Keifer POV
I was at my bar again, drinking like it was the only thing I knew how to do anymore.
Then I heard footsteps behind me.
Section E.
Of course.
"Keifer, stop drinking, man," Edrix said, sliding into the seat next to me.
I didn't look at him.
Didn't acknowledge him.
Didn't care.
Or at least… I kept telling myself I didn't.
"Go home," I muttered, taking another sip. "I'm not in the mood."
Edrix scoffed. "You haven't been in the mood for a week."
I clenched my jaw.
"So what?" I said. "It's my life."
Blaster sat on my other side, drumming his fingers on the counter. "Yeah, but you're acting like a zombie, bro."
"Good," I muttered. "Better than feeling anything."
David stood behind me, arms crossed, eyes tired. "This isn't you, Keifer."
I laughed — a bitter, humorless sound.
"You don't know me."
Yuri jaw tightened. "I knew you before all this. Before you started drinking every night. Before you shut everyone out. Before you pretended you didn't care."
"I don't care," I snapped.
The words came out too fast.
Edrix leaned forward. "Then why are you drinking like you're trying to forget something?"
I froze.
Just for a second.
Then I took another long sip.
"Because I want to," I said. "Now leave me alone."
Blaster exchanged a look with Ci‑n.
Ci‑n stepped closer.
"Keifer," he said quietly, "she's still missing."
My grip tightened around the glass.
I didn't respond.
I couldn't.
Because every time someone said those words — she's missing — something inside me cracked a little more.
Edrix sighed. "You can't keep doing this."
I stared at the counter, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Watch me."
Yuri didn't say anything after that.
He just looked at me — this sad, tired look — then turned and walked out of the bar.
Good.
One less person staring at me like I'm broken.
I took another drink, letting the burn distract me for half a second.
Then I heard footsteps behind me again.
He didn't even try to hide them.
Keiran
"Kuya," he said, his voice low.
Too low.
"Keiran, go to your room. He's not in the mood," David said from behind him, trying to pull him away.
But Keiran didn't move.
He didn't even blink.
"Kuya… this is about Ate Jay," he said, voice trembling.
My chest tightened instantly — like someone grabbed my ribs and squeezed.
"Keiran," I warned, my voice cold, sharp, dangerous, "get out."
He still didn't move.
He just stared at me with those wide, hurting eyes, the kind that made me want to look anywhere but at him.
"Kuya, please—"
"Keiran," I snapped, louder this time, "get out. Don't say her
"Kuya, please—"
"Keiran," I snapped, louder this time, "get out. Don't say her name."
Keiran flinched.
For the first time all week, he actually looked scared of me.
But he didn't back away.
He didn't leave.
He swallowed hard, voice shaking.
"Kuya… it was Kuya Keigan and Kuya Yuri."
My entire body went still.
Like someone hit pause on the world.
"What?" I said, but it came out low, dangerous, like a warning.
Keiran's eyes filled with tears he was trying so hard to blink away.
"That night when you went to date with Ate Jay," he started, voice trembling, "Kuya Keigan and Kuya Yuri planned it."
My entire body went cold.
"What?"
The word barely came out. It felt stuck in my throat.
Keiran swallowed hard, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
"They planned it, Kuya. Ate Jay did nothing wrong," he said.
I froze.
So did Section E.
No one breathed.
No one blinked.
No one moved.
It felt like the whole bar turned to stone.
Keiran's voice shook as he continued.
"They edited the pictures," he said, each word hitting me like a punch. "Kuya Keigan wanted Ate Jay out of your life… and Kuya Yuri wanted to get Ate Jay back from you… and they created the plan."
My heart stopped.
Actually stopped.
I stared at Keiran, but the words weren't sinking in.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I asked, still frozen, still trying to understand how the ground disappeared under me.
Keiran's lip trembled.
"Because Kuya Keigan was there… and I was scared of him, Kuya," he said. "I'm sorry, Kuya."
That broke me more than anything else.
