(Keifer's POV)
The door didn't slam.
That would've been easier.
It just… closed.
Quiet. Final.
For a few seconds, I didn't move.
Didn't go after her.
Didn't say anything.
Just stood there—looking at the space she left behind.
The plate was still on the table.
Untouched.
Of course.
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair, forcing my thoughts to settle instead of react.
Because this—
this didn't feel right.
Jay doesn't break like that.
Not over something like this.
Not without asking.
Not without tearing the truth out first.
But she didn't.
She didn't question.
Didn't wait.
Didn't even try to understand.
She already knew.
My eyes shifted toward the drawer.
Closed.
Perfectly.
Too perfectly.
Yeah.
She knew.
Not from me.
Never from me.
I let out a quiet breath.
"She pushed me away…" I muttered under my breath.
Not out of anger.
Not out of misunderstanding.
On purpose.
That thought didn't hurt less.
It just made everything sharper.
I reached for my phone without thinking twice and dialed Aries.
He picked up quickly.
"Yeah?"
"Did she reach?"
A pause.
Then, "Not yet."
My jaw tightened immediately.
"She left like ten minutes ago."
"And you let her?" Aries snapped instantly.
I stayed silent.
"Keifer, what the hell were you thinking?" His voice was sharper now, anger barely controlled. "She's not even fully recovered yet."
"I know."
"No—you clearly don't." Aries exhaled harshly. "She's been holding herself together for days and you let her walk out alone?"
Every word landed harder than it should've.
Because he wasn't wrong.
"I didn't think she'd—"
"You didn't think at all."
Silence.
Heavy.
I closed my eyes briefly, guilt twisting harder in my chest.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly.
Not defensive.
Not irritated.
Just honest.
Aries went silent for a second after hearing that.
Then his voice lowered slightly.
"…I'm so sorry for her, Keifer."
That hurt more.
Because Aries cared about Jay almost as much as I did.
And hearing the disappointment in his voice—
that was worse than anger.
"She found out," I muttered.
"About the engagement?"
"Yeah."
A pause.
"Did she ask you anything?"
"No."
Another silence.
Then Aries cursed quietly under his breath.
"That's bad."
"I know."
"She doesn't shut down like that unless it destroyed her first."
I leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling.
"She knew it was forced."
"That doesn't make it hurt less," Aries replied immediately. "You think knowing the reason magically fixes it?"
No.
Of course not.
I rubbed a hand over my face slowly.
"…she didn't even let me explain."
"Or maybe she knew if she stayed, she'd forgive you."
That made my chest tighten.
"Keifer," Aries said more seriously now, "listen to me carefully."
I straightened slightly without meaning to.
"Jay is not okay right now."
Silence.
"She's exhausted, emotionally wrecked, and still recovering. She shouldn't be out there walking around alone at night."
The second he said it—
something cold settled in my stomach.
Because he was right.
Jay barely had the strength to argue before leaving.
And I still let her walk out.
Damn it.
"We have to find her now," Aries said firmly.
I was already grabbing my keys before he even finished.
"Come to my place. We'll split up if we need to."
"I'm on my way."
"And Keifer?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't wait until she convinces herself leaving was the right choice."
The line went quiet for a second.
Then he added softly,
"Because if she breaks completely this time… I don't know if she'll let anyone see it."
The call ended.
And suddenly standing still wasn't an option anymore.
(Jay's POV)
I didn't know where I was going.
I just knew I couldn't stay.
The moment I stepped out of the mansion gate, my legs kept moving on their own. No direction, no plan—just distance. Distance from him, from that room, from everything that almost made me stay.
The night air was cold, but I barely felt it. My chest hurt too much for anything else to matter.
I told myself not to cry.
I lasted five seconds.
It came all at once.
Not soft. Not quiet.
Heavy.
My breathing broke first, turning uneven, then sharp. Tears blurred everything in front of me, but I didn't stop walking. I couldn't. If I stopped, I knew I wouldn't be able to move again.
"I'm sorry…" I whispered under my breath, though no one was there to hear it.
Sorry for what I said.
Sorry for how I said it.
Sorry for leaving.
But I still kept walking.
Because staying would've been worse.
My chest tightened harder, my steps slowing now, my body finally starting to give in. Every breath felt like it got stuck halfway, turning into painful hiccups that shook through me without control.
I couldn't think straight anymore.
Couldn't see properly.
Couldn't stop.
Until I did.
A bench.
Empty.
Silent.
I don't even remember deciding to sit. My body just dropped onto it, my hands gripping the edge as I tried to steady myself.
It didn't work.
My breathing turned worse, sharp hiccups breaking through every second, my stomach aching from how hard I was trying to breathe properly.
It hurt.
More than it should.
I leaned forward slightly, pressing my hand against my stomach, trying to control it.
"Stop…" I whispered, like my body would listen.
It didn't.
Tears kept falling.
My chest kept tightening.
My breathing wouldn't settle.
And for the first time since I left—
I couldn't move.
I just sat there.
Alone.
In the middle of nowhere.
At night.
Then—
something felt wrong.
Subtle.
But there.
My body reacted before my mind did.
Tensing.
Freezing slightly.
Like I wasn't alone anymore.
My fingers tightened against the bench, my breathing still uneven, my vision still blurred—but that feeling didn't go away.
Someone was there.
Close enough to feel.
I didn't turn.
Didn't speak.
Didn't move.
Because I couldn't.
Not like this.
Not when I didn't even have the strength to stand.
So I just stayed there—
trying to breathe,
trying to hold myself together,
while that presence lingered in the dark around me.