Chapter: I Chose You – Jay's POV
The holiday lights outside Kuya Angelo's house were glowing softly, almost mockingly. Everything looked peaceful. Beautiful. Warm.
But inside me, there was nothing but chaos.
I was standing near the window, staring at the empty driveway, pretending I wasn't waiting for him. Pretending my heart wasn't counting every second. Pretending I didn't feel like I was suffocating inside this house that once felt like my only safe place.
Then I heard it.
A car door shutting.
My heart stopped.
I didn't need to look. I knew.
Keifer.
Before I could even move, I heard Kuya Angelo's footsteps coming down the stairs. Heavy. Fast. Tense.
The door opened before I reached it.
Keifer stood there, hands in his pockets but shoulders stiff, eyes searching—searching for me.
And the moment his eyes found mine…
Everything inside me broke.
"Jay," he breathed.
But Kuya Angelo stepped forward, blocking the doorway.
"Stay away from her."
The words were sharp. Cold. Like a slap.
Keifer's jaw tightened. "I just want to talk to her."
"I said stay away," Angelo repeated, voice harder now. "You've already caused enough trouble."
Trouble?
Something inside me snapped.
"Enough!" I shouted, my voice echoing in the hallway.
Both of them froze.
I stepped forward, my chest rising and falling rapidly. "What trouble? Loving someone is trouble now?"
"Jay," Angelo warned.
"No, Kuya. Don't 'Jay' me. You don't get to control this."
Keifer's eyes widened slightly. He had never seen me this angry before.
"I love him!" I screamed, my voice cracking as tears filled my eyes. "Do you hear me? I love Keifer!"
Silence swallowed the room.
Angelo's expression shifted—shock, then frustration.
"And I don't love Yuri," I continued, my voice trembling but refusing to break. "I never did. I never will."
Keifer took a step forward, but Angelo didn't move.
"You accepted the engagement," Angelo said quietly. "You stood there. You exchanged rings."
"Because of you!" I yelled, tears spilling down my cheeks. "Because you said the company was collapsing! Because you said this partnership would save everything! I did it for you!"
The truth hung heavy in the air.
"I sacrificed my own happiness for you," I whispered now, my voice softer but more painful. "I agreed to be someone's fiancée when my heart already belonged to someone else."
Keifer's breathing grew uneven. I could feel his pain from across the room.
Angelo looked at me like he had just realized the weight of what I had done.
"You think I wanted that?" I asked him. "You think I enjoyed standing there, hearing everyone clap while my chest felt like it was being torn apart?"
"Jay…" Angelo began.
"No!" I wiped my tears angrily. "You don't get to decide who I love. You don't get to push him away like he's nothing."
I turned toward Keifer.
He looked broken.
But he also looked determined.
"I'm not going anywhere," he said quietly, his voice steady despite the tension. "Not unless she tells me to."
Angelo looked between us. "You don't understand how complicated this is."
"I understand perfectly," I shot back. "You chose business. I chose love."
The room fell silent again.
Keifer slowly stepped inside. Angelo didn't stop him this time.
He walked toward me carefully, like I might shatter if he moved too fast.
When he reached me, he didn't touch me immediately.
"Jay," he whispered. "If this is hurting you this much… tell me. I'll fix it. I'll fight. I'll do anything."
His voice broke on the last word.
And that was it.
I stepped into his arms.
I didn't think. I didn't hesitate.
I just fell against him like he was the only solid thing in a collapsing world.
He wrapped his arms around me instantly, holding me so tightly it felt like he was afraid I would disappear.
"I'm so tired," I sobbed into his chest. "I'm so tired of pretending. I'm tired of being strong. I'm tired of acting like I don't love you."
His hand cradled the back of my head. "You don't have to pretend anymore."
"I can't marry Yuri," I whispered desperately. "I can't live a life where I wake up beside someone I don't love. I can't smile at someone while my heart is somewhere else."
"You won't," Keifer said firmly. "Over my dead body."
"Keifer—"
"I mean it," he said, pulling back slightly to look at me. His eyes were fierce, protective. "No one is forcing you into anything. Not while I'm here."
I shook my head. "It's not that simple."
"Then make it simple," he said softly. "Choose me."
My breath caught.
"I already did," I whispered. "I chose you a long time ago."
His expression softened in a way I had never seen before.
Behind us, Angelo exhaled slowly.
"Jay," he said quietly. "You should have told me."
"I tried," I replied without looking at him. "But every time I tried, you talked about debts, contracts, reputation."
Angelo ran a hand through his hair. "I was desperate."
"So was I," I said, finally turning to face him. "Desperate not to lose the only person who makes me feel alive."
Keifer's arms tightened around me.
"I'm not your enemy," Angelo said softly.
"I know," I whispered. "But don't make him one either."
The room felt heavy with unspoken emotions.
"I love him," I repeated, quieter now but just as firm. "And I won't apologize for that."
Keifer brushed his thumb gently across my cheek, wiping away fresh tears.
"You don't have to fight alone anymore," he murmured. "If your brother wants a war, I'll stand beside you. If Yuri wants to claim you, he'll go through me first."
"Keifer," I breathed, half-scolding, half-melting.
He leaned his forehead against mine.
"I almost lost you once," he whispered. "I won't survive losing you again."
My heart shattered at his confession.
"You won't," I promised. "Because I'm not going anywhere."
Angelo watched us for a long moment.
Then finally…
"I won't stop you," he said quietly.
I blinked.
"What?"
"I won't force you anymore," he continued. "I didn't realize how much this was destroying you."
Relief flooded my body so suddenly my knees almost gave out.
Keifer held me steady.
"But the engagement…" Angelo added carefully. "Untangling that will cause problems."
"I'll face them," I said immediately. "I'll face Yuri. I'll face the media. I'll face the investors."
Keifer's voice was calm but powerful beside me. "And I'll stand beside her."
For the first time since everything began…
I felt strong.
Not because I was sacrificing.
But because I was choosing.
Choosing love.
Choosing truth.
Choosing him.
I stepped away from Keifer just enough to look at him fully.
"I'm done hiding," I said softly.
He smiled faintly. "Good. Because I'm done waiting."
And then he kissed me.
Not rushed.
Not desperate.
Just sure.
A promise sealed between us.
When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine again.
"No more running," he whispered.
"No more pretending," I replied.
"Only us."
"Only us."
And for the first time since the engagement announcement…
The house didn't feel like a cage.
It felt like the beginning of a fight worth winning.
Because this time…
I wasn't sacrificing my heart.
I was protecting it.
And it belonged to Keifer.