(Past)
Jay was never an accident in Keifer's life.
She was chosen.
Not by him first.
By his mother.
Serina saw Jay before anyone else did.
Saw her softness.
Her quiet strength.
The way she never tried to belong—but somehow fit perfectly.
"This girl…" Serina had said once, holding Jay's hand gently,
"is made for our family."
And Keizer…
Keizer loved Jay in a way that surprised even Keifer.
Sometimes, it felt like Keizer protected Jay more fiercely than he protected his own son.
He trusted her.
Believed in her.
Defended her.
Too much.
People whispered.
Keifer noticed.
But none of that was why he loved her.
He loved Jay because she understood him when he never spoke.
Because she waited when he pulled away.
Because with her… he never had to pretend.
Jay was his choice.
Only his.
Until the day he was forced to let her go.
It wasn't about love.
It was about timing.
About pressure.
About things he was not allowed to explain.
Keifer broke up with Jay for reasons that were never hers.
And right after…
Rina appeared.
Not as a replacement.
As a shield.
As something acceptable.
As something safe.
He dated Rina because he had to.
Not because he wanted to.
He was kind to her.
He was present.
But he was never in love.
He never held her like home.
Never looked at her like relief.
Never chose her in his heart.
Because even when he stood beside Rina…
His love never moved.
His choice never changed.
It stayed exactly where it had always been.
With Jay.