JAY-JAY POV
I froze.
My hand moved on its own, resting over my stomach.
"Jay," Mia said gently, "you're barely holding yourself together. You can't handle a baby right now. You're exhausted. You're scared. You're still healing."
"But, Mia…" My voice cracked. "What did the baby do? The baby did nothing wrong."
Mia's expression softened instantly.
"I know," she whispered. "I know, Jay. And whatever you feel—whatever you choose—it doesn't make you a bad person. You're just scared. Anyone would be."
I wiped my eyes, but the tears kept coming.
"Mia… I don't want the baby to suffer because of what happened in my life," I whispered, my voice barely holding together.
Mia looked at me for a long moment
"So," she said softly, "you're keeping the baby."
I nodded, my hand instinctively resting over my stomach.
"Okay," Mia said, her voice steadying like she'd already switched into problem‑solving mode. "That's fine. We'll work with it."
She squeezed my shoulder gently.
"I can check if you can take online classes for college," she continued. "I'm pretty sure our future college will be okay with that. They're flexible with stuff like this."
Her confidence made something inside me loosen — just a little.
"You… you really think it's possible?" I asked, my voice small.
Mia nodded without hesitation. "Jay, you're not the first girl to go through something like this. And you won't be the last. You can still study. You can still work. You can still build a life."
I swallowed hard, tears blurring my vision again.
"But Mia… everything feels so heavy."
"I know," she said, pulling me into her side. "But you're not carrying it alone anymore. I'm here. And we'll figure it out step by step."
Her words wrapped around me like a blanket — warm, steady, safe.
For the first time since I saw those two lines…
"Thank you," I whispered to her.
"Of course," Mia said softly.
I wiped my face again, confusion tightening in my chest. "I don't understand why you're helping me."
Mia looked at me like the answer was obvious.
"Because, Jay… I know what it feels like to be in your position," she said. "Not the pregnant part, but the part where everything falls apart and you have no one."
"After I make enough money, I promise I won't bother you anymore," I said quietly.
Mia raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
I nodded, staring at my hands.
She let out a sharp breath — half disbelief, half annoyance — and crossed her arms.
"Jay, you think you're bothering me?" she asked, tilting her head.
I didn't answer. I didn't have to. My silence said everything.
Mia clicked her tongue. "Girl, please. If I didn't want you here, you'd know. I don't do fake kindness."
I looked up, surprised.
She softened a little. "You're not some stray cat I picked up. You're my friend. And friends don't 'bother' each other by existing."
My throat tightened.
Mia suddenly clapped her hands together.
"Okay, enough. You've been sad for way too long," she said, giving me a playful glare. "It's time for you to be happy again, or that baby is gonna come out with a sad, grumpy little face."
A tiny, broken laugh escaped me
"Okay, first we're going to the doctor and getting you checked," Mia said firmly. "Then we can go to work."
I nodded, still wiping the last of my tears.
********5 months later******
I'm five months pregnant now.
I live on my own.
Mia tried to stop me but I'm too stubborn
I needed to learn how to stand on my own feet again, even if they were shaking.
She still checks on me almost every week.
I'm enrolled in college now — online classes only.
I'm taking a business course, a three‑year program that I'm determined to finish in two years
I want to start my own company someday
For now, though, I work two jobs — mornings at a café, evenings at the market.
It's exhausting.
My back aches constantly, and some days I feel like I'm running on fumes.
But I'm still here.
Still working.
Still studying.
Still carrying this child and this new version of myself at the same time.
Whenever I think about the baby, I think of Keifer.
It's automatic — like my mind can't separate the two.
But the moment his name crosses my thoughts, the words he used on me come rushing back.
Sharp.
Cruel.
Unforgettable.
And it's not just him.
Aries.
Kuya.
Even Section E.
All of them had doubted me, questioned me, dismissed me.
I thought to call Percy but I'm scared what if he also doubts me
I don't want to take the chance
For now, I have to go to work.
The market.
My class just ended, and I barely had time to breathe before switching into work mode again.
I drove to the market, parking my car — the one I'd finally managed to buy after months of saving.
It wasn't anything fancy, but it was mine, and that alone felt like a small victory.
As soon as I stepped inside, my coworkers greeted me with their usual warmth.
"Hi, Jay!"
"Hello," I replied, giving them a small smile.
Mia spotted me almost immediately and hurried over. "Jay, you're on cashier duty today," she said, then lowered her voice. "Also… what did the doctor say?"
Right.
I had completely forgotten to tell her.
I took a breath. "The doctor said… I'm having triplets."
