JAY-JAY POV
I came out of my room and walked to Kade and Keira's door.
I knocked softly at first.
"What?" Keira asked from inside, her voice small but stubborn.
"Please open the door," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
"No," Kade answered immediately.
"Please, sweetheart," I tried again. "You didn't even eat this afternoon."
"We'll only open this door if you agree we can meet Papa," Kade said.
"Kade," I said, already exhausted, "I already said no."
"Then we won't open this door. And we won't eat," Keira said.
My patience snapped.
"Open this damn door!" I yelled.
"No!" they shouted back together.
The hallway fell silent for a moment.
Then Kevin stepped out of his room, rubbing his eyes.
"Mama… what is happening here?"
"Your siblings decided to lock themselves up," I said, my voice shaking. I turned away before he could say anything else.
I went back to my room and slammed the door so hard the frame rattled.
And then I broke.
I grabbed whatever I could reach — pillows, books, clothes, vase, glass, anything — and threw them across the room.
The sound of things hitting the floor didn't help.
It didn't make the pain smaller.
It didn't make the anger quieter.
I kept throwing.
Kept shaking.
My vision was getting blurry, like the whole room was tilting away from me.
I tried to stand, but my knees felt weak.
The walls looked too far.
The floor felt too close.
Then I heard it—
Knocking.
Hard.
Panicked.
"MAMA! Please open the door!"
Kevin.
His voice cracked, desperate.
"Please, Ma…"
I tried to answer him.
I tried to say his name.
I tried to reach the door.
But my body wasn't listening anymore.
The room spun.
My ears rang.
Everything felt distant, like I was underwater.
I don't really know what happened next.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
KEIFER POV
I pulled up to Jay's house, and the security guards immediately stepped in front of me.
"Sir, you can't—"
I didn't listen.
I pushed past them and went inside.
My heart was already pounding, but the moment I stepped into the hallway—
I heard it.
Something breaking.
Glass.
Sharp
Loud.
Then Kevin's voice, high and terrified, echoing from upstairs.
"MAMA! Please open the door!"
My blood ran cold.
I ran up the stairs two at a time, not knowing what the hell was happening—
only knowing it was bad.
Really bad.
Kevin's fists were pounding on a door at the end of the hallway, his voice cracking.
"Please, Ma… please open the door…"
I reached him, chest tight, heart in my throat.
"Kevin," I said, breathless, "what's going on?"
He turned to me with tears in his eyes.
And that's when I heard it—
A heavy thud from inside the room.
Then silence.
"MAMA!" Kevin shouted, banging on the door with both fists, trying to force it open. His voice cracked with fear.
"Kuya, what happened?" Kade asked, running out of his room. Keira followed right behind him, eyes wide and scared.
"PAPA!" Keira cried when she saw me.
She ran straight into my arms, hugging me tight.
I held her close, my heart pounding, and Kade came next, clinging to my side. I wrapped an arm around him too, but my eyes stayed on Kevin—still hitting the door, still panicking.
"Open this door!" Kevin yelled, voice shaking. "Please!"
I nodded, stepping forward.
I grabbed the doorknob and twisted hard.
Nothing.
I tried again—harder.
Still nothing.
The lock wouldn't budge.
Kevin looked at me with tears in his eyes. "Papa, please—Mama's not answering."
My chest tightened.
I didn't waste another second.
I stepped back, braced myself—
And slammed my shoulder into the door.
Once.
Twice.
The wood cracked.
On the third hit, the door burst open.
And what I saw inside made my heart stop.
The moment the door crashed open, the smell of dust and something sharp hit me.
Her room was a mess.
Glass everywhere on the floor.
A vase shattered near the wall.
Books thrown across the carpet.
Pillows ripped off the bed and tossed around like a storm had hit the place.
Kevin saw her first.
He ran past me and dropped to his knees beside Jay.
"Mama, please wake up," he cried, shaking her shoulder gently. His voice cracked, tears falling fast. "Mama, please…"
Then he froze.
"Papa—" Kevin's voice cracked. "Why is there so much blood on her hand?"
My stomach twisted.
I rushed to Jay's side, nearly slipping on the broken glass scattered across the floor.
"Hey—Jay," I said, my voice shaking as I tapped her cheeks gently. "Jay, please… please wake up."
"Come on," I whispered, tapping her cheek again, a little firmer this time. "Jay, look at me. Please."
Behind me, Kevin was crying, his voice breaking as he begged Jay to wake up.
Kade and Keira stood frozen in the doorway, eyes wide, too scared to move.
I didn't think anymore.
Instinct took over.
