JAY-JAY POV
"Please stop following me," I said, turning to them.
I kept walking.
"Jay, please don't ignore us," Ci‑N asked, voice cracking like he was seconds from crying.
I ignored them.
"Mama, who are those people?" Keira asked, still holding onto me tightly.
"Nobody, sweetheart. Don't listen to them," I said, kissing the top of her head.
"Ma… they know your name," she whispered, confused.
"Of course they know Mama's name," I said softly. "Everybody knows Mama."
Keira nodded, trusting me completely — and that trust hurt more than anything.
"But Mama… that man asked if he was my father," Keira said, pointing at Keifer with her tiny hand.
"Keira," I said softly, "just… please don't say anything for now."
She blinked up at me, confused.
"Is he my father?"
My throat closed.
I looked at her.
I didn't say anything.
"Mama… he is Papa?" she asked again, voice small, trembling with the need for truth.
I still didn't answer.
Because I couldn't lie to her.
Not her.
Not my daughter.
And she saw it.
She saw everything in my silence.
Before I could react, she slipped out of my arms — quick, determined, faster than I expected.
"Keira—!"
Too late.
She ran straight toward Keifer.
"Papa!" she yelled, voice echoing through the space.
Everything stopped.
Keifer froze like he'd been struck.
Section E's jaws dropped.
Aries whispered, "Holy—"
Percy covered his mouth.
Ci‑N grabbed Mayo's arm.
Keiran looked like he'd seen a ghost.
And me?
My heart shattered.
Because the moment Keira reached him, she threw her arms around his legs — hugging him like she'd known him her whole life.
He picked her up without hesitation.
"Papa," she said.
He didn't say anything at first.
Just stared at her like the world had stopped spinning.
Then he kissed her face — once, twice — like he'd been waiting years to do it.
"My princess," he whispered, hugging her tightly, voice breaking in a way I'd never heard from him before.
My chest tightened painfully.
"Keira, come here," I said, using my softest, most motherly voice — the one that always worked.
Keira looked at me over Keifer's shoulder.
"Mama…" she said, torn.
Her little arms loosened around Keifer's neck, but she didn't move.
She didn't reach for me.
She just stared — confused, scared, wanting both of us at the same time.
Keifer's arms tightened around her protectively, like he was afraid she'd disappear if he let go.
And for the first time, he looked at me with something raw in his eyes.
Something that hurt.
"Jay…" he said quietly, "please don't take her away."
His voice cracked on the last word.
Before I could even breathe—
"Mama."
Kade's voice came out of nowhere.
I froze.
Honey rushed up behind him, out of breath. "Jay, I tried, but they wanted to come here and find Keira."
Kevin tugged on my shirt, eyes wide and confused.
"Mama… why is Keira with him?" he asked, pointing straight at Keifer.
Before I could answer—
"Kuya, this is Papa," Keira said proudly from Keifer's arms.
And Keifer froze.
Completely.
His eyes flicked from Keira…
to Kevin…
to Kade…
then back to me.
Shock.
Realization.
Hope. All crashing into him at once.
Section E went dead silent.
Aries' jaw dropped.
Percy looked like he wanted to faint.
"Papa," Keira repeated softly, resting her head on his shoulder like she belonged there.
And Keifer's voice came out barely above a whisper, shaking—
Before I could even breathe, Kade tugged on my shirt.
"Ma… he is Papa?" Kade asked, eyes wide, hopeful, terrified, everything at once.
I opened my mouth to answer—
But Keifer beat me to it.
"Yes," he said, voice steady but trembling underneath. "Yes, I'm your father."
Everything stopped.
And then—
Kade ran.
Ran straight to Keifer like he'd been waiting his whole life for that answer.
Keifer bent down instinctively, still holding Keira with one arm, opening the other for Kade.
Kade crashed into him, hugging him so tightly it almost knocked Keifer off balance.
Keifer wrapped both arms around them — one child on each side — pulling them close like he'd been doing it forever.
