Chapter: By Paper, Not By Heart – Jay's POV
The house was too quiet that morning.
Aries had left early to run some errands. Kuya Angelo was downstairs, on a call that sounded tense even through closed doors. I stayed in Aries' room for a while, staring at the ceiling, replaying everything in my head like a broken film.
I thought the storm had already passed.
I was wrong.
Around noon, I heard it.
A car door shutting outside.
Not just any car.
That deep, smooth engine sound I had heard too many times during the engagement announcements, business dinners, fake smiles.
Yuri.
My stomach tightened immediately.
Footsteps echoed downstairs. The door opened. Low voices. Formal.
I didn't move at first.
But then I heard Kuya Angelo say, "She's upstairs."
My chest went cold.
A few seconds later, there was a knock on Aries' door.
Not soft.
Not gentle.
Controlled.
"Jay."
His voice.
I stood up slowly and opened the door.
He was standing there in a clean black shirt, hair perfectly styled like always. Calm. Composed.
Like nothing was broken.
"Can we talk?" he asked.
It wasn't a question. It was a demand dressed politely.
I stepped aside.
He walked in and closed the door behind him.
For a few seconds, we just stood there.
Silence stretching tight between us.
"You look tired," he said finally.
"I didn't sleep much," I replied flatly.
He studied me carefully.
"So it's true," he said. "You told Angelo you want to break the engagement."
"Yes."
No hesitation.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"You embarrassed me," he said calmly.
I let out a small, humorless laugh. "Embarrassed you?"
"In front of investors. In front of families."
"I didn't agree for investors," I shot back. "I agreed for my brother."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"And now you're throwing everything away for Keifer?"
There it was.
The name.
Sharp.
Heavy.
"Don't say his name like that," I said quietly.
Yuri stepped closer.
"Forget him."
My heart skipped — not from affection, but disbelief.
"What?"
"Forget Keifer," he repeated, his voice colder now. "I'll look after you better than that asshole ever could."
The word hit me like a slap.
For a second, I just stared at him.
Is this really him?
"Is this really you?" I whispered.
His brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"You're his best friend," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "You grew up together. And you're talking about him like this?"
"Best friends grow apart," he replied flatly.
"Over a girl?" I asked.
His eyes flickered.
"Over reality."
I shook my head slowly.
"No," I said. "This isn't reality. This is jealousy."
His expression hardened instantly.
"I'm offering you stability," he said. "Power. Protection."
I felt something inside me snap.
"I don't want protection that comes with chains."
He stepped even closer now, lowering his voice.
"You think Keifer can give you what I can? You think he can handle the pressure that's coming? Investors are already questioning this mess."
"I never wanted investors," I said firmly. "I wanted peace."
"And you think he's peace?" Yuri challenged.
"Yes."
The answer came out without hesitation.
That seemed to hit him harder than anything else.
He laughed quietly, but there was no humor in it.
"You're naive."
"No," I replied calmly. "I'm honest."
Silence fell between us again.
Then I took a breath.
"You need to understand something clearly."
He looked at me, waiting.
"I am not your fiancée by heart," I said slowly. "I am your fiancée by papers. By contract. By a decision I made out of guilt."
His jaw clenched.
"I agreed to save my kuya's company," I continued. "Not because I love you. Not because I want a future with you."
His hands curled slightly at his sides.
"You stood beside me and smiled," he said.
"I was acting," I answered honestly.
That hurt him.
I could see it.
"And you kissed me in front of them," he added.
I swallowed.
"That was part of the contract image."
The air in the room felt heavy now.
"You used me," he said quietly.
"No," I replied. "We used each other."
That made him go still.
"You needed the alliance," I continued. "Your company gained from it too. Don't pretend this was romantic."
For the first time, he didn't have an immediate response.
I softened slightly — not because I loved him, but because I once respected him.
"You were Keifer's best friend," I said quietly. "I admired that about you. I admired how loyal you were."
His eyes flickered at the word loyal.
"But loyalty doesn't threaten," I added. "And it doesn't insult someone just because they love someone else."
His voice lowered.
"So you're choosing him."
"I already did," I said.
The certainty in my own voice surprised even me.
Yuri stared at me for a long moment.
Then he spoke again, quieter this time.
"If you walk away from this engagement, there will be consequences."
"I know."
"You're willing to risk Angelo's company again?"
I swallowed hard.
"That's between me and my brother," I answered. "Not you."
Silence.
The tension was thick enough to choke on.
Then he took a step back.
"You really love him," he said.
"Yes."
It hurt him.
I saw it clearly now.
But it wasn't my responsibility to soften that truth.
For a moment, he looked almost like the old Yuri — the composed businessman, the calm friend.
Then it faded.
"This isn't over," he said finally.
"Maybe not," I replied. "But it's not a wedding either."
His eyes hardened once more.
Without another word, he turned and walked to the door.
He paused before opening it.
"You'll regret choosing emotion over stability," he said quietly.
I didn't respond.
Because I would rather regret loving someone…
Than regret never choosing them at all.
He opened the door and left.
I stood there in the silence of Aries' room long after his footsteps faded downstairs.
My hands were shaking.
But not from fear.
From adrenaline.
From relief.
From finally saying the truth without apologizing for it.
I wasn't someone's contract.
I wasn't someone's strategy.
I wasn't someone's backup plan.
I was Jay.
And I chose love.
Even if it came with storms.
Even if it came with consequences.
Because I'd rather face chaos with an honest heart…
Than live safely in a lie.