JAY'S POV
They say that healing isn't a straight line, but for me, the line led straight back to the man who had spent seven years proving that his love was stronger than his mistakes.
A week after the reunion in Manila, Keifer took me away from the noise of the world. He told me it was a "surprise getaway," and for once, I didn't push for details.
When the private jet touched down and a boat carried us toward a stretch of blindingly white sand and crystalline turquoise water, I thought we were just visiting a resort.
Until he handed me a deed.
"I bought it for you, Jay Jay," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion as we stood on the shore of a private paradise.
"A place where the world can't reach us. A place where you can be as loud, as stubborn, and as free as you want to be. It's yours. Completely yours."
I looked at the breathtaking landscape, the lush greenery meeting the endless ocean, and then I looked at him—the man who had tracked me down, who had sent me flowers every single day, who had waited for me to find my way back.
"What do we call it?" I asked, my voice trembling.
I thought back to our childhood, to the inside jokes, to the roots that had kept us connected even when we were pretending to hate each other.
"Ulopong Island," I declared, laughing through tears.
Keifer laughed, that deep, rich sound that always felt like home, and then he dropped to one knee.
The sand shifted beneath him as he pulled out a ring that caught the sunlight, sparkling with a brilliance that paled in comparison to the look in his eyes.
"Jay, I've spent a lifetime making up for the time I lost. I don't want another second where you aren't mine and I'm not yours. Will you marry me? Will you let me spend every single day of the rest of my life making sure you never feel alone again?"
I didn't even let him finish the sentence. I threw myself at him, knocking us both into the soft white sand, my answer a breathless, resounding "Yes!" echoing across the shores of our own private world.
KEIFER'S POV
I had lived through a lot of high-pressure moments in my life. Boardroom takeovers, multi-billion dollar deals, the stress of maintaining an empire.
But none of it—absolutely none of it—compared to the sheer, paralyzing terror of standing at the end of this aisle.
My palms were sweating. My heart was hammering a rhythm against my ribs that felt like a war drum. I adjusted the collar of my tuxedo for the tenth time, glancing around at the crowd.
It was a sea of the people who had shaped us. My brothers, Keigan and Keiran, were standing beside me, both wearing smug grins as if they knew exactly how nervous I was.
Across the aisle, the Section E boys were a chaotic mess of elegance and restlessness. David, Cin, Rory, and the rest of them were all there, looking sharp but still possessing that same mischievous energy from our school days.
Then there were the family members—Angelo and Ion, looking proud with little Elena in a tiny flower-girl dress that was almost too cute to be legal; Aries and Ella and Tita Gema, who was already dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and Percy who was brushing his hair for like the hundredth time...
And then there was Chris and Jeremy...
I shifted my gaze to him and felt a weird surge of relief. I remember the early days—the jealousy, the possessiveness, the absolute certainty that I would tear him limb from limb if I ever found out he was trying to steal Jay from me.
Then Jay had sat me down and told me, with a giggle and a shrug, that Chris was gay. I had spent an hour staring at her in silence before realizing I had spent weeks fighting a battle that didn't even exist.
Seeing him there now, smiling and cheering for us, felt like the final piece of the puzzle falling into place.
Then, the music changed.
The chatter died down. The world stopped spinning.
The doors opened, and there she was.
My breath left my lungs in one violent rush. Jay was walking down the aisle, her father, Jashfer, holding her hand with a protective grip that I knew all too well.
She was breathtaking. She wore an ivory wedding gown, a masterpiece of delicate lace that hugged her curves before flowing out into a regal train.
She looked like a vision, a goddess carved from light and grace. But the only thing that truly mattered was the way she looked at me through the sheer fabric of her veil.
Even with the lace obscuring her face, I could feel her gaze. I could see the love, the forgiveness, and the absolute certainty in her eyes.
As she reached the altar and her father placed her hand in mine, Jashfer gave me a look that clearly said, 'If you break her heart again, no amount of money will save you.'
I didn't mind. I welcomed it. Because I knew the weight of what I held in my hand.
I leaned in, whispering just loud enough for her to hear as I looked into the eyes of the woman who had survived everything and still chose me.
"You're late, Jay Jay," I teased, my voice cracking with emotion.
She let out a soft, watery laugh, her hand squeezing mine.
"I had to make sure you were still waiting for me," she whispered back.
I smiled, my heart finally finding its peace. I had waited seven years for this moment. I would have waited seventy more.
But as we stood there, surrounded by every person who had ever loved us, I knew that the waiting was finally over.
We weren't just starting a marriage; we were celebrating a victory. We had fought the world, we had fought ourselves, and we had won.
"I'll always be waiting for you," I whispered, as the priest began to speak and I prepared to start the only chapter of my life that truly mattered....
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Heyyy Readerss....
The book is coming to an end soon ahhh I'm soo excited!!! Go check out my new as well...
~nsaw....