EPILOGUE — FOUR HEARTS, ONE HOME
Four years later
—
The same year Jae and Keifer got married—
—
everything changed again.
—
Quietly.
Suddenly.
—
Jae found out she was pregnant.
—
At first—
it felt unreal.
—
Just the idea of it.
—
A new life.
—
Something theirs.
—
—
The first scan—
—
They were calm.
Normal.
—
Expecting to hear one heartbeat.
—
Instead—
—
The doctor paused.
—
Looked at the screen.
Then looked at them.
—
"…I'm going to say this clearly."
—
Jae frowned slightly.
—
"…Okay?"
—
"…There are four."
—
Silence.
—
"…Four what?" Keifer asked slowly.
—
"…Four babies."
—
—
Nothing.
—
No reaction.
—
Because their brains didn't catch up yet.
—
—
Jae blinked.
—
"…No."
—
The doctor didn't smile.
—
"…Yes."
—
—
Keifer let out a short breath.
—
"…That's not possible."
—
"…It is."
—
—
Jae turned to him.
—
"…Four?"
—
"…Four."
—
—
And just like that—
—
their entire life shifted again.
—
—
That night—
—
Neither of them slept properly.
—
"…We're not ready," Keifer said quietly.
—
Jae stared at the ceiling.
—
"…We weren't ready for anything else either."
—
"…That's different."
—
"…Is it?"
—
A pause.
—
"…We figured everything out before."
—
She turned slightly.
—
"…We'll figure this out too."
—
—
And they did.
—
—
Jae stepped back from everything.
—
From music.
From tours.
From the constant spotlight.
—
For the first time in years—
she slowed down.
—
Not because she had to—
—
but because she wanted to.
—
—
Those months—
—
were different.
—
Soft mornings.
Slow evenings.
—
No pressure.
No expectations.
—
Just them.
—
Learning.
Adjusting.
Preparing.
—
—
Keifer was there—
for everything.
—
Every appointment.
Every moment.
—
Not fixing.
Not controlling.
—
Just…
staying.
—
—
And when the time came—
—
it wasn't easy.
—
It wasn't calm.
—
It was overwhelming.
—
Four heartbeats.
Four lives.
—
All at once.
—
—
Jade.
Jet.
Korah.
Kayden.
—
—
From the very beginning—
—
they were loud.
—
Different.
—
Impossible to manage perfectly.
—
—
Jade—
strong.
Expressive.
Always leading.
—
Jet—
competitive.
Stubborn.
Never backing down.
—
Korah—
quiet.
Observant.
Deep.
—
Kayden—
pure chaos.
Joy.
Unpredictable energy.
—
—
Four completely different worlds—
—
in one home.
—
—
It wasn't perfect.
—
It wasn't easy.
—
—
But it was theirs.
—
—
Jae returned to everything later.
—
Back to music.
Back to the stage.
—
But she wasn't the same.
—
She was stronger.
—
More grounded.
—
Because now—
—
no matter where she went—
—
there was something waiting for her.
—
Something real.
—
—
And now—
four years later—
—
they're here.
—
Running through the house.
Fighting over nothing.
Laughing over everything.
—
Filling every space with life.
—
—
Four years old.
—
Four voices.
Four personalities.
—
—
And if you look closely—
—
you can still see it.
—
In Jade's confidence.
—
In Jet's fire.
—
In Korah's calm strength.
—
In Kayden's chaos.
—
—
All of it—
—
a reflection of everything Jae and Keifer built together.
—
—
Not planned.
—
Not perfect.
—
—
But exactly right.
—
—
Always.
Mornings were no longer quiet.
—
They didn't start slow.
They didn't ease in.
—
They exploded.
—
"JET—GIVE IT BACK—"
"NO—IT'S MINE—"
"IT'S NOT YOURS—"
"I SAW IT FIRST—"
—
"JADE DON'T RUN—"
"I'M NOT RUNNING—"
"YOU ARE LITERALLY RUNNING—"
—
"WHO SPILLED THIS—"
"…not me."
"KAYDEN—"
"…okay maybe me."