For a moment, Mia went completely still.
Then she exploded.
She actually started jumping — full‑on, feet‑off‑the‑ground jumping.
"Oh my god, Jay! You're going to be a mother of triplets!" she squealed, throwing her arms around me. "No wonder you look nine months pregnant at five!"
I gasped, swatting her arm lightly. "Mia!"
She just laughed, still buzzing with excitement
I couldn't help it — Mia's excitement was contagious.
I started laughing too, the sound bubbling out of me before I could stop it.
"Congrats, Jay," Oliver called out from a few feet away, clearly having overheard everything.
I turned toward him, still smiling. "Thank you," I said, a little breathless from all the sudden emotion.
"Okay, go on and get to work," Mia said, nudging me toward the counter. "Here—wear a mask." She pressed one into my hand.
"Why?" I asked, frowning at her.
"So you won't get sick," she replied "Now wear it."
I sighed but slipped it on anyway.
At this point, arguing with her was pointless — she'd win every time. And honestly… she wasn't wrong.
With triplets on the way, I couldn't afford to take chances.
Everything was normal…
until I heard a voice I hadn't heard in months.
"Okay, so you just want ice cream and chocolate? Nothing else?"
A pause.
"Alright, bye, Keiran."
I froze.
The scanner in my hand stopped mid‑beep.
When I turned — slowly, like my body was afraid of the truth —
I saw them.
Keifer.
And with him… Ci‑N, David, Edrix, Rory, Felix, Aries
They eventually made their way to the checkout.
My checkout.
Thank God I was wearing a mask.
Thank God Mia forced it on me.
Keifer was talking casually with the others, completely unaware of who was standing behind the counter.
"Keifer, buy me a gum pack," Ci‑N said, tossing one onto the conveyor belt.
"Ci‑N, you already bought half the store," Edrix muttered. "You're about to empty the shelves."
Felix snorted. "Bro, Keifer's rich. He can buy the whole store if he wants to."
They were all laughing.
And strangely… I felt happy for them.
Happy that they could still smile, still joke, still live their lives without me.
Maybe that meant I made the right choice by leaving.
I kept scanning items, keeping my head down
Then I heard him.
"Excuse me po," Keifer said politely, stepping closer to the counter
My entire body went rigid.
That voice — the one I used to run to, the one that later tore me apart — was suddenly inches away from me.
"Yes, sir," I replied.
The moment the words left my mouth, he froze.
Just for a second.
Barely noticeable — unless you knew him the way I once did.
"Hi," he said quietly, almost hesitant.
My heart lurched, but I kept my eyes down.
"May I get a piece of gum?" he asked, his tone polite, unfamiliar.
Like he was talking to a stranger.
"Yes, sir," I answered again, forcing my voice to shift — a little lower, a little flatter — anything to keep him from recognizing me.
I reached for the gum pack, my hands steady even though my pulse was racing.
I handed him the gum, and for a split second, our fingers brushed.
It was nothing — barely a touch — but it was enough to make my breath hitch.
Enough to make him look up.
His eyes dropped to my belly.
And everything in his expression changed.
His eyes were red — tired, strained, like he hadn't slept properly in months.
"Jay," he whispered.
I froze.
So did the others.
Ci‑N's smile vanished. David's eyes widened. Felix stopped mid‑chew. Edrix went completely still.
Rory looked like he'd seen a ghost. Aries looked at me guilty
I forced my voice to shift, flatten, hide.
"Excuse me, sir," I said quietly. "I think you have the wrong person."
Keifer opened his mouth — I could hear the breath he pulled in, the start of my name forming on his tongue — but before he could speak, Mia appeared beside me like a shield.
"Jasmin," she said firmly.
I exhaled, relieved. "Yes, Mia?"
"I think your shift ended an hour ago," she said, pointing at the clock with a raised brow. "I'll take these gentlemen from here."
I nodded immediately, grateful for the escape she was handing me.
"Go home and rest," she added, her tone softening.
I stepped forward and hugged her — quick, tight, full of silent gratitude. "Thank you."
She squeezed my arm in return, a quiet I've got you in the gesture.
Behind us, I could feel their eyes — all of Section E — watching.
Confused.
Shocked.
Silent.
Keifer most of all.
But I didn't look back.
I couldn't.
The moment I stepped outside the market
I drove home on autopilot — no music, no thoughts, just the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.
I walked straight to my car, hands trembling, vision blurring at the edges.
The second I closed the door behind me, everything I'd been holding in finally cracked.
I sank to the floor and started to cry.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
KEIFER POV
We were in another city again, still searching for Jay.