My brother—scared.
Scared of telling me the truth.
Scared of Keigan.
Scared of everything happening around us.
"It's okay," I whispered, pulling him into a hug.
He clung to me instantly, like he'd been holding this in for too long.
I squeezed him tighter, trying to stop my tears, trying to keep myself from falling apart in front of him.
"It's okay," I repeated, even though nothing was okay. "You did nothing wrong."
He nodded against my shoulder, shaking.
I pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes.
"Now go to your room," I said softly. "Don't worry about your Kuya Keigan. I will take care of it."
His eyes widened a little—not in fear of me, but in fear of what I meant.
"Kuya…"
"It's fine," I said, wiping his cheek with my thumb. "Go."
He hesitated, like he wanted to say more, like he wanted to stop me, like he knew exactly what I was about to do.
But he listened.
He walked out of the bar slowly, glancing back at me one last time before disappearing through the door.
The moment Keiran was gone…
The silence hit harder than anything.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
No one dared look at me.
Then Ci‑n spoke.
"We didn't believe her," he said quietly.
His voice wasn't sarcastic for once.
I turned my head slowly, like my body was made of stone.
Ci‑n's eyes were down, fists clenched, jaw tight.
"She asked so many times for us to believe her, Keifer," Felix added, voice barely above a whisper. "But we didn't."
My stomach twisted.
He looked like he was carrying the same weight crushing my chest.
"She kept saying she didn't do it," Rory said, voice cracking. "She kept saying it wasn't her. She kept begging us to listen."
Everyone nodded slowly.
"And we told her to stop lying," Edrix said. "We told her to stop making excuses. We told her you deserved better."
My throat tightened.
My eyes blurred.
The room tilted.
My chest felt like it was caving in.
"I… I fucking touched her without her consent."
The words scraped out of my throat like they were made of glass.
Section E froze.
Every single one of them.
"Keifer… what did you say?" David asked.
"I— I fucking raped her," I choked out, the words ripping out of me, ugly and broken.
David stepped forward immediately, eyes wide, voice firm but gentle.
"Keifer. Stop. That's not what happened."
I shook my head violently, tears blurring everything.
"I grabbed her," I sobbed. "She told me to stop. I didn't listen. I hurt her. I scared her. I— I—"
Ci‑n came to me fast, hands up like he was approaching someone on the edge of a cliff.
"Keifer, wait— it's okay." His voice wasn't calm.
It wasn't steady.
It wasn't the usual sarcastic, unbothered Ci‑n.
It was scared.
For me.
Then Edrix stepped forward.
"Keifer," he said, voice low but firm, "we have to find her. Then we will ask for forgiveness."
Then it hit me.
Find her.
The words slammed into my chest so hard I actually staggered.
She's been missing for one week.
One whole week.
And I did nothing.
Nothing.
I didn't look for her.
I didn't ask where she went.
I didn't check if she was safe.
I didn't even try.
I just drank.
And drank.
And pretended I didn't care.
I ran outside— heart pounding, breath shaking, mind burning.
And just then, I saw them.
Keigan.
Yuri.
Standing there like nothing happened.
Like they didn't destroy someone's life.
Like they didn't tear mine apart.
The moment my eyes landed on Yuri—
Something inside me snapped.
I swung.
My fist connected with him before he even registered I was there.
"You—" my voice cracked, raw, furious, "you fucking asshole!"
Yuri stumbled back, shocked
I swung.
My fist connected with him before he even registered I was there.
"You—" my voice cracked, raw, furious, "you fucking asshole!"
Yuri stumbled back, shocked, hands up, eyes wide.
But I wasn't done.
"You wanted her from me," I shouted, grabbing his shirt, "so you decided to frame her?"
I hit him again—
Because of the betrayal burned so deep I couldn't hold it in.
Yuri didn't fight back.
Didn't defend himself.
Didn't even raise his voice.
He just stared at me like he knew he deserved every word.
