JAY'S POV
Today was my last quarterly exam. Which officially meant...Three weeks of holidays.
Well..."Holiday" wasn't exactly the right word.
We still had our final examinations after this break, and those exams would decide whether I'd graduate or not.
So technically...It was three weeks of studying. Future Jay Jay could deal with that. Present Jay Jay only wanted one thing.
Sleep.
A long...
Peaceful...
Much-needed sleep.
I walked over to my closet and pulled out an oversized black T-shirt.
Correction. One of Keifer's oversized T-shirts. Don't judge me. He still doesn't know I secretly stole a few of them. They smell like him. And for some reason...That scent always calms me down. I grabbed a pair of shorts before heading straight to the bathroom.
A warm shower later, I felt like a completely new person. I dried my hair, changed into the clothes, and threw myself onto the bed.
Finally.
Sleep.
I had barely closed my eyes when my phone started ringing. I groaned dramatically before reaching for it.
The screen lit up.
PAPA CALLING...
A smile instantly spread across my face. Although we talked often, we hadn't been able to meet lately. Between the death threats...School...And exams...There just hadn't been any time. But now that my exams were finally over...Maybe I could spend a few days with him.
I quickly sat upright. It was a video call.
I answered immediately.
"Hey, Papa."
His warm smile appeared on the screen.
"Hi, Anak."
His voice alone made me smile wider.
"How are you?"
"I'm good."
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"How are you? And how's Tita Recyee?"
"We're both doing well."
He chuckled softly.
"So...How were your exams?"
I grinned proudly.
"They went really well. All those late-night study sessions finally paid off."
"I knew they would."
He smiled proudly.
"My daughter is amazing."
I laughed.
"You sound more confident than I am."
"That's because I know you."
God...I missed him. Maybe after all of this...I could finally spend time with my father.
We continued talking about random things. He told me stories about work. I complained about mathematics. We laughed.
Everything felt peaceful.
Then—
My bedroom door suddenly swung open.
I looked up. Jeana stood there. My smile disappeared instantly.
"What the hell? Don't you know how to knock? What are you doing in my room?"
My voice came out much louder than I intended. I had completely forgotten the video call was still connected. Jeana took a hesitant step forward.
"Jay...Please...Just listen to me for once. I want to—"
She stopped. Her eyes landed on my phone screen. Her expression changed immediately.
"Why...Why are you talking to him?"
I frowned.
"He's my dad. Of course I'm talking to him."
Her jaw tightened.
"No. You shouldn't be." Anger flashed across her face. "You can't keep talking to him."
I stared at her in disbelief. Ignoring her completely, I looked back at my phone.
"Papa...I'll call you later."
He looked worried.
"Are you sure?"
I forced a small smile.
"Yeah."
"I'll call you tonight."
"Okay, Anak."
"Take care."
The call ended. Silence filled the room. I slowly placed my phone on the bed before looking back at Jeana.
"What the hell is your problem?"
She crossed her arms.
"My problem is that you're talking to that man. You have no idea what I suffered because of him."
My patience snapped.
"I don't fucking care."
Her eyes widened.
"What happened between you two...Was between you and him. It had nothing to do with me. If you don't want to talk to him...Fine. But don't you dare tell me I can't. He's my father."
Her voice rose.
"I'm your mother. You'll listen to me. He's not worthy of being called a father."
I let out a bitter laugh.
"And you think you're worthy of being called a mother?"
Before she could answer—
"Enough."
Both of us turned toward the door. Aries stood there. His jaw was tight. His expression unreadable.
"What the hell is going on?"
Jeana pointed at me.
"Your sister is talking to her father."
"And?"
Aries asked calmly.
"He's her father. So what's the problem?"
A proud smile tugged at my lips. Jeana looked at him in disbelief.
"You're supporting her? You know what happened between us!"
Aries sighed.
"And that's exactly it. Between you and him."
He looked directly at her.
"Not Jay Jay. She has every right to have a relationship with her father. You don't get to take that away from her."
"No!"
Jeana shouted.
"I—"
"Yes."
I cut her off. My anger finally boiling over.
"Let me remind you of something..."
I stepped closer.
"So listen carefully...Mrs. Jeana Fernandez. You have absolutely no right over my life. So don't stand here pretending you suddenly get to make decisions for me. I'll talk to whoever I want. I'll meet whoever I want. And if I want to spend time with my father..."
"I will."
Her eyes began filling with tears.
"Jay...Please..."
"Shut up."
My voice echoed through the room.
"You already stole years of my father's love from me. And now...Now that I finally have a chance to know him...You want to take that away too? No. I'm done letting you control my life."
I didn't wait for another word. I stormed out of the room. Out of the house. My vision blurred with tears. I didn't even remember grabbing my car keys.
One second...I was driving.
The next...I had no idea where I was going.
The road ahead became nothing but a blur. Then...It happened.
Darkness.
A room.
Cold.
So cold.
Heavy footsteps.
Laughter.
Male voices.
One after another.
"Hold her."
"She's beautiful."
"Look at her..."
"I want her."
"No..."
My breathing became uneven. Another voice. Closer this time.
"Don't let her escape."
"No..."
I gripped the steering wheel harder.
"No..."
The voices became louder. My chest tightened. Every breath hurt.
Then—I slammed on the brakes.
The tires screeched against the road. The car came to a violent stop on the roadside. I bent forward, gasping for air. Sweat covered my forehead. My entire body trembled uncontrollably. I shut my eyes tightly.
Trying...
Desperately trying...
To remember.
I saw myself.
A dark room.
Men surrounding me.
Faces...
Blurred.
I couldn't make out a single one.
Just their voices.
Their laughter.
The way they looked at me.
Then...Nothing. Everything after that...Was blank.
I slowly opened my eyes. My heartbeat pounded painfully against my ribs.
"What...What happened after that?"
The words barely left my lips.
"Why can't I remember?"
My hands shook violently.
"Did they hurt me...?"
My voice cracked.
"Did they..."
I couldn't even finish the sentence.
"No. No...This can't be real."
Tears rolled freely down my cheeks. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I couldn't tell whether these were memories...Or nightmares.
I only knew one thing. I was terrified.
I don't remember driving again. I don't remember parking the car. I don't remember walking inside. The only thing I remember...Was the burning taste of alcohol sliding down my throat.
One glass.
Then another.
Then another.
Anything...Anything to silence those voices inside my head. But they wouldn't stop.
Eventually...I stood up.
My vision was blurry. My thoughts even worse. I had left my phone at home. I couldn't call anyone. I couldn't think straight.
There was only one person my heart wanted right now. Only one place that felt safe. I stumbled outside and flagged down a taxi. The driver looked at me through the rear-view mirror.
"Where to, ma'am?"
I didn't hesitate.
"Watson Mansion."
Because if there was one place where I could finally breathe...It was wherever Keifer was. And I just prayed...He'd still be awake.