Jare's Pov
Three days since the gala.
Three days since she saw him.
Three days since she started pretending to be okay.
Jay thought she was good at hiding it. She wasn't.
I watched her every morning, putting on that armor. The cold eyes. The flat expression. The "I'm fine" voice.
But I saw through it.
I'm her twin. I was literally in the womb with her.
She wasn't fine.
She was dying inside.
This morning, I found her in the kitchen at 3 AM.
Staring at the purple dinosaur.
Yes, she brought it downstairs. Yes, she was having a full conversation with it.
"You're stupid," she told it. "You know that? Stupid purple dinosaur from a stupid boy who stupidly broke my heart."
The dinosaur didn't respond.
"Exactly. You have nothing to say. Just like him."
I leaned against the doorway. "Talking to stuffed animals now?"
She didn't even jump. "He's not stuffed. He's full of lies. Like his owner."
"That's... surprisingly deep for 3 AM."
"I have my moments."
I sat next to her. "You want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Okay."
Silence.
Then: "He looked at me, Jare. At the gala. He looked at me like I was still his."
"Because you are."
"I'm NOT."
"Your heart disagrees."
"My heart is an idiot."
"Your heart is in love."
She grabbed the dinosaur. Hugged it. "Why does it still hurt? Why can't I just stop?"
"Because love doesn't work like that. You can't just flip a switch."
"I WANT to flip a switch."
"I know."
She cried then. Quietly. Into the dinosaur's purple fur.
I put my arm around her.
"We'll get through this," I said.
"When?"
"I don't know. But we will."
Later That Day
I found Mia's number in my phone.
We'd been texting. Secretly. She wanted updates on Jay. I wanted updates on Keifer.
It was our thing now. The secret support group.
ME: How is he?
MIA: Terrible. You?
ME: Same. She talks to the dinosaur now.
MIA: He sleeps with her jacket.
ME: They're both idiots.
MIA: Complete idiots.
ME: I love my sister.
MIA: I love my brother.
ME: This sucks.
MIA: So much.
Mia's Pov
Keifer was a mess.
And I don't mean "sad boy listening to music" mess.
I mean "drunk at 10 AM" mess.
"Keifer, it's breakfast time."
"Breakfast is a social construct."
"You're drinking whiskey."
"Whiskey is also a social construct."
I grabbed the bottle. "Give me that."
He didn't fight. Just slumped against the couch.
"She looked at me, Mia."
"I know."
"She looked at me like she used to."
"I know."
"And then she looked away."
"I know."
"I can't do this anymore."
I sat next to him. "You have to. Just a little longer."
"A little longer? It's been WEEKS. She's in LONDON. She's probably moving on. Finding someone else. Someone who didn't break her."
"Keifer—"
"She still has the dinosaur. Jare told me. She still has it. But for how long? How long until she throws it away? Until she throws ME away?"
I grabbed his face. Made him look at me.
"Listen to me. Jay loves you. I know her. She doesn't love halfway. She loves ALL the way. And that doesn't just disappear."
"She looked at me like she hated me."
"She looked at you like she LOVES you and hates that she does. There's a difference."
He stared at me. Eyes red. Broken.
"I don't know how much longer I can do this."
"Then don't."
He blinked. "What?"
I stood up. Something clicked in my brain.
"I have an idea."
I walked to my room.
Closed the door.
Pulled out my phone.
Stared at Jay's contact.
JAY ❤️
My thumb hovered.
If I do this, everything changes.
If I do this, the plan is ruined.
If I do this, she might hate me.
But Keifer was dying. Jay was dying.
And I was tired of watching the people I love fall apart.
I pressed call.
Jay's Pov
I was in my room. Staring at the dinosaur. Again.
My phone rang.
I looked at the screen.
MIA ❤️
My heart stopped.
Mia.
My best friend.
The one who knew everything.
The one who was part of the plan.
I should decline.
I should let it ring.
I should—
I picked up.
"Hello?"
"Jay." Mia's voice cracked. "Thank God."
"Mia, I—"
"Don't hang up. Please. Just... listen."
I didn't hang up.
"Keifer is dying."
My breath caught. "What?"
"Not literally. But basically. He's drunk at 10 AM. He hasn't eaten in days. He sleeps with your jacket. He talks about you constantly. He's a mess, Jay. A complete disaster."
"That's not my problem."
"IT IS your problem because he did it for YOU."
"What?"
Mia took a deep breath.
"There was no plan, Jay. Not the way you think."
"I literally heard him say—"
"He was LYING. To protect you."
I sat down. Hard.
"What are you talking about?"
"Keifer's father—his biological father—wants Watson Enterprises. He's been planning to use any weakness to get to Keifer. And you? You were his weakness. The biggest one."
My head was spinning.
"When Keifer's mom found out, she told him he had to push you away. Temporarily. Just until he inherited the company. Because if his father knew how much he loved you, he'd use you. Hurt you. Maybe worse."
"So he... he pretended?"
"YES. He pretended. And the whole section played along because they love you both. They didn't want to, but they did it to protect you."
I couldn't breathe.
"He cried every night, Jay. For WEEKS. He still has your note in his pocket. He reads it a hundred times a day. He loves you. He NEVER stopped loving you."
"But he said—"
"He said what he had to say to make you go. To make you safe."
Tears were streaming down my face.
"I don't—I can't—"
"He's back in the Philippines now. Alone. Broken. Waiting for the day he can explain everything. Waiting for the day you might forgive him."
"Mia..."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I'm sorry I let you hurt. But I couldn't watch my brother destroy himself anymore. And I couldn't watch you destroy yourself either."
I was sobbing now. Full-on ugly crying.
"He loves me?"
"SO much. Like, ridiculous, stupid, dinosaur-winning, jacket-giving, forehead-kissing love."
"I still have the dinosaur."
"I know. Jare told me."
"I thought—I really thought—"
"I know. But now you know the truth."
There was a long pause.
"Mia?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For telling me. For being brave enough to call."
"I should have done it sooner."
"You're doing it now. That's what matters."
Another pause.
"What are you going to do?" Mia asked.
I looked at the purple dinosaur.
Looked at my reflection.
Looked at the phone.
"I don't know yet. But I know one thing."
"What?"
"I still love him. And I'm going to fight for him."
Mia laughed. Cried. Both.
"That's my best friend."
After the Call
I sat on my bed for a long time.
Processing.
Remembering.
His face at the gala. The desperation. The hope. The fear.
He wasn't cold.
He was hurting.
Just like me.
I picked up the dinosaur.
"Your owner is an idiot," I told it.
It stared back with googly eyes.
"A beautiful, wonderful, self-sacrificing idiot."
I hugged it tight.
"Just like me."