JAY’s POV
After getting freshed up, I walked down the stairs.The moment my foot hit the last stair, delicious auroma and laughter wrapped around me.
The Mariano dining table was already a sea of laughter and clinking silverware—normal, safe, everything my current life wasn’t.
I sat beside mom.
And then there was him.
Keifer.
Sitting directly across from me like some kind of dark omen, his sharp gaze already locked onto me before I could even pretend not to notice.
My chest tightened.
Damn it.
I tore my eyes away, focusing on the spread of food, the way Tita was scolding Keigen for stealing a roll before grace, the way Keiren was dramatically recounting his latest soccer victory—anything but the weight of Keifer’s stare burning into mine.
Ring…
The shrill notification sliced through the air like a knife.
My fingers twitched.
I glance at the screen , and my heart skip the beat, because the sender was none other than…Liam.
Liam: Hey baby, what’s up.
Liam: I hope you’re talking to your parents about our wedding.
My throat went dry.
Around me, the world kept moving—forks scraped plates, Keigen laughed at something Keiren said, Mom passed the butter to Dad, Tito whispered something to Tita, My brothers bickering over something.But my pulse was a drumbeat in my ears, loud enough to drown them all out.
I flipped my phone facedown, silencing it with a trembling hand.
I ignore his text choosing everyone’s peace.
But then…
Vibration.
My stomach dropped.
Liam: Convince them about the early wedding, baby.
Liam: You know how much I love you.
💝😊
Guilt crashed over me like a wave.
He wasn’t asking for anything unreasonable.
He loved me.
He wanted me.
And here I was, sitting in my family’s warm, chaotic dining room, ignoring him like he was some kind of nuisance.
I set my phone down, the screen dark, and forced myself to take a bite of adobo.
It tasted like ash.
KEIFER ‘s POV
I wasn’t trying to stare.
Okay, that was a lie.
I was.
But in my defense, Jay had been acting like a caged animal since she walked in—jumpy, too quiet, her fingers tapping restlessly against table.
And then the phone went off.
I saw the way her shoulders tensed.
The way her breath hitched when she read the messages.
The guilt that flickered across her face before she hid it, flipping the phone over like she could bury the problem along with it.
Liam.
I knew it before the second vibration even came.
She didn’t look up again.
Didn’t dare.
But I saw the way her appetite vanished, the way she pushed food around her plate like it was a distraction, not a meal.
Dinner bled into dessert, then into the kind of lazy, full-bellied lounging that only happened when the Mariano and Watson were together.
Tito was telling some ridiculous story about his college days, Mom was scolding Keiren for running around in the house, and Jay—
Jay was smiling.
Too bright.
I watched her from the corner of my eye, the way her fingers twisted at the hem of her top, the way her laugh came a second too late after one of Keigen’s jokes.
And then she spoke.
“Mom. Dad.”
The room stilled.
Tito stopped mid-sentence about some long-forgotten prank, trailed off, sensing the shift.
All eyes turned to Jay, who suddenly looked very small.
“I—I want to talk to you about something.”
Tita set her tea down.
“Anak? What’s wrong?”
Jay swallowed.
Hard.
“Dad… I want to get married. Soon.”
Silence.
Tito blinked.
“Soon?”
“Yes.” Her voice was steadier now, like she’d rehearsed this.
“Like… in one or two weeks.”
The air cracked.
“What?” Percy’s voice sharp.
Aries’ jaw tightened.
“Jay, what the hell—”
Tito held up a hand, his face a mix of confusion and concern.
“Princess, what’s the hurry? We just talked about this. You’re supposed to settle into your career first—”
“I am settled,” Jay cut in, her voice rising.
“Mom, Dad, I love him. And we’ve been together since university. I—I think I’m late. I should’ve married him sooner.”
My fingers curled into fists.
Oh, you should, shouldn’t you?
Aries’ voice was ice.
“Jay. No.”
Percy crossed his arms.
“We told you yesterday. We don’t trust him.”
Jay’s face flushed.
“Kuya—”
“Absolutely not,” Aries snapped.
Jay’s hands clenched in her lap.
“You don’t get to decide this! Mom, Dad—”
Tita and Tito exchanged a look—one of those parental telepathy things that always spelled trouble.
“Fine,” Tito said slowly.
“We’ll… talk to his parents. See what they say.”
Jay’s face lit up, relief and triumph warring in her eyes.
“Thank you—”
“But,” Tito added, “no promises, Princess. We’re not rushing into this blind.”
Jay deflated slightly but nodded.
“Okay. That’s—that’s fine.”
The room stayed tense, the earlier warmth now replaced by something brittle, something wrong.
I glanced at Aries.
Then Percy.
They both looked like they were two seconds away from burning Liam’s house down.
I gave them a single, sharp look.
Oh, we’re having a talk.
The Watsons left first—Mom and Dad with their polite goodbyes, Keiren and Keigen already bickering in the backseat about who got to control the radio.
Tito and Tita retired upstairs after one last worried look at Jay, who was already slipping away to her room, her phone clutched in her hand like a lifeline.
We also walked into Aries’s room.
The second door clicked shut, Aries exploded.
“What the fuck?” He whipped around, running a hand through his hair.
“Married? In two weeks?”
Percy was pacing, his movements sharp, controlled fury.
“He got to her. That snake got in her head.”
I leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
“He is already making moves.”
They both stopped, turning to me.
“I saw her face when she read those texts.” My voice was low, I pushed off the wall.
“She’s not happy about this. She’s scared, she’s guilty.”
Silence.
Aries exhaled sharply.
“Then why the hell is she pushing for it?”
I knew the answer.
We all did.
Because Liam had her cornered.
And cornered animals did desperate things.
I cracked my knuckles.
You are going to suffer for this, Liam, I promise.
JAY’s POV
I stared at the ceiling, my phone a heavy weight in my hand.
Liam: I’m so proud of you, baby.
You did great.
😘
Liam: We’ll be together soon.
Just like we pl.
I should’ve been happy.
I was happy.
Wasn’t I?
Then why did my chest feel like it was caving in?
I rolled over, burying my face in the pillow.
One more week.
Two, tops.
Then Liam and I would be married.
Safe.
Together.
So why did it feel like I was signing my own death warrant?
Here’s your new chapter
Sorry guys…today I got little bit late…ok not little…but here’s the chapter
So what do you think about this chapter
Will Jay get married to Liam or….?
Do share me your ideas….
And please comment below guys….let your thoughts fill out the comment section….your comments motivate me to go on…
otherwise I have total blank brain….
Soo…
here’s me, your lazy writer, signing off.
Meet you soon my lazy readers with new chapter.
bye bye see yaaaaaaaa…ʘ‿ʘ