not a business contract. It was a medical report from a very famous hospital. The date at the top was from last week. It was very recent. My eyes moved down the page, and I saw words like
"chemotherapy,"
"hospital schedule," and
"patient progress."
My heart froze. The name of the patient was written in clear letters: Jaspher Mariano. My dad.
I blinked. My brain could not understand the words.
Progress? What progress? What illness did he have? He looked totally fine today. He had hugged me so hard. He laughed and ate sweet pastries with us. He looked very healthy.
Then, my eyes hit the main words in the middle of the page. The letters felt like a punch to my chest.
Stage 3 Cancer.
My breath stopped. I could not breathe at all. Cancer. My dad had cancer. The strong, smiling man who just gave us his blessing was fighting a scary disease, and he did not say a single word to me about it.
A hot tear fell from my eye and went down my cheek. It landed right on the medical paper. Then another tear came. My eyes became blurry. The whole room started to spin, and the funny voices of Percy and Keifer sounded very far away.
I could not breathe. I could not think. I just knew I needed help right now.
I dropped the folder. It made a loud sound on the table. I turned around and started running. I did not care about being quiet. I ran past Percy, who stopped talking and opened his mouth in shock.
Keifer saw my face, and his funny smile disappeared instantly. His eyes became very wide with worry. "Jay?"
I did not answer him. I slammed my body into his chest and hid my face deep in his dark suit. I wrapped my arms around his waist as tightly as I could. My tears came fast now. I was sobbing loudly, and my whole body was shaking against him.
Keifer's arms came around me immediately. He held me tightly and safely. One of his big hands went to the back of my head, rubbing my hair gently. I could feel his heart beating very fast under his shirt. He was scared because he never wants to see me cry like this.
"Hey, hey, what happened?" Keifer asked, and his voice sounded frantic and panicked. "Wifey, talk to me. What is wrong? Did you hurt yourself? Please tell me."
I shook my head against his chest, crying hard. "My... my dad," I gasped out, trying to speak through my tears. "He... Keifer, he has cancer. He has cancer and I did not even know. Nobody told me anything!"
I expected Keifer to gasp. I thought he would be shocked and scared just like me. But the arms around me just became a little stiff. The hand on my hair stopped moving for a second, then started again very slowly.
He did not say anything.
I pulled my face away from his suit. My eyes were red and wet, and I looked up at him. Keifer was not looking at me. He was looking over my shoulder, straight at Percy.
I turned my head to look too.
Percy, who was always loud, funny, and chaotic, was standing completely still. His goofy smile was completely gone. He looked very small. His shoulders were down, his hands were in his pockets, and he was staring at the floor. He looked very guilty. He could not even look at my face.
A terrible thought came to my mind. Percy knew. Of course he knew, he lived in this house.
But then I looked up at Keifer again. His eyes were soft and full of sadness. He bit his lip, looking at me like he felt very sorry.
"Jay," Keifer said softly, his voice very low. "I... I knew it too."
The whole world stopped. Everything became completely quiet.
"You knew?" I whispered, and my voice cracked.
He nodded his head slowly. "When i was looking for clues to get info about your dad, then only did i found out it."
I stared at him in total disbelief. The sadness in my chest suddenly turned into hot anger. My fiancé, the man I was going to marry, the man who promised to protect me, had kept a huge secret from me. He walked out of that study, smiled, teased me, and drove the car like everything was fine, while my dad was fighting cancer.
Before I could stop myself, my right hand made a tight fist.
BAM!
I punched Keifer. Hard. Right on his shoulder.
The punch was so strong that he actually stepped back. He let go of me and held his arm, his eyes wide with shock. Percy made a tiny, scared sound from the corner of the room and hid closer to the wall.
"Ow!" Keifer yelled, rubbing his arm. He looked at me like I was a crazy cat. "What was that for?! Why did you punch me?!"
I stepped toward him, my face red and my cheeks wet with tears. I pointed a mad finger at his chest.
"Keifer!" I shouted, and my voice was very loud in the room. "You only have one heart! Do you understand me?! One heart! I love you, so I cannot break your heart!"
"But!" I took another step forward, making him back up against a chair. "Your body has two hundred and six bones! Two hundred and six, Keifer! And those? Those can be broken very, very easily! You understand that, right?!"
Keifer's mouth fell open. The big billionaire CEO, the powerful man who ran a global company, looked genuinely terrified of me. He swallowed hard and looked at Percy for help, but Percy just shook his head, meaning, You are on your own, man.
"Jay, calm down," Keifer said quickly, holding his hands up so I would not hit him again. "I was going to tell you! I swear! Your dad just asked for a few hours so he could tell you himself! I did not want to ruin his moment!"