—
"WHERE IS KORAH—"
"I'M HERE—"
"WHY ARE YOU UNDER THE TABLE—"
"I LIKE IT HERE—"
—
Jae stood in the middle of it.
—
Hair tied up messily.
Oversized hoodie.
Coffee in hand that she hadn't touched yet.
—
And somehow—
—
completely calm.
—
"…Okay," she said.
—
Nothing changed.
—
"…Okay," she repeated.
—
Still nothing.
—
She exhaled.
—
"…KEIFER."
—
From the other side of the house—
—
"I'M HANDLING IT—"
—
"YOU'RE NOT—"
—
"I AM—"
—
"YOU'RE NOT—"
—
He walked in—
holding two mismatched socks and absolutely no control over the situation.
—
"…I lost already."
—
"…Obviously."
—
—
The kids didn't stop.
—
Jade—fast, loud, dramatic.
Jet—competitive, stubborn, always arguing.
Korah—quiet but unpredictable.
Kayden—chaos disguised as innocence.
—
All four—
running in different directions.
—
"…We have five minutes," Jae said.
—
"…Five minutes for what?"
—
"…School."
—
Silence.
—
Then—
—
"WE DON'T WANT SCHOOL—"
—
"…Too bad."
—
—
Keifer leaned against the counter.
—
"…We could just not send them."
—
Jae turned slowly.
—
"…Say that again."
—
"…We're sending them."
—
"…Exactly."
—
—
Eventually—
somehow—
—
they got ready.
—
Shoes on (wrong feet, fixed later).
Bags packed (barely).
Hair done (not perfectly, but done).
—
—
Car ride—
—
"SHOTGUN—"
"I SAID IT FIRST—"
"NO YOU DIDN'T—"
"I DID—"
—
"KORAH WHY ARE YOU SO QUIET—"
"…I'm thinking."
—
"…That's dangerous."
—
Kayden laughing at nothing.
—
Jade still arguing.
—
Jet still trying to win something that didn't exist.
—
—
Jae sat in the front.
—
Watching it all through the mirror.
—
A small smile forming.
—
"…You're smiling," Keifer said.
—
"…I always smile."
—
"…Not like that."
—
She didn't respond.
—
Because she knew.
—
—
Drop-off—
—
"BYE MOM—"
"BYE DAD—"
—
"WAIT—KAYDEN—YOUR BAG—"
"I DON'T NEED IT—"
"YOU DO—"
"…fine."
—
Korah hugged Jae quietly.
—
"…I'll see you later."
—
"…I know."
—
Jet ran ahead.
Jade followed.
—
And just like that—
—
silence.
—
—
Inside the car—
—
Nothing.
—
No yelling.
No chaos.
—
Just quiet.
—
—
Keifer leaned back.
—
"…I miss them already."
—
Jae blinked.
—
"…They've been gone for ten seconds."
—
"…Still."
—
She laughed softly.
—
"…You're dramatic."
—
"…You married me."
—
"…I did."
—
—
A pause.
—
Then—
—
"…Four kids."
—
"…Yeah."
—
"…At once."
—
"…Yeah."
—
They both sat there for a second.
—
Processing something that still felt unreal.
—
"…We were not ready."
—
"…We were never going to be ready."
—
"…True."
—
—
Back home—
—
The house was quiet again.
—
But not empty.
—
Because their presence—
—
lingered.
—
Toys everywhere.
Shoes misplaced.
Drawings on the table.
—
Life.
—
—
Jae walked through slowly.
—
Picking up a small drawing.
—
Four stick figures.
Two taller.
Four smaller.
—
Messy.
Uneven.
—
But labeled.
—
Mama
Papa
Jade
Jet
Korah
Kayden
—
She smiled.
—
"…We're famous," Keifer said behind her.
—
"…Clearly."
—
—
She placed it back carefully.
—
—
Later—
—
They sat on the couch.
—
Finally still.
—
Coffee now actually being drunk.
—
"…Do you ever think about before?" he asked.
—
"…Before what?"
—
"…All of this."
—
She thought for a moment.
—
"…Sometimes."
—
"…And?"
—
She looked around.
—
The house.
The life.
—
Then at him.
