The doorbell rang sharply, echoing through the Watson house.
Keifer frowned.
Jay tensed.
Serina and Keizer exchanged wary glances.
Keifer opened the door.
Rina stood there, stiff and furious, her father behind her, a storm cloud in human form.
"Keifer Watson!" Rina's voice cut through the air.
"How could you?!"
Her father's eyes were dark, judgmental, scanning the house as if it were a crime scene.
"This is unacceptable," he said, voice tight with anger.
"You've betrayed my daughter! Both of you!"
Keifer stepped forward, fists clenched, his jaw tight.
"Rina… please. This isn't—"
"Isn't what?!" Rina snapped.
"You've been sneaking around with Jay behind my back? After everything? After all the promises?"
Jay stayed quiet, but her eyes never left Keifer's.
She didn't flinch. She didn't apologize.
Because she had done nothing wrong.
Serina finally stepped forward, calm but firm.
"Rina. Your anger is misplaced."
Keizer crossed his arms, staring at Rina's father. "You're accusing the wrong people."
Rina's father's gaze swept over them, tight with control. "Do not speak over me! My daughter has been wronged!"
Keifer's voice rose, strong, steady, cutting through the tension.
"No one has wronged anyone. Rina… I am not in love with you. I never was. I never could be. I made a choice a long time ago—and that choice has always been Jay."
Jay stepped beside him, calm but unwavering.
"You're angry, Rina. I get it. But this isn't a betrayal. Keifer's heart… was never yours to take. It was mine. Always mine."
Rina's hands trembled, fury mixing with shock.
Her father opened his mouth to protest, but Serina's hand on his arm stopped him.
"We will not have our home turned into a courtroom," Serina said firmly.
"We have nothing to hide. Keifer and Jay's relationship is their truth. Accept it—or leave."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Rina's jaw tightened.
Her father's face reddened with rage and embarrassment.
Keifer reached for Jay's hand, squeezing it gently.
His eyes never left Rina's.
"This is my home. This is my family. And this…," he gestured toward Jay, "is my choice. My heart. Nothing else matters."
Jay squeezed back, her own strength reflected in his gaze.
Together, they stood unshaken.
And for the first time, Rina and her father realized…
They were not going to change anything here.
The Watson house had chosen its own peace.
Its own truth.
And nothing—not anger, not threats—would undo that.