Chapter: The Door That Shouldn't Have Opened
(Jay's POV)
For a moment…
I couldn't breathe.
The living room of the mansion suddenly felt too big.
Too quiet.
Too unreal.
Serina stood in front of me calmly, still holding the phone where Keigan and Keiran were loudly arguing in the background.
"Wait—WAIT—so hipang Jay has been in our house THIS WHOLE TIME?!"
"That's what it sounds like," Keiran said calmly.
"This is insane!"
Serina sighed slightly and lowered the phone.
"Enough."
Both of them immediately went quiet.
"I will call you later."
Before either of them could protest, she ended the call.
The silence that followed felt heavy.
I was still standing beside the couch, staring at her like my brain refused to process what she had just said.
Her eldest son.
Keifer.
The name I had avoided for five years.
The name that still lived somewhere in the deepest part of my chest.
I slowly sat back down.
Serina didn't rush me.
She walked around the couch and sat across from me.
Watching me carefully.
Not judging.
Just… waiting.
My voice finally came out.
"…you're Keifer's mother."
"Yes."
My fingers tightened together.
A strange laugh escaped my lips.
Of all the impossible things that could have happened in the world…
This was somehow the most ridiculous.
"So this whole time…"
I looked around the mansion.
"I've been coming to his house."
Serina spoke gently.
"Our house."
"That doesn't make it better."
She smiled slightly.
"No, I suppose it doesn't."
I rubbed my forehead slowly.
"How did I not realize?"
Serina tilted her head.
"We never mentioned his name."
That was true.
Every time they tried…
Something interrupted.
A phone call.
A visitor.
A distraction.
Every single time.
I leaned back against the couch.
"This is unbelievable."
Serina watched me carefully.
Then she asked softly,
"So… you do know him."
It wasn't really a question.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
The memories came back immediately.
University halls.
Arguments.
Laughter.
A hospital room.
A slap.
A hug.
A confession.
And the worst one of all—
The day he told me he had only used me.
My chest tightened.
When I opened my eyes again, Serina was still watching me quietly.
I spoke slowly.
"…I used to love him."
Serina didn't react with surprise.
She simply nodded slightly.
"I thought so."
Of course she did.
She probably saw it in my face long before this moment.
I exhaled quietly.
"You know the strange part?"
"What?"
"You remind me of him."
Serina smiled softly.
"That's unfortunate."
That made me laugh weakly.
"Very."
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then she asked gently,
"What happened between you two?"
That question felt heavier than anything else.
Five years of pain.
Five years of anger.
Five years of trying to move on.
I looked down at my hands.
Then I started talking.
"I met him in university."
Serina listened quietly.
"At first he was just… annoying."
She smiled faintly.
"That sounds like him."
"He argued with me constantly."
"Yes."
"He acted like he knew everything."
"That also sounds like him."
I almost smiled.
"But somehow…"
My voice softened slightly.
"…we became close."
Serina didn't interrupt.
She just listened.
"He protected me when I needed it."
"He helped me when things were hard."
"And slowly…"
I paused.
"…I fell in love with him."
Serina's eyes softened.
"What about him?"
I laughed quietly.
"He never admitted it at first."
She chuckled.
"That definitely sounds like my son."
"But he did love me."
I knew that much.
Even after everything.
I continued.
"We were together for a while."
"And then…"
My voice hardened slightly.
"…one day he suddenly told me the truth."
Serina's expression became serious.
"What truth?"
"That he never loved me."
The words still tasted bitter even after five years.
"That he only used me."
Serina's eyebrows pulled together.
"That doesn't sound like something he would say."
"Oh, he said it."
My eyes turned cold.
"Very clearly."
Silence filled the room.
"And then he left."
Serina studied my face carefully.
"And you believed him."
"Yes."
My voice was firm.
"What else was I supposed to believe?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead she asked softly,
"Did he look like he meant it?"
That question caught me off guard.
I frowned slightly.
"I don't know."
Serina leaned back slightly.
"Because I know my son."
Her voice was calm.
"And he has only loved one woman in his life."
My chest tightened again.
"Then he should have thought about that before lying."
Serina opened her mouth to respond—
But suddenly—
The large front doors of the mansion opened.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Serina turned her head slightly.
"Oh."
I frowned.
"Who's that?"
Before she could answer—
A familiar voice spoke from the entrance.
"Mom, I just came back from London—"
The words stopped.
The moment he stepped into the living room.
My heart stopped.
Five years.
Five years of not seeing him.
Five years of convincing myself I was over him.
But the moment my eyes met his…
Everything came rushing back.
Keifer Watson.
He stood frozen near the doorway.
Still tall.
Still sharp.
Still carrying that quiet, dangerous presence that made people notice him the moment he entered a room.
But his expression now…
Was pure shock.
His eyes locked onto mine like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"…Jay?"
My name left his lips like a whisper.
The room went completely silent.
Serina looked between both of us.
And suddenly realized something.
"Oh."
Keifer slowly stepped forward.
Still staring at me.
Like I might disappear if he blinked.
"…what are you doing here?"
I crossed my arms slowly.
My voice calm.
Cold.
The way I had learned to be over the last five years.
"I could ask you the same thing."
His brows pulled together.
"This is my house."
Serina cleared her throat slightly.
"Well…"
She looked at me.
"That explains everything."
Keifer looked between us.
Completely confused.
"Mom… what's going on?"
Serina smiled slightly.
"Well, son…"
She gestured toward me.
"…meet our frequent guest."
Keifer's eyes widened slightly.
"You've been coming here?"
"For months."
His brain clearly struggled to process that.
"Why?"
"Because your parents saved my life."
That surprised him.
Serina crossed her arms calmly.
"And apparently…"
She glanced between both of us.
"…we forgot to mention one small detail."
Keifer's voice was quiet now.
"What detail?"
Serina smiled slightly.
"That Jay is the girl you never stopped loving."
The room fell silent again.
Keifer's gaze slowly returned to me.
And in that moment…
I realized something terrifying.
Even after five years…
The way he looked at me…
Hadn't changed at all.