—
"…I wouldn't change anything."
—
That was the truth.
—
Not even the hard parts.
—
Not even the pain.
—
Because it led here.
—
—
He nodded.
—
"…Yeah."
—
—
A pause.
—
Then—
—
"…We did okay."
—
She smiled slightly.
—
"…We did more than okay."
—
—
Silence settled.
—
Comfortable.
—
Familiar.
—
—
Then—
her phone buzzed.
—
Group chat.
—
Percy:
I'M COMING OVER
—
Yuri:
NO YOU'RE NOT
—
Ci-N:
YES HE IS
—
Felix:
WE ALL ARE
—
Jae:
no.
—
Percy:
too late
—
She stared at the screen.
—
Then looked at Keifer.
—
"…Lock the doors."
—
"…Already did."
—
Doorbell rang.
—
—
They both froze.
—
"…We didn't lock the doors."
—
"…We didn't."
—
—
"OPEN UP—"
"WE KNOW YOU'RE HOME—"
—
Jae sighed.
—
"…This is our life."
—
"…Yeah."
—
—
She stood up.
—
Walking toward the door.
—
Not annoyed.
—
Not tired.
—
—
Just…
used to it.
—
—
She opened it.
—
And chaos walked in again.
—
—
But this time—
—
it didn't overwhelm her.
—
—
Because this wasn't something she had to survive anymore.
—
—
This was something she built.
—
—
And something she chose.
—
—
Every single day.
—
—
Keifer walked up beside her.
—
"…Ready?"
—
She looked at him.
—
Then at everything unfolding again.
—
—
"…Always."
—
—
And this time—
—
there was no fear.
—
No uncertainty.
—
—
Just a life—
—
full.
Loud.
Messy.
—
And completely theirs
—
—
ALWAYS
The door didn't even close properly.
—
Because the moment Jae opened it—
Section E rushed in like they owned the place.
—
"MOVE—MOVE—"
"WHY IS YOUR HOUSE SO CLEAN—"
"IT WON'T BE—"
—
"…Take your shoes off," Jae said automatically.
—
No one listened.
—
"WE BROUGHT FOOD—"
"WHO GAVE YOU THE ADDRESS—"
"WE ALWAYS HAD THE ADDRESS—"
—
Keifer walked in behind her—
already regretting everything.
—
"…We should've moved."
—
"…They would've found us."
—
"…True."
—
—
Within seconds—
—
The house was loud again.
—
Bags dropped.
Voices overlapping.
Someone already in the kitchen.
—
"…NO ONE TOUCH ANYTHING—"
—
Too late.
—
"WHAT'S IN THIS—"
"DON'T OPEN THAT—"
—
"OH—"
—
"…CI-N."
—
"…It slipped."
—
"…You opened it."
—
"…Same thing."
—
—
Jae stood there—
watching it all happen again.
—
Not overwhelmed.
—
Not stressed.
—
Just…
used to it.
—
—
"WHERE ARE THE KIDS—"
"They're at school—"
"BORING—"
—
"They'll be back in an hour," Keifer added.
—
Silence.
—
Then—
—
"WE'RE STAYING."
—
"…No."
—
"…Yes."
—
"…No."
—
"…Yes."
—
Jae didn't argue.
—
Because she already knew—
—
they weren't leaving.
—
—
Time passed quickly.
—
Food somehow got arranged.
—
Music started again.
—
Percy tried to reorganize the living room.
—
"…Why are you moving furniture—"
"It's not balanced—"
"It was fine—"
"NOT ANYMORE—"
—
—
Jae leaned against the wall—
watching it all unfold.
—
"…You're not stopping them?"
Keifer asked.
—
"…Why would I?"
—
"…Because it's our house."
—
"…It's always been like this."
—
He paused.
—
Then nodded slightly.
—
"…Yeah."
—
—
An hour later—
—
The front door burst open.
—
"MOM—"
"DAD—"
—
Four voices.
Four different directions.
—
And chaos—
—
doubled.
—
—
Jade ran in first—
—
"…WHY ARE THEY HERE—"
—
Jet right behind—
—
"…YES—THEY'RE HERE—"
—
Kayden already laughing.
