JAY- JAY POV
When we got back to the house and I saw Yuri standing there, I blinked.
He's still here.
"Hi, Jay," Yuri said, smiling like he'd been waiting.
"Hi, Yuri," I said back.
Beside me, Aries rolled his eyes so hard I swear he almost saw his brain.
"Jay, let's go," Aries said, grabbing my hand like Yuri was a mosquito he wanted to swat away.
"Jay, I want to talk to you about something," Yuri said, stepping a little closer.
I looked at Aries.
His jaw tightened.
His grip on my hand tightened.
His patience? Gone.
"Please," I whispered. "I'll come back in five minutes."
Aries stared at me like I'd just betrayed him in a telenovela.
"Fine," he muttered, letting go of my hand but not the attitude.
He walked off, but not far — just enough to pretend he wasn't watching while very obviously watching.
I turned back to Yuri.
"Okay," I said. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Jay, this is about Keifer," Yuri said.
My heart dropped. "What happened to him? Is he hurt?"
Yuri's jaw tightened — not in fear.
In anger.
The kind of anger that makes your stomach twist.
"Yuri," I said, stepping closer, "what happened?"
He looked away for a second, breathing hard like he was trying not to explode.
"Jay… he's not hurt," Yuri said slowly.
My chest tightened. "What do you mean?"
Yuri finally met my eyes — and the look there made my skin crawl.
"He's been hiding something," Yuri said. "Something big. And he didn't want you to know."
I froze.
"What are you talking about?" I whispered.
"Jay… when he was in London, he was engaged to a girl named Ion," Yuri said.
I froze again.
My chest tightened.
My throat burned.
My eyes stung.
"What?" I breathed, tears already forming.
Yuri stepped forward, arms opening like he wanted to hug me.
But I backed away.
Hard.
"Jay—"
"Don't," I said, voice shaking. "Don't touch me."
Yuri's face fell, but I couldn't look at him.
I couldn't look at anything.
Engaged.
Keifer.
Engaged.
My stomach twisted.
"I already told you, Jay — choosing Keifer will only get you hurt," Yuri said.
"What the hell?" Aries snapped from behind me.
Before I could even breathe, Aries grabbed Yuri by the collar, yanking him forward.
"Stop lying, you— you rooster," Aries growled, eyes blazing.
Yuri didn't even flinch.
He just stared back at Aries, jaw tight, like he expected this.
"Aries, let go," I said, my voice shaking — not from fear, but from everything crashing down at once.
Aries didn't move.
"Why are you telling her this now?" he demanded. "Why are you trying to mess with her head?"
Yuri's eyes flicked to me — not scared, not smug, just… sad.
"Because she deserves the truth," Yuri said quietly. "Even if it hurts."
Aries shoved him back a step. "You don't get to decide that."
"I'm not deciding anything," Yuri said, straightening his shirt. "I'm telling her what Keifer refused to."
My breath hitched.
"Aries," I whispered, "let him talk."
Aries turned to me, disbelief written all over his face. "Jay—"
"Please," I said.
He clenched his jaw, fists still tight, but he stepped back — only barely, only enough to give Yuri space, not enough to stop glaring daggers.
Yuri took a slow breath.
Then he smirked — that annoying, knowing smirk — and walked away like he'd just dropped a bomb on purpose.
The moment he disappeared around the corner, Aries turned to me and pulled me into a tight hug.
"Jay, don't listen to him," he said, arms wrapping around me like he was trying to shield me from the whole world.
I pressed my face into his shoulder, tears already falling.
"I know Keifer," Aries continued. "Yes, he's an asshole. Yes, he's stupid. Yes, he's dramatic. But he doesn't cheat."
"Then why would Yuri say that?" I asked, voice breaking, my hands gripping Aries' shirt.
Aries sighed, pulling back just enough to look at me. "Because, Jay… he still likes you. And I have a feeling that rooster will do anything to separate you and Keifer."
He wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb, then leaned forward and kissed my forehead — soft, protective, the way only Aries can.
"Talk to Keifer before you jump into conclusions," he said gently. "Don't let Yuri's jealousy ruin something that's not even broken."
I sniffed, trying to breathe, trying to think, trying not to fall apart again.
Aries squeezed my shoulders. "Jay… Keifer deserves to explain himself. And you deserve the truth from him, not from some jealous rooster with a big mouth."
I nodded slowly.
But my chest still hurt.
Because even if Yuri was lying…
The thought of Keifer with someone else — even in the past — felt like a knife twisting inside me.
"Let's go eat dinner," Aries said gently.
"I'm not hungry. I'm going to my room," I muttered, heading upstairs.
"Hello, Ate!" Raffy called.
I forced a smile, kissed his forehead, and kept walking before he could see the tears in my eyes.
On my way to my room, I saw Yuri leaning against the wall like he'd been waiting for me.
"I already told you, Jay," Yuri said quietly. "Please break up with him now."
"Shut up, Yuri," I snapped.
He flinched.
The guilt hit instantly. "I'm sorry," I whispered.
He nodded, but his eyes stayed on me — too soft, too worried, too something I didn't want to deal with.
"Jay, who is that kid downstairs?" Yuri asked, pointing toward Raffy.
"Oh — he's my younger brother," I said, rubbing my forehead. "My half brother. Please don't ask any questions. I don't feel like explaining my whole family tree right now."
Yuri nodded slowly, studying me like he was trying to read every crack in my expression.
"You look… tired," he said softly.
"I am," I admitted.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Yuri took a small step closer — not enough to touch me, but enough to make my chest tighten.
"Jay… I didn't mean to upset you," he said quietly. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
I closed my eyes.
"Yuri," I said, voice barely steady, "right now… I just want to be alone."
He swallowed, nodded once, and stepped aside.
I walked past him, heart heavy, throat tight, and finally reached my room.
The moment the door closed behind me, the tears I'd been holding back finally fell.
Then my phone started to ring.
Keifer.
His name lit up the screen like it was mocking me.
My chest tightened.
My throat closed.
I couldn't breathe, much less talk.
I was crying too much to pick it up, so I hung up.
The moment my thumb hit "decline," the silence in my room felt louder than the ringtone.
Another tear slipped down my cheek.
Why now?
Why call now?
Why when I was already falling apart?
The phone buzzed again — a message this time — but I couldn't bring myself to look.
I was probably crying for 30 minutes.