Chapter: "It's Not Happening"
Jay's POV
It was past midnight.
Everyone thought I was asleep.
Keif insisted I rest in his room.
Aries stayed in the guest room.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
I woke up thirsty.
My throat felt dry.
My head still slightly heavy from fainting earlier.
I didn't want to wake anyone.
So I quietly slipped out of bed.
The hallway lights were dim.
Keif's house was huge at night.
Too big.
Too silent.
I walked downstairs slowly.
The kitchen lights were off, but moonlight came through the glass walls.
I grabbed a glass.
Filled it with water.
My hands were shaking slightly.
I don't know why.
Then—
A sound.
A memory.
Not real.
But loud.
A door slam.
A voice yelling.
I froze.
My breathing changed.
It wasn't the kitchen anymore.
It wasn't Keif's house.
It was—
That house.
Years ago.
Mom's new husband.
The shouting.
The fear.
I could hear it again.
"You're useless—"
The voice echoed in my head.
I stepped back.
The glass slipped from my hand and shattered.
My chest tightened violently.
I saw flashes.
Mom crying.
Him angry.
Me standing there.
Small.
Helpless.
My brain twisted reality.
I wasn't in the kitchen.
I was there again.
"Stop…" I whispered.
My heart pounded in my ears.
The memory felt real.
Too real.
I backed into the counter.
"Please…"
I covered my ears.
But the voice wouldn't stop.
"Don't beat her—"
I wasn't even sure what I was seeing anymore.
It felt like I was watching him hurt her.
Like I couldn't move.
Like I was frozen again at fourteen.
"Please leave me alone—"
I screamed.
"Don't beat me—please—"
My body started shaking uncontrollably.
Tears streaming.
I couldn't breathe.
Everything blurred.
Footsteps.
Fast.
"JAY!"
Keif's voice.
But my mind was still trapped.
"It's not happening," someone said.
"It's not happening, look at me."
Hands grabbed my shoulders gently.
"Jay, look at me."
I couldn't.
I was still there.
Still scared.
Still small.
"Please don't hit me—"
And then—
Everything went black again.
Keifer's POV
The scream woke the entire house.
I ran downstairs.
And what I saw—
Destroyed me.
Jay was on the kitchen floor.
Glass shattered around her.
Shaking.
Crying.
Begging someone who wasn't even there.
"Please don't beat me."
My heart stopped.
She wasn't seeing me.
She was seeing something else.
Something from before.
I knelt immediately.
"Jay. Jay look at me."
She flinched when I touched her.
That hurt more than anything.
"I'm not him," I said softly. "You're safe. You're in my house."
Her breathing was wild.
Uncontrolled.
Aries came running.
"What happened?"
"She's having a flashback," I said quietly.
Jay's eyes were unfocused.
She was trapped somewhere else.
"Jay," I said firmly but gently.
"Listen to my voice."
I cupped her face carefully.
"No one is touching you. No one is hurting you."
Her hands were cold.
"Breathe with me."
I inhaled slowly.
"Breathe in."
She didn't respond.
"Breathe in," I repeated.
Aries crouched beside us.
"It's over," he said softly. "You're not there anymore."
Her lips trembled.
Then her body went limp.
She fainted again.
Silence
I picked her up immediately.
Careful of the broken glass.
Careful like she was made of something fragile.
Aries' jaw was tight.
"She never told us it was that bad," he muttered.
I didn't respond.
Because I was furious.
Not at her.
At whoever made her feel that scared.
We laid her back in bed.
Doctor was called again.
"Panic-induced episode," he explained. "Triggered memory. She needs emotional safety right now."
Emotional safety.
That's not something money buys.
That's something you give.
And I was going to give it.
Keifer's POV – Alone With Her
Everyone left the room quietly.
I sat beside her again.
She looked exhausted.
Even in sleep.
Her eyebrows slightly tense.
Like she was still fighting something.
I gently brushed her hair back.
"You don't have to be strong here," I whispered.
"You don't have to survive alone."
My voice broke slightly.
"If someone ever hurt you like that…"
I swallowed the anger.
"I swear I'll protect you from it now."
Her fingers moved slightly.
Even unconscious, she reached toward warmth.
I held her hand again.
This time carefully.
Softly.
"You're not that fourteen-year-old girl anymore," I said quietly.
"You're here."
"And I'm not going anywhere."
And this time—
I meant it in a way that had nothing to do with jealousy.
Only protection.