He kissed Kade's forehead.
Then Keira's.
Then held them both against his chest, eyes squeezed shut like he was trying not to break in front of everyone.
"Mama," Kevin said softly, still standing beside me. "He is our Papa."
I didn't answer.
And Kevin understood.
He didn't run to Keifer.
He didn't move toward his siblings.
He didn't even look tempted.
He came to me.
He slipped his small hand into mine, gripping tightly — not out of fear, but out of loyalty. Out of choice.
"Kuya, come!" Kade called, waving him over with his free hand while still clinging to Keifer.
Kevin just shook his head.
"No," he said quietly, eyes still on me. "I'm staying with Mama."
The words hit harder than anything else.
Keifer's arms tightened around Keira and Kade, but his eyes were locked on Kevin — the one child who hadn't run to him, the one who stayed rooted beside me.
And the look on Keifer's face…
Real pain.
Like Kevin's refusal cut deeper than any answer I could've given.
Kevin squeezed my hand again, grounding me, steadying me, choosing me.
"Mama," Kevin whispered, "I'm here."
"Jay…" Honey said softly, worried.
"Kade, Keira, let's go home," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
"I want to stay with Papa," Keira answered immediately, tightening her hold on Keifer's shirt.
"Keira, Kade, please come," I said again, trying not to let my voice crack.
"No, Mama… I want to stay with Papa," Kade said, stepping closer to Keifer, eyes full of something I couldn't fight — longing.
My heart twisted painfully.
And then—
"Keira. Kade."
Kevin's voice cut through the air like a blade.
Everyone froze.
Because Kevin didn't sound like a child.
He didn't sound scared.
He sounded like Kiefer.
Firm.
Commanding.
"Listen to Mama," Kevin said, his tone low and steady. "Come."
Even Keifer stiffened.
"No, Kuya, I want to stay with Papa," Keira said, already crying, her little voice cracking as she clung tighter to Keifer.
"Keira—" Kevin started, that firm, commanding tone slipping back into his voice.
"Kevin, hon," I said quickly, cutting him off before he could finish. "Don't use that voice with your sibling."
He stopped immediately.
He always listened to me.
Always.
I went to Keifer and reached for Keira and Kade, trying to take them away from his arms.
"Jay, please let them stay," Keifer said, voice low, pleading, terrified.
I didn't listen.
I tried to pull them gently, tried to get their hands off his shirt, tried to bring them back to me — back to safety, back to what they knew.
But they didn't come.
Keira clung tighter to Keifer's neck, tiny fingers digging into his shirt.
Kade wrapped both arms around Keifer's shoulder, refusing to let go.
And then—
Both of them started crying.
Not loud tantrum crying.
Not stubborn crying.
Heartbroken crying.
"Mama, no!" Keira sobbed, reaching for Keifer even as I tried to pull her.
"Papa… Papa…" Kade cried, burying his face in Keifer's chest.
Keifer's arms tightened around them instinctively, protectively, like he couldn't bear to let them go.
"Jay, stop—please," he said, voice breaking. "You're scaring them."
I froze.
Because he was right.
I looked at Keifer angrily, the frustration boiling over.
"Look what you did," I snapped at him.
"Jay, please," Keifer said, voice strained, "I understand you're mad, but that doesn't mean you get to take them away from me."
That only made something inside me snap.
"Keira, Kade," I said, turning to them, "make your choice. Me or him."
Both of them froze.
Their eyes widened — shocked, confused, hurt.
And then—
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Keifer's voice exploded through the air, raw and furious.
"You're making kids choose between me and you?" he yelled, stepping forward, eyes blazing. "Jay, they're children! They're scared! You don't do that to them!"
"You don't put them in the middle like that," he said, voice cracking now. "Not after everything. Not when they just found me."
His chest rose and fell too fast, like he was fighting to keep himself together.
"Jay," he said again, softer but still shaking, "don't make them choose between their parents."
I grabbed his collar, pulling him close.