—
Korah walking in slower—
—
observing everything.
—
—
"YOU GUYS GOT BIGGER—"
"YOU GUYS GOT LOUDER—"
"WE WERE ALWAYS LOUD—"
—
Jade crossed her arms.
—
"…This is our house."
—
Percy gasped.
—
"…Excuse me—"
—
"…OURS."
—
—
Jet walked up to him.
—
"…You can stay."
—
"…Thank you."
—
"…But don't touch my stuff."
—
"…Understood."
—
—
Korah stood beside Jae quietly.
—
"…They're chaotic."
—
Jae smiled slightly.
—
"…You'll get used to it."
—
"…I don't want to."
—
"…Too late."
—
—
Kayden had already climbed onto the couch—
talking to Felix like they'd known each other forever.
—
—
Keifer watched everything—
arms crossed.
—
"…This is insane."
—
"…This is normal," Jae corrected.
—
—
He looked at her.
—
"…You're okay with this?"
—
She looked around.
—
At the kids.
At their friends.
At the noise.
—
"…Yeah."
—
—
Because this—
—
was everything.
—
—
Later—
—
The house settled slightly.
—
Kids in one corner.
Section E in another.
—
Jae walked into the kitchen.
—
Needing a second.
—
Quiet.
—
Or as quiet as it could get.
—
—
She leaned against the counter.
—
Exhaling slowly.
—
—
Footsteps behind her.
—
She didn't turn.
—
"…You disappeared."
—
"…I'm right here."
—
Keifer walked in.
—
Closer.
—
"…Too quiet in here."
—
"…That's the point."
—
—
A pause.
—
Then—
—
"…You're good," he said.
—
"…I know."
—
"…No—you're really good."
—
She looked at him.
—
"…At what?"
—
"…All of this."
—
—
She glanced toward the living room.
—
Where laughter still echoed.
—
"…It's not that hard."
—
"…It is."
—
A pause.
—
"…You just make it look easy."
—
—
She didn't respond immediately.
—
Because part of her knew—
—
it hadn't always been easy.
—
—
"…It got easier," she said finally.
—
"…Yeah?"
—
"…Yeah."
—
—
Because she wasn't doing it alone.
—
—
Back in the living room—
—
"WE'RE PLAYING A GAME—"
"NO—"
"YES—"
—
"WHAT GAME—"
"TRUTH OR DARE—"
"NO—"
—
Too late.
—
—
Jae walked back in.
—
"…Absolutely not."
—
"PLEASE—"
"No."
—
"PLEASE—"
—
Silence.
—
Then—
—
"…One round."
—
"YES—"
—
Keifer sighed.
—
"…This is a bad idea."
—
"…Definitely."
—
—
Minutes later—
—
"JET—TRUTH OR DARE—"
"…DARE."
—
"CLIMB THE TABLE—"
—
"…NO."
—
"THAT'S TOO FAR—"
—
"OKAY—SING—"
—
"…I DON'T SING."
—
"You do today."
—
—
Jae watched—
trying not to laugh.
—
—
At one point—
Korah leaned into her side.
—
"…They're weird."
—
"…Very."
—
"…But fun."
—
"…Exactly."
—
—
Evening came slowly.
—
Sunlight fading.
—
Lights turning on.
—
But no one leaving.
—
Of course not.
—
—
Dinner somehow happened.
—
Messy.
Loud.
—
But everyone ate.
—
Everyone stayed.
—
—
Later—
—
Kids getting tired.
—
One by one.
—
Kayden asleep first.
—
Jet pretending he wasn't tired.
—
Jade still talking.
—
Korah quiet again.
—
—
Jae carried Kayden upstairs.
—
Tucked him in.
—
Watched him for a second.
—
—
Then—
Jet walked in.
—
"…I'm not tired."
—
"…Go to bed."
—
"…I'm not—"
—
He yawned.
—
"…Go to bed."
—
"…Fine."
—
—
Jade followed.
—
Still talking.
—
"…Tomorrow can they come again—"
—
"…We'll see."
—
"…That means yes."
—
"…That means we'll see."
—
—
Korah came last.