"Keifer—" Yuri started, voice shaking.
"SHUT UP!" I yelled, shoving him back. "You ruined her life! You ruined everything!"
"You wanted her," I said, voice breaking, "so you took her from me."
Yuri's face crumpled.
I didn't stop swinging until David grabbed me from behind, arms locked around my shoulders, pulling me back before I did something I couldn't take back.
My fists were still shaking, my breath ragged, my vision blurred with rage and tears.
Yuri stumbled, holding his jaw, eyes wide—not angry, not defensive.
Guilty.
David kept a firm grip on me. "Keifer, stop. Stop."
But my eyes were already locked on Keigan.
He stood there stiff, jaw clenched, eyes cold—like he'd been waiting for this moment, like he knew it was coming.
"You're supposed to be my brother," I said, my voice shaking so hard it barely sounded like mine. "Why do you hate her that much?"
"Because you prioritize her over us," Keigan snapped. "You only cared about her."
A humorless laugh escaped me — sharp, bitter, broken.
"If I didn't care about you," I said, stepping closer, "you would've been stuck with that monster."
Keigan's expression faltered.
"I took care of you and Keiran for almost my whole life," I continued, voice cracking but steady enough to cut. "I protected you. I raised you. I kept you safe when no one else would."
Keigan froze.
Completely.
Like the truth hit him harder than any punch ever could.
His face didn't just freeze —
it cracked.
"You hated her so much," I said, my voice shaking, "but every time I met Jay, the first thing she asked was, 'How are Keigan and Keiran?'"
Keigan's eyes widened just a fraction.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
But I saw it.
"She cared about you," I said, stepping closer. "More than you ever cared about her. More than you ever cared about the truth."
Keigan's throat bobbed.
"You think I chose her over you?" I said, voice cracking. "Jay never once asked me to. She never tried to take me away from you. She never tried to replace you."
Keigan's jaw clenched, but he still didn't look up.
"She asked about you every single time," I whispered. "Even when she was hurting. Even when she thought you hated her. Even when she thought she wasn't welcome."
His breath hitched.
Barely.
But enough.
"You hated her," I said, "but she loved you like family."
Keigan finally looked up —
and for the first time since this started…
He looked guilty.
Really guilty.
That's what he looked like.
"I'm sorry, Kuya," Keigan whispered.
But the apology didn't even scratch the surface of what he'd done.
"Sorry doesn't change the fact she left because of you," I said, my voice shaking with anger I could barely hold back, "and that asshole."
I pointed straight at Yuri.
Both of them flinched.
Good.
They should.
Yuri looked away, jaw tight, shame written all over his face.
Keigan swallowed hard, eyes darting between me and the ground like he couldn't decide where to hide.
"You think 'sorry' fixes this?" I said, stepping closer. "You think one word makes up for the fact that she disappeared for a week because of your lies?"
Keigan's breath hitched.
Yuri's shoulders tensed.
"You didn't just hurt her," I continued, voice cracking. "You broke her. You made her think she wasn't wanted. You made her think she was the problem."
Keigan's eyes glistened.
Yuri's jaw trembled.
"And I believed you," I said, the guilt twisting in my chest. "I believed you over her. I trusted you. And you used that to destroy her."
Keigan finally whispered, "Kuya… I didn't think it would go that far."
I laughed — a bitter, humorless sound.
"You didn't think?" I snapped. "You planned it. You edited pictures. You lied to my face."
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💙🔥 Author's Note 🔥💙
Sooo how was the chapter 🤭✨
Please comment and tell me how it was — I actually wanna know if you liked it or if I should start stressing 😭💬💙
Also, what do you guys want Jay's future career to be 👀✨
Comment your ideas and whichever one gets the most likes will be the winner 😌🔥
Oh and one more thing 😭✨
I don't think Jay can be a doctor because she's still literally terrified of blood 😭💀
Like imagine her trying to do surgery and passing out on the floor or punching somebody … yeah no 😭💙