š Chapter: Broken Ties
Jay's POV
The corridor outside Section E felt quieter than usual.
Maybe it was because of the way everyone looked at me.
Or maybe it was because news had already started spreading.
In a school like this, secrets don't stay secrets for long.
Especially not this one.
My engagement.
The engagement between Yuri and me.
Cancelled.
Completely.
Officially.
I leaned against one of the lockers, letting out a slow breath.
Footsteps echoed behind me.
I didn't turn around.
I already knew who it was.
"Jay."
Yuri's voice.
Calm as always.
I looked at him.
He stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets, red hair catching the light from the windows.
"They announced it this morning," he said.
"I know."
Our families had made the decision public.
The alliance between our families was no longer tied to a marriage.
No engagement.
No wedding.
No future together.
Justā¦ finished.
"You seem relieved," Yuri said.
"I am."
He smirked faintly.
"Good. That makes two of us."
I crossed my arms.
"You didn't want it either."
"Of course not."
He leaned against the wall beside the lockers.
"I like chaos, Jay. Not arranged marriages."
That actually sounded like Yuri.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Students walked past us slowly, whispering.
Watching.
Judging.
Rumors were already forming.
Yuri looked toward the classroom door behind me.
"They don't know yet."
"They will," I said.
Then he asked quietly,
"Are you going to tell Keifer?"
The name hung in the air between us.
I didn't answer.
Yuri noticed immediately.
He smiled slightly.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"You hesitated."
I rolled my eyes.
"Don't analyze me today."
"Too late."
He straightened up and stepped away from the wall.
"Well," he said casually, "congratulations."
"For what?"
"You're officially single again."
"That's not funny."
"I'm not joking."
Then he walked back toward the classroom.
Leaving me alone in the hallway.
But something inside my chest still felt heavy.
Because the engagement being over didn't solve the real problem.
Keifer.
---
š Scene: Section E
Keifer's POV
Inside the classroom, everything was already getting loud.
Blaster burst through the door after talking to someone in the hallway.
"GUYS."
Everyone looked up.
"What?" Drew asked.
Blaster pointed toward the hallway.
"Jay and Yuri's engagement just got cancelled."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Mayo blinked.
"Waitā¦ what?"
"It's official," Blaster continued. "The families announced it this morning."
Ci-N leaned back in his chair slowly.
"Well."
"That explains the tension," he said.
Drew looked confused.
"So she's not marrying Yuri anymore?"
David lifted his head from his desk.
"Obviously , well it is nice .....better for her than marrying a rooster"
Everyone laughed at that , cin also did a chicken dancešš
Kit rubbed the back of his neck.
"Then why does she still look like she wants to destroy the world?"
No one answered.
Because they were all looking at me.
I stared out the classroom window toward the courtyard.
My thoughts were spinning.
Jay wasn't Yuri's fiancƩe anymore.
Which meant one thing.
Nothing was stopping me now.
Except Jay herself.
---
š Scene: Parking Lot
Jay's POV
School ended hours later.
The parking lot was crowded with students leaving for the day.
I walked toward my car.
The same black car I drove this morning.
The moment I reached itā
A shadow blocked my path.
Keifer.
Of course.
I sighed quietly.
"You're in my way."
"We need to talk."
I unlocked the car door.
"No."
His hand landed on the car door before I could open it.
"Jay."
My patience was already thin.
"I said no."
"Your engagement with Yuriā"
"It's cancelled."
"I know."
"Then there's nothing to talk about."
I tried to open the door again.
He didn't move.
His jaw tightened.
"You're just going to pretend nothing happened?"
"That's exactly what I'm doing."
"That's not how this works."
I finally looked directly at him.
"Actually, it is."
For a moment neither of us moved.
The tension between us felt like a storm waiting to explode.
His voice dropped slightly.
"Jayā¦ look at me."
"I am looking at you."
"No. You're avoiding everything."
My expression stayed calm.
"Maybe because everything is exhausting."
His eyes softened slightly.
"Then stop running."
"I'm not running."
"You walked out of the classroom."
"I walked away."
"There's a difference."
"Not really."
He stepped closer.
Close enough that I could feel the heat of his presence.
"Do you hate me that much?"
The question caught me off guard.
For a secondā
I didn't answer.
Then I looked away.
"That would be easier."
His expression changed immediately.
Pain flickered across his face.
"So you don't hate me."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"It means everything."
---
š Scene: The Observer
Across the parking lotā
Someone else was watching.
Yuri leaned casually against a black car, arms crossed.
His red hair moved slightly in the wind as he observed the scene.
Jay.
Keifer.
Arguing.
Just like he expected.
Yuri chuckled quietly to himself.
"Well," he murmured.
"This should be interesting."
Then he pushed himself off the car and walked away.
Because chaos was only beginning.
---
š Scene: The Mansion
Night
Jay returned to the mansion late that evening.
The massive doors opened quietly as she stepped inside.
The living room lights were still on.
Justice Veil was there.
Aurora.
Sebastian.
Leo.
Noah.
Sarah.
They were sitting together like they had been waiting.
Aurora looked up first.
"You're late."
Jay tossed her car keys on the table.
"School took longer than expected."
Sebastian studied her carefully.
"Did something happen?"
Jay walked past them toward the stairs.
"Nothing important."
But Leo noticed something.
"You saw him, didn't you?"
Jay stopped halfway up the staircase.
Silence filled the room.
Then she continued walking.
Her voice floated down quietly.
"Yes."
The room went silent.
Because everyone knew exactly who he was.
Keifer.
And they all understood something at that moment.
Jay coming back to the same cityā¦
was only the beginning of a much bigger arc.