—
"…Goodnight."
—
"…Goodnight."
—
—
One by one—
—
quiet returned.
—
—
Back downstairs—
—
Section E finally leaving.
—
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
—
"WE'LL BE BACK—"
"No."
—
"YES—"
—
"…Text first."
—
"No."
—
—
Door closed.
—
Finally.
—
—
Silence.
—
Real silence.
—
—
Jae leaned back against the door.
—
"…We survived again."
—
"…Barely," Keifer said.
—
—
They both laughed.
—
—
She walked into the living room.
—
Mess everywhere.
—
Toys mixed with everything else.
—
Cushions out of place.
—
—
"…We should clean."
—
"…Tomorrow."
—
"…Definitely tomorrow."
—
—
They didn't move.
—
—
Instead—
they sat down.
—
Right there.
—
—
"…This is a lot," he said.
—
"…It is."
—
"…Worth it?"
—
She looked around.
—
Then at him.
—
"…Always."
—
—
He nodded.
—
"…Yeah."
—
—
She leaned into him.
—
Eyes closing slightly.
—
—
"…We really did build this."
—
"…Yeah."
—
—
Not perfect.
—
Not quiet.
—
Not simple.
—
—
But real.
—
—
And full.
—
—
And theirs.
—
—
Always.
The house stayed quiet longer than expected.
—
Not silent.
Never silent.
—
But calmer.
—
The kind of calm that comes after chaos—
when everything settles but the energy still lingers.
—
Morning light slipped through the curtains.
—
Jae woke up before everyone else.
—
Not because she had to.
—
But because she was used to it.
—
She sat up slowly.
—
The house still.
—
For once—
no shouting.
No running.
No arguments over nothing.
—
Just…
peace.
—
She got up.
—
Walked through the hallway.
—
Passing four slightly open doors.
—
Each one—
a different world.
—
She paused at Jade's room first.
—
Messy.
Clothes everywhere.
Something half-finished on the desk.
—
Jade asleep—
sprawled across the bed like she owned it.
—
Jae smiled slightly.
—
Closed the door halfway.
—
Next—
Jet.
—
Blanket kicked off.
—
Still somehow holding onto something like it was a competition.
—
Even in sleep.
—
She fixed the blanket.
—
"…You're going to wake up cold," she murmured.
—
He didn't move.
—
—
Korah's room—
—
Neat.
Quiet.
—
Everything in place.
—
She slept on her side—
calm.
—
Like she carried a different kind of world inside her.
—
Jae stood there a second longer.
—
Then left quietly.
—
—
Kayden—
—
The opposite.
—
Blankets tangled.
Pillow on the floor.
—
Still asleep.
—
Still smiling.
—
Jae shook her head softly.
—
"…Of course."
—
—
She closed the last door.
—
Walking back toward the kitchen.
—
—
Coffee.
—
This time—
she actually drank it.
—
Standing by the counter.
—
Looking out the window.
—
—
Footsteps behind her.
—
"…You left me."
—
She didn't turn.
—
"…You were sleeping."
—
"…I would've woken up."
—
"…You didn't."
—
Keifer walked in.
—
Hair messy.
Still half-asleep.
—
"…That's rude."
—
"…You'll survive."
—
—
He leaned beside her.
—
Quiet.
—
"…They're still asleep?"
—
"…For now."
—
"…We should enjoy this."
—
"…We are."
—
—
Silence.
—
Comfortable.
—
—
"…You check on them?" he asked.
—
"…Always."
—
"…Same."
—
—
He looked at her.
—
"…You're happy."
—
She didn't answer immediately.
—
Because the answer wasn't simple.
—
It wasn't loud.
—
It was just…
there.
—
"…Yeah."
—
—
Not the kind of happy that fades.
—
Not the kind that needs proving.
—
—
The kind that stays.
—
—
A loud thud upstairs.
—
Both of them froze.
—
"…And it's over," he said.
—
"…That was fast."
—
—
"JET—"
"I DIDN'T DO IT—"
"YOU DID—"
"I DIDN'T—"
—
"JADE—STOP—"
"I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING—"
—
"WHERE'S MY SHOE—"
"KAYDEN—"
"I FOUND IT—"
"THAT'S NOT YOUR SHOE—"
—
"…KORAH—"
"…I'm staying here."