"The only reason we're here right now is because of what you did four years ago."
His eyes dropped — guilt, regret, sadness all mixing together.
"That doesn't mean you make the kids choose," Aries said, stepping forward.
"Jay, please… they just need both of their parents," Ci‑N added, voice trembling.
Then the others started talking — too many voices, too many opinions, too much noise.
"SHUT UP!" I yelled, the sound ripping out of me.
"You two, come now," I said, pulling Keira and Kade away from Keifer's grip.
They cried, reaching back for him, but I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
I got them into the car, slammed the door, and drove home with my heart pounding so hard it hurt.
When we got inside, the house felt too quiet.
Too small.
Too full of everything I was trying to run from.
"Ma… why did you yell at Papa?" Keira asked, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
"Mama, you made Papa get away from us," Kade said, voice shaking.
"Enough, both of you," Kevin said sharply.
The room froze.
Keira and Kade ran to their room crying and slammed the door shut.
"Keira… Kade…" I started, but the words died in my throat.
I turned to Kevin instead.
He didn't say anything.
He didn't ask anything.
He just stood there, waiting for me — steady, calm, hurting but trying to be strong for me.
I pulled him into a hug, holding him tight, kissing his forehead like I was trying to anchor myself.
"Go to your room," I said softly.
He nodded without arguing, without questioning, without making it harder
After Kevin went to his room, I walked to mine.
I closed the door.
And the moment the latch clicked, everything I'd been holding in finally snapped.
I slid down against the door, my back hitting the wood, my knees pulling to my chest as the tears came hard and fast — the kind that burn, the kind that choke, the kind you can't stop even if you try.
I buried my face in my hands.
All the voices from earlier echoed in my head —
I pressed my palms harder against my eyes, trying to quiet everything, trying to breathe, trying to make the world stop spinning.
But it didn't.
It just kept hurting.
Because no matter how much I tried to protect them…
no matter how much I rebuilt myself after everything he did…
One moment — one man — shattered everything again.
And I didn't know how to fix it.
Not this time.
Not when my own children were crying for the father I tried so hard to keep away.
I curled tighter, shaking, the room spinning around me.
For the first time in years…
I felt completely alone.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
KEIFER POV
After Jay left with the kids…
I didn't know what to do.
I just stood there, arms empty, chest hollow
I felt like crying.
Four years.
Four fucking long years.
She hid the kids from me.
My kids.
And the moment they touched me — the moment they called me Papa — something inside me broke open so violently I didn't know how to breathe anymore.
"Percy, you knew where Jay was for four years and didn't tell us?" Aries snapped, grabbing Percy by the collar.
"Aries, stop," Honey said, pulling his arm. "Not here."
Aries shoved Percy back, shaking with anger.
I didn't move.
I couldn't.
All I could see was the way Keira reached for me.
The way Kade hugged me like he'd known me forever.
The way Kevin looked at me like he didn't trust me
My throat tightened.
Honey stepped closer, voice soft.
"Let's go home and talk about this. Please, Keifer," Honey said gently.
I nodded, jaw tight, then turned to Percy.
"You better be ready with your explanation."
Percy didn't respond.
Section E stood behind him, silent.
Aries looked like he was two seconds from exploding again.
We reached my house.
"Keiran, go to your room," I said.
"I'm going somewhere, Kuya. I'll be home after six," he replied.
"Fine. Be safe."
He left, and the door shut behind him.
Percy sat on the couch, staring at the floor.
Section E and Aries stayed standing, tense, waiting.
Honey headed home — she had work to finish — leaving the rest of us in the thick, suffocating silence.
The moment Keiran was gone, everything inside me snapped.
"Say something, damn it!" I yelled.
Percy shot to his feet.
"Don't talk to Keifer like that," Edrix cut in immediately, stepping forward.
"Shut up—every single one of you!" Percy shouted, voice cracking with anger.
The room went dead silent.
Percy turned to me, eyes blazing.