I slipped one hand behind her back, the other under her legs, and lifted her into my arms — bridal style.
Her head fell against my shoulder, her injured hand resting limply against my chest.
"Papa…" Keira whispered, voice trembling.
"Stay close," I said, trying to keep my voice steady for them even though my heart was pounding.
The kids followed me immediately — Kevin right at my side, wiping his face with his sleeve, Kade holding Keira's hand tightly as they hurried behind us.
I carried her out of the wrecked room, down the hallway, the kids' footsteps quick and shaky behind me.
And in that moment, with her weight in my arms and the kids clinging to me, one thing hit me harder than anything else:
I should've been here.
I put Jay in the back seat as gently as I could.
Kevin immediately slid in beside her, holding her uninjured hand with both of his.
Kade climbed in next, his face pale, eyes glued to Jay's.
Keira came around and sat in the passenger seat, her small hands shaking as she buckled herself in.
"Papa… Mama will be fine, right?" she asked, looking up at me with wide, scared eyes.
I forced a nod.
"Of course, Princess," I said, ruffling her hair even though my own hands were trembling.
From the back seat, Kevin's voice cracked.
"Drive faster—she's losing more blood!"
I didn't argue.
I pressed harder on the gas, my heart pounding so loud it drowned out everything else.
"Call Tito Percy," Kevin said, voice tight with panic.
I grabbed my phone and hit call.
Percy answered immediately, yelling,
"What the fuck did you do, Keifer?!"
"Percy, I don't have time to explain," I said, trying to keep my voice steady as I turned a corner. "Please—come to Peralta's Hospital."
"Keifer—" he started, anger and fear mixing in his voice.
But I ended the call.
I couldn't waste a second.
We reached the hospital, and I didn't care about parking right. I stopped the car, jumped out, and carried Jay in my arms as fast as I could.
"Doctor!" I yelled the moment I stepped inside.
A doctor rushed over, eyes widening when he saw Jay.
"Oh my god—what happened?" he asked, taking her carefully from my arms.
Before I could answer, Kevin stepped forward, voice shaking.
"Mama locked herself in her room and started throwing stuff… then she fainted and we saw blood coming from her hand."
The doctor nodded quickly, already assessing her.
"Okay, we've got her. No worries," he said, trying to calm the kids as he placed Jay onto a stretcher.
They started rolling her away toward the emergency room.
"Wait—" I took a step forward, but the doctor held up a hand.
"We'll take care of her. Stay with your kids."
And then they disappeared behind the ER doors, leaving me standing there with three terrified children clinging to me.
And all I could do was breathe— and hope Jay would open her eyes soon.
The ER doors had barely closed behind Jay when Percy stormed into the lobby.
He didn't slow down.
He didn't breathe.
He grabbed me by the collar and slammed me back against the wall.
"See what you did!" he shouted, eyes blazing. "I told you to stay away from her!"
His voice echoed through the waiting area, sharp and furious.
Behind me, I heard a small gasp.
"Tito…?" Keira whispered.
She stood there holding Kade's hand, staring at Percy with wide, confused eyes.
She'd never seen him like this — loud, angry, shaking.
Percy froze.
His grip on my collar loosened instantly as he turned toward her.
Keira's lower lip trembled.
"Tito… why are you shouting at Papa?"
Percy's face changed in a heartbeat — anger melting into guilt, fear, and something like heartbreak.
He looked at the kids, then at me, then back at the ER doors where Jay had disappeared.
He swallowed hard.
"Keira… sweetheart," he said softly, voice cracking, "I'm not mad. I'm just… scared."
Kevin stepped in front of his siblings, wiping his face with his sleeve.
"Don't yell at Papa," he said, voice shaking but firm. "Mama needs us."
Percy looked at him — really looked — and his shoulders dropped.
He let go of my collar completely.
The doctor finally came out of the ER after what felt like the longest hour of my life.
Kevin stood up immediately.
Kade and Keira clung to my sides.
Percy straightened, wiping his face quickly like he didn't want the kids to see he'd been crying.
The doctor walked toward us, pulling off his gloves.
My heart dropped into my stomach.
"How is she?" I asked, my voice barely steady.
Kevin stepped forward too, eyes red.
"Is Mama okay?"
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💙🔥 Author's Note 🔥💙
Sooo how was the chapter ✨😭
Please comment and tell me EVERYTHING 😭💬💙
And a HUGE shout‑out to Rinu_Roy_7743 for giving me a brilliant idea for this chapter 👏🏻🔥
You're the real MVP for today fr 🤭💙✨ 💖😘😊