—
—
Jae closed her eyes briefly.
—
"…And we're back."
—
Keifer sighed.
—
"…We had five minutes."
—
"…That's a record."
—
—
They walked upstairs together.
—
Already knowing what they'd find.
—
—
Chaos.
—
Again.
—
But different now.
—
Because this chaos—
—
was theirs.
—
—
Later that day—
—
The house was full again.
—
Not with guests.
—
But with life.
—
School bags dropped.
Homework half-started.
Snacks everywhere.
—
Jae sat at the table—
helping Jade with something that kept changing every five seconds.
—
"No, that's not how it works—"
"But I want it to work like that—"
"It doesn't—"
"It should—"
—
Jet arguing with Keifer over something completely unnecessary.
—
"That's not fair—"
"It is fair—"
"It's not—"
"It is—"
—
Kayden drawing on the side—
—
"This is you—"
"…Why do I have five arms?"
"Because you do a lot of things."
—
Jae blinked.
—
"…Fair."
—
—
Korah sat quietly beside her—
reading.
—
Occasionally looking up—
just observing everything.
—
"…You're not helping them," Jae said.
—
"…They don't need help."
—
"…You're right."
—
—
Time passed the same way it always did now.
—
Fast.
Messy.
Full.
—
—
Evening came.
—
Dinner happened.
—
Not perfectly.
—
But together.
—
—
At one point—
Jade looked up.
—
"…Were you always like this?"
—
"…Like what?"
—
"…Busy."
—
Jae paused.
—
"…Not always."
—
"…What were you like before?"
—
Silence.
—
A small one.
—
Not heavy.
—
Just thoughtful.
—
"…Different."
—
"…How?"
—
She glanced at Keifer.
—
Then back at her.
—
"…I didn't have all this."
—
Jade looked around.
—
"…This is better."
—
Jae smiled softly.
—
"…Yeah."
—
—
Later—
—
Bedtime again.
—
Same routine.
—
Same chaos.
—
Same resistance.
—
—
"I'M NOT TIRED—"
"You are—"
"I'M NOT—"
"You are—"
—
Eventually—
—
quiet.
—
—
Jae walked back into the living room.
—
Dropping onto the couch.
—
Tired now.
—
But not exhausted.
—
—
Keifer sat beside her.
—
"…Long day."
—
"…Every day is a long day."
—
"…You love it."
—
"…I do."
—
—
A pause.
—
Then—
—
"…We should take them somewhere," he said.
—
"…Where?"
—
"…Anywhere."
—
She thought for a second.
—
"…Manila."
—
He looked at her.
—
"…Yeah?"
—
"…Yeah."
—
—
A small smile.
—
Because that place—
—
still meant something.
—
—
"…We'll take them," he said.
—
"…We will."
—
—
Silence settled again.
—
—
She leaned into him.
—
Closing her eyes.
—
—
"…Hey."
—
"…Yeah?"
—
"…We really did it."
—
He nodded.
—
"…Yeah."
—
—
Not perfectly.
—
Not easily.
—
—
But fully.
—
—
And now—
—
they weren't just living it.
—
—
They were passing it on.
—
—
Every laugh.
Every moment.
Every piece of everything they built—
—
now growing into something even bigger.
—
—
A life that didn't end with them.
—
—
A story that didn't stop.
—
—
Just continued.
—
—
Loud.
Messy.
Beautiful.
—
—
Always.
____________________
A/N
And just like that… this story comes to an end.
I don't think I'll ever fully move on from Jae, Keifer, and everyone in their world. This wasn't just a story anymore—it became something I lived with, thought about, and felt every day while writing.
But this isn't a final goodbye.
I'm taking a short break—around 10–12 days—to reset, plan, and come back stronger. And trust me, I will be back. Count on me.
Because yes… there's going to be a new book.
A fresh story. New chaos. New emotions.
But the same intensity, the same depth, and even better moments.
So don't go anywhere.
Stay ready.
I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone.
— See you soon 🤍