"Why are you angry at me, Keifer?"
I stepped closer, fists clenched.
"You asshole. You knew where she was for four fucking years. And the fact she had my kids—"
"Her kids," Percy said sharply.
I froze.
Before I could react, Percy grabbed my collar and yanked me forward.
"Did Jay give you consent to touch her?" he demanded, voice low and dangerous. "Answer that first."
My breath caught.
"And for your fucking information," Percy continued, "I only knew where she was for two years."
Ci‑N stepped in, eyes wide.
"You still didn't tell us."
"I didn't think it mattered," Percy said, looking at all of them — not guilty, not scared, just exhausted.
My jaw clenched.
"Why didn't you tell me about the kids?"
Percy didn't answer.
He didn't even look at me.
Instead, he grabbed the vase next to him and threw it straight at my head.
I ducked easily — it shattered against the wall behind me, pieces flying across the floor.
Section E jumped.
Aries swore under his breath.
Edrix reached for Percy's arm, but Percy shook him off violently.
Percy's chest was heaving, eyes burning with something I'd never seen in him before — not anger, not guilt.
Pain.
"Don't you dare," Percy said, voice shaking, "ask me why I didn't tell you… when you don't even know what you did to her."
"You think she was just mad at you guys because you didn't believe her?" Percy asked, voice low, trembling with anger. "No. She was disappointed. She was hurt. She was destroyed that you didn't believe her — even you, Keifer."
My stomach twisted.
Percy didn't stop.
"She didn't let me meet the kids until she was sure I wouldn't tell you or anyone," he said, jaw clenched. "She didn't trust anyone anymore."
I opened my mouth, but Percy stepped closer
"You want to know what Jay went through?" Percy shouted, voice cracking. "Fine. I'll tell you."
Everyone froze.
"You think she just left because she was angry? Because she was being dramatic?" Percy's voice rose, shaking. "She left because she was broken. Because she begged you to believe her and you didn't. Because she cried every night for weeks waiting for you to show up and you never did."
My chest tightened painfully.
Percy kept going, louder, harsher.
"You didn't see her, Keifer. You didn't see her shaking so hard she couldn't hold a glass. You didn't see her throwing up from stress. You didn't see her sitting on the bathroom floor at three in the morning because she was scared of her own thoughts."
I swallowed hard.
Aries looked away.
Section E went silent.
Percy's voice cracked again.
"You didn't see her hide her pregnancy because she thought you'd take the kids away. You didn't see her give birth alone. You didn't see her raise three babies by herself while trying not to fall apart."
He stepped closer, eyes burning.
"You didn't see her wake up every night to check if the kids were breathing because she was terrified something would happen and she'd be alone again."
My throat closed.
Percy shoved my chest with both hands.
"You didn't see her break, Keifer. I did."
He pointed at me, shaking.
"And you want to know why she didn't tell you about the kids?" Percy's voice dropped to a whisper, raw and painful.
"Because she didn't think you deserved to know."
The words hit harder than any punch.
Percy's eyes filled with tears he refused to let fall.
"She didn't think you'd protect them. She didn't think you'd protect her. She didn't think you cared."
He stepped back, breathing hard.
I grabbed my keys off the table.
Aries stepped forward. "Keifer—"
"I'm going to her house," I said, voice low, steady, final.
Percy's head snapped up. "Keifer, don't—"
"I need to see her," I said. "I need to see my kids. I need to fix this."
"You're not thinking straight," Ci‑N warned.
"I haven't been thinking straight for four years," I shot back.
I walked to the door.
Percy grabbed my arm. "Keifer, she's not ready to see you."
I looked him dead in the eyes.
"I don't care if she's ready," I said quietly. "I'm not losing them again."
Percy's grip loosened.
Aries exhaled sharply.
Section E exchanged looks.
And I walked out.
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💙🔥 Author's Note 🔥💙
Sooo how was the chapter 🤭✨
Please comment and tell me how it was 😭💬💙