Hours on the road, days blending together, every lead turning into nothing.
I was starting to feel the weight of it — the frustration, the guilt, the fear that maybe we were already too late.
Ci‑N leaned forward from the back seat.
"Keifer, I'm hungry. Can we stop at that market?" he said, pointing out the window.
"Same here," the others chimed in.
I exhaled. "Fine."
I pulled into the parking lot, and we all headed inside.
They scattered toward the snacks like kids, but I wasn't really paying attention.
My mind was somewhere else — on her.
On Jay.
I grabbed a few things without thinking.
I didn't talk much these days.
Not to anyone.
Especially not to Keigan.
He tried to apologize.
Tried to explain.
Tried to act like sorry was enough to erase what he did.
It wasn't.
Not even close.
And that bastard who ran off to Japan…
If I ever saw him again, I didn't trust myself not to break his jaw.
I wasn't the same person I used to be.
None of us were.
Jay was gone.
And every day without her felt like another reminder of how badly we failed her.
What Keigan and Yuri did does not justify what I did to her that day
I insulted her when she begged me to stop
Ever time I sleep I remember her screams and her crying
Thinking about it makes me want to cry
I was interrupted because Keiran called me
"Kuya, if you're at the market, please get ice cream and chocolate," he said immediately, like he'd been waiting for me to pick up.
I frowned. "How do you even know where I am?"
"I have my ways," he replied, smug
Despite everything weighing on me, I let out a small chuckle.
He always managed to pull that out of me — even on the worst days.
"Fine," I said, shaking my head as I grabbed the ice cream he liked. "I'll get it."
"Thank you, Kuya!" he chirped before hanging up.
The call ended,
"Keifer, let's go and check out," Aries said, tapping my shoulder.
I nodded and followed him toward the front.
He walked beside me, quieter than usual.
Ever since he learned the truth — the real truth — he hadn't been the same.
He cried the day he found out.
And honestly, I didn't blame him.
We all carried guilt, but his hit differently.
She was his sister
He always protected her — until the moment she needed us most.
Now he walked beside me with that same haunted look I saw in the mirror every morning.
We reached the checkout line, the boys still joking behind us
Ci‑N tossed a gum pack toward the counter, so I stepped forward to ask the cashier for it.
She looked heavily pregnant — like nine months, maybe more.
"Excuse me po," I said politely.
She froze.
Not a small pause — a full, body‑still, breath‑caught kind of freeze.
Then she slowly lifted her head and looked at me.
"Hi, sir," she said.
Her voice hit me like a punch.
Soft.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
She sounded like Jay.
For a second, my heart actually stumbled in my chest.
But I shut the thought down immediately.
It couldn't be her.
Jay wasn't pregnant.
"Can I get the gum packet, please?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
She nodded without looking up and handed it to me.
And when our fingers touched—
Everything inside me stopped.
It was her.
I didn't need to see her face.
I didn't need to hear her say my name.
I didn't need proof.
I knew.
I knew because I know how her hands feel — warm, small, soft, the kind of touch that stays with you long after it's gone.
I knew because my body reacted before my brain did, like it recognized her on instinct.
"Jay," I breathed out.
She froze.
The boys froze.
But she didn't look at me the way Jay used to.
No recognition.
No spark.
Just… distance.
"Excuse me, sir," she said, her voice carefully controlled. "I think you have the wrong person."
My mouth opened — I was ready to say her name again, to step closer, to ask, to beg — but another voice cut through the moment.
"Jasmin," a woman called from behind the counter.
The cashier turned immediately.
"Yes, Mia?"
Jasmin.
Not Jay.
My stomach twisted.
My mind scrambled to make sense of it.
Jay's name wasn't Jasmin.
Jay didn't work here.
Jay wasn't pregnant.
Right?
Maybe I was imagining things.
Maybe the voice, the hands, the way she froze — maybe all of it was just my mind playing tricks on me after months of searching.
"Keifer," Aries said quietly, tapping my shoulder.
I swallowed hard and forced myself to look away from the counter where she'd stood moments ago.
"I know that wasn't Jay," I said, the words coming out rough. "Maybe I just… had a little hope."
The boys fell silent behind me.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
💙🔥 Author's Note 🔥💙
Okay sooo how was the chapter 🤭✨
Comment and tell me how it was — I need to know if you guys are screaming or just shocked 😭💬💙
AND LIKE… WOW.
Jay is pregnant.
With TRIPLETS.
I'm still not over it myself 😭🔥
The journey is only gonna get harder from here, so buckle up because things are about to get real 😭🎢💙