Keifer's POV
The morning light was a cruel reminder that time was moving, even though I wanted to stay frozen in this moment forever. I stayed propped on my elbow, my breath hitching as I watched Jay sleep. She looked so fragile, so unlike the fierce woman who had been spitting fire at me all night.
"I'm so sorry, Jay," I whispered, my voice cracking in the hollow silence of the room. "I know what I did is unforgivable... but I will try. I'll spend every second of my life trying to fix what I broke.Even if you never give it to me, I'll still be here."
As if she heard the pain in my voice, Jay shifted, subconscious instincts taking over. she curled into my side, her warmth blooming against me. Her hand wandered to my shoulder, her fingers tracing the line of my arm.
"When did you become so big?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep. "And why is your muscle so hard? My Snorlax is soft..."
I let out a dry, breathy laugh, though it felt more like a sob. Even in her sleep, she was comparing me to that damn stuffed toy.
I am sometimes very jealous of her Snorlax, I thought, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. She loves him more than anything. He gets the version of her that I threw away—the soft, trusting Jay who doesn't have to stay guarded. I'd give every cent I own just to be that plushie for one night, to be held without the weight of my sins between us.
I forced myself to get up, moving like a ghost so I wouldn't wake her. I headed to the kitchen; if I couldn't have her heart yet, I would at least feed her.
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Jay's POV
I woke up alone, the scent of him still lingering on the pillows. I changed into a fresh outfit, squared my shoulders, and went downstairs.
When I walked downstairs, I saw him. He was wearing a simple white shirt, the sleeves pushed up. My breath hitched. I hated how he looked—so domestic, so perfect, like the betrayal had never happened. I felt myself melting for a heartbeat before I caught myself.
I sat at the table and began to eat, the silence between us sharp as a knife.
"Why isn't anyone else here on this island?" I asked, looking him dead in the eye.
"Because, I bought this.For you",he replied simply.
"A whole Island ?",I asked comfirming again.
He nodded slowly.
I dropped my fork; the sound echoed like a gunshot. "Do you really think this island , chocolates or any other expensive gift can earn forgiveness for you? Do you really think I am like other girls who can be melted by an expensive gift? If so, then you are wrong Mark Keifer Watson.You forget I am the CEO of JJM Enterprises. I am a f****** billionaire! I could buy many such islands by the sunset!"
Keifer didn't flinch. He just looked at me with an expression so raw it made me want to look away. "I know you are a billionaire and you are not like other girls. That is why I love you more than anyone else. I didn't buy you this island for forgiveness. I bought it so that next time when you want a place away from everyone, you could come to this place. This is your place, Jay, not anyone else's Not mine . Not your brothers.Just yours. And about the chocolate... I bought it because I remember you love it."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a low, desperate plea. "I know what I did was wrong to you, but I really want to earn your forgiveness. I promise I will do everything to earn it."
I leaned back, my eyes cold. "Tell me, if you were at my place, would you have forgiven me?"
Keifer went silent. The world seemed to stop spinning for a moment. Finally, he whispered, "I also haven't forgiven myself."
"That's it. You got your answer, Keifer," I said, my voice trembling with the effort to stay firm. I stood up and walked straight back to my room.
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A few hours later, I woke from a restless nap. The cottage was too quiet. I walked out toward the beach and saw him.
Keifer was sitting on the sand, looking smaller than I'd ever seen him. Four beer bottles were knocked over, and a fifth was clutched in his hand. He looked ravaged.
I lunged forward, grabbing the bottle from his hand and hurling it into the distance. "Are you out of your mind?! Have you ever thought what are you doing to yourself? Have you lost it?!"
"I have lost, Jay..." he slurred, looking up at me with eyes drowned in tears. "I have lost myself. I have lost you. You are the only one who loved me back. Rather than Freya and Ella who loved everyone else... you are the one who reminded me of my mother. You are the one who cared for my brother and me without asking for anything in return. And I broke you. I hurt you . I am sorry, Jay... I am so sorry. Just listen to me once, please."
My chest felt like it was being crushed. I couldn't stand seeing him like this. I finally decided and said,"You have only five minutes, Keifer. Whatever you want to say, say. But don't hope for forgiveness yet."
"I won't," he choked out, the words spilling from him like a confession. "Whatever I said to you was a lie that day at school. It was true that the plan was made, but it is also true that the plan died a very long ago. You became a part of Section E, a part of our family... more than our friend, you became our mutya."
" You know why I am very possessive? Because earlier, whenever I loved someone, they never loved me back. You loved me back, so I didn't want to lose you. What I did back then... it was wrong. Completely wrong. You are right, I could have come to you, I could have talked to you. But I was scared. What if you meddled and got in danger? I chose to break your heart rather than put your life in danger. Watsons have a curse, Jay... they become beasts in love. But I will try to prove them wrong. I love you, I really, really love you. I will try to change for you."
" Just know one thing, Jay... I love you, and the whole Section E knows it."
I stood there, the salt air stinging my eyes. "Keifer, get up and get in your room. You want my forgiveness, right? Earn it."
I dragged him back to the cottage, hauling his dead weight onto the bed. I didn't stay. I went out to the balcony and sat in the dark.
Every word he said circled my mind like a predator. I know you're sorry, Keifer, but you have to earn it. His betrayal had felt like someone stepped on my heart a hundred times. I had trusted him more than my own brothers, and he had shattered it. Even if it wasn't "real," the pain was.
"I am a little scared to trust you again," I whispered to the moon. "But I want you to prove me wrong. Make me believe that I can trust you... that you're the same Keifer I used to love."
Exhaustion finally took me, and I drifted off right there in the chair, caught between the memory of his lies and the hope in his tears.
A/n
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