"I do not care about moments!" I snapped, but my anger was starting to go away, leaving me feeling very tired and sad again.
"What is all this shouting about?"A calm, deep voice spoke. We all turned to look at the door.
Mr. Jaspher Mariano, so called my secret keeping dad , was standing there. He was wearing his comfortable sweater. He looked a bit older than before, but his eyes were still warm. He saw my wet face, then he saw the open folder on the table. He understood right away. He let out a long sigh.
"Oh, Jay," he said softly.
"Dad," I said, and all my anger disappeared. I ran to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "You did not even tell me about the cancer? Why would you hide this from me? I am your daughter!"
My dad held me tightly and patted my back, just like he did when I was a little kid and the only thing about him that i member though."I am so sorry, my sweet girl," he said into my hair. "I did not want you to worry. You have been so happy lately because of the engagement. I did not want to bring a dark cloud over your joy. I wanted to wait until the treatment was almost done."
I pulled back and looked at his face. "I do not care about a dark cloud! We are a family. We face the clouds together."
Keifer stepped forward and stood next to me. He looked at my dad, then down at me. He looked very sorry.
"I apologize too, Jay. I should have told you right away. I promise you, from now on, no more secrets. I will tell you everything, even the tiny things. I swear."
I wiped my nose with my hand and looked at the three men. Even Percy was nodding his head, looking very sorry.
My dad smiled gently and wiped a tear from my face. "Do not be too hard on them, Jay. It was my choice. But look at me, I am okay. The report you read shows progress. The illness is going away. I am getting the best care."
"Where?" I asked, crossing my arms. "Which hospital?"
"The famous university hospital downtown," my dad told me, sounding very sure. "Keifer actually just offered to bring the best doctors from Europe to help me. I am in good hands, truly."
I looked at Keifer. He gave me a small, careful smile. He still looked a bit worried that I might try to break one of his 206 bones. Knowing that he was already using his money to bring in special doctors made my heart melt. I could not stay mad at him.
"Fine," I said, wiping my face clean. "But I am visiting you more often now. Every week. No, every two days. I am going to come over, eat your food, and watch you take your medicine. And Percy will have to clean the whole house."
"Hey! Why am I getting punished?!" Percy shouted loudly.
"Because you knew the secret," I said, giving him a look. "Deal with it."
My dad laughed loudly, and the happy sound made the house feel warm again. "I would love to see you more often, Jay. Now, please, go home and get some rest. You had enough surprises today."
We spent ten minutes saying goodbye. I hugged my dad very tight and told him I loved him. He said he loved me too. I even gave Percy a quick hug, which made him smile his silly smile again.
The drive back home was completely different this time. The funny, loud mood was gone. Instead, the car was very quiet and calm.
I sat in the passenger seat and stared out the window at the trees. The sun was going down, making the sky look orange. My mind was full of thoughts about hospital visits and how to make healthy food for my dad. I did not say a single word.
Keifer kept looking over at me while he was driving. Every few seconds, he glanced at my face to see if I was okay, or maybe to see if I was going to punch him again. He looked a bit nervous, and his hands held the steering wheel tightly.
Suddenly, Keifer turned the wheel and pulled the car into a parking lot. I looked up and saw a bright sign. It was a popular ice-cream shop.
I turned to him, feeling confused. "Why are we stopping here?"
Ice cream parlour , hmmmmm heaven....
Keifer turned off the car engine. He moved in his seat so he could look at me directly. He looked very worried.
"Jay," he said softly. "Are you still mad at me? Because I hid the secret?"
I looked at his worried face, and then I looked at the ice-cream shop. A funny idea came to my mind. I decided to tease him.
I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms over my dress. I let out a very loud, fake sigh. I looked up at the roof of the car like a dramatic actress.
"What is your fault?" I said in a loud, dramatic voice. "Oh, nothing at all! You just kept a huge secret from your future wife! You let me walk around like a fool while my dad was sick! Why would anything be your fault, Keifer? You are just a perfect billionaire who never makes mistakes!"
Keifer stared at me for a moment. He looked
completely shocked. Then, he saw the little smile on my face. He realized I was just joking with him.
He let out a loud laugh, and all his worry went away. He shook his head and smiled brightly at me."You are so cute when angry, wifey," he chuckled, unbuckling his seatbelt.
"Come on. Let's go buy a giant bowl of cookies and cream ice-cream. I think you need the energy if you want to break my bones later."
"Make it a very large bowl, and I will forgive you," I laughed. We got out of the car together. I felt happy, loved, and ready to face the future with him.....