CHAPTER 17: THE PHOTOS AGAIN?

CHAPTER 17: THE PHOTOS AGAIN?
JAKE’S POV

I just wanted to hug her and say sorry. To tell her how much I regret the way I talked to her. The harsh words I said... I didn’t mean them. Not one bit.

But the only thing I could do now was to stay outside and let the pain eat me up. To comfort myself in the only way I knew how.

I started doing the butterfly method. The one I always use whenever things get too much.

I took a deep breath and glanced at my phone. It lit up with a message.

It was from Dad.

> “I’m giving you until next week to get her back. Your marriage is our only way to win your grandfather’s approval for the contract.”

I stared at the message for a long time.

Now, I didn’t know what to do. I was stuck.

I want her. I want to keep her. Take care of her. Be by her side. Hold her close. Protect her from everything, including my own family. But choosing to keep her meant dragging her into something she never asked for. It meant tying her to a life filled with pressure and expectations. A life we were forced into ever since we were kids.

But if I let her go… she’ll get hurt too. She’ll keep thinking she’s not enough. She’ll believe that she’s always second-best. And the worst part? I’d have to watch her hold another man’s hand.

REINA'S POV

He looked calm. Too calm. Like none of this mattered to him at all.

But even if he didn’t care... I did. 

I cared more than I should. Maybe he just needed time. Maybe something was going on with him that I didn’t know about. Maybe this wasn’t who he really was. Maybe he was just trying to protect himself, just like I was.

Maybe... he was just in denial.

He made his way inside the house. 

It took me a few minutes before deciding to check on him. I took a deep breath, placed my hand on the doorknob, and stepped out of my room. I made my way downstairs even though things were mixed up.

But before I could reach the last step, I stopped.

Jake was there. Standing on the last step like he was about to go up. We both froze. Our eyes met for a second, then drifted away like nothing happened.

"It’s time to study," he said without emotion, his voice low but firm. He turned and walked off without even glancing back to check if I was following.

I saw the books in the living room, all arranged in a neat pile on the blanket. 

“We're going to study here?” I asked softly, watching him settle on the floor.

“You’re no longer allowed to go there,” he said without looking at me.

“Why? I thought we were okay—”

“We were never okay, Reina.” He cut me off. His voice was sharp this time. “We were never okay. And we’ll never be.”

He finally looked up and I saw thay his eyes were colder than I remembered.

“So stop asking questions and sit your ass down.”

For a second, I couldn’t speak. I just stood there and stunned by how easily he said those words. Like they didn’t hurt. Like I didn’t matter.

But I didn’t argue. Not anymore.

Instead, I forced a small and bitter smile. Then I sat down quietly across from him, pretending it didn’t hurt at all.

That’s when I remembered something.

“By the way, the paper in your book... it looked like a folded one with printed words,” I said.

His brows pulled together, and he slowly turned to look at me.

“Where is it?” he asked. His voice was suddenly tense.

“It went under my desk,” I replied.

“Y-you saw it?” he asked again.

I shook my head.

He didn’t say another word. He just stood up quickly and walked halfway, then paused and turned back to me.

“Don’t leave. Stay here,” he said, then rushed toward the hallway that led to the study room.

I blinked. I'm still confused.

“What’s wrong with him?” I mumbled to myself, then turned back to the books. I grabbed the one about business planning and opened it.

Even though I was reading, my thoughts were elsewhere. That weird paper. His reaction. The tension in his voice. Everything was still stuck in my mind.

Why was he so worried about that paper? And why didn’t he want me to read it?

Maybe it was from his fiancée. A love letter, maybe.

I shook my head at that idea and sighed.

Minutes passed, and he still hadn’t come back. I got up and walked out to the garden, bringing the book with me. I didn’t want him to get mad again just because I stopped studying.

A little while later, he came after me. He looked tired. His breathing was uneven. I couldn’t blame him. The desk was heavy. His clothes were wrinkled, and his expression was unreadable.

“You found it?” I asked as I walked toward him. But he took a step back.

“Let’s go back to study,” he said.

I looked at him and tried again. “You found it, right?”

“It’s none of your business. Okay?” he said, and turned away from me.

I stared at his back.

“You said I was bad at communication,” I said.

He stopped walking.

“But look at you now,” I continued. “All you’ve done is teach me things. Help me learn. But you? You don’t even know how to do it yourself.”

He didn’t turn around. But he did speak.
“Just go back and study,” he said, and walked inside.

It was like he didn’t even hear me.

I followed him in, closed the door behind me, and sat back down. I forced myself to focus. I listened to whatever he was explaining, even though none of it was making sense to me anymore.

That was when a knock shattered the silence between us. We both looked at each other.

“Did you invite anyone?” he asked.

“Oh, finally, you speak to me—”

“I’m serious, Reina. Did you invite anyone?” His tone was firm. Dead serious.

I shook my head slowly.

“Stay here. This time, actually listen to me if you want to stay safe... just like what you said earlier,” he muttered, crouching down by the window to take a look outside.

He scanned the area but saw no one. Then he pulled out his phone, doing the same thing he had done once before.

His brows furrowed as he stared at the screen. Then he stood up without a word.

He opened the door. And that’s when I saw it too.

A box. Again.

My chest tightened. Fear crawled up my spine. What now?

He looked around quickly, then took the box and shut the door behind him, locking it. He set the box down in front of us and glanced at me.

He swallowed hard. So did I. Then he opened the box. That's when I saw a bunch of photos. 

He picked one up. It was a picture of me and him. Drunk. Sitting on a doorstep together.

But that never happened.

“B-but we never drank together,” I said, confused. I looked at the photo again. 

“Technology,” he muttered. “Only a professional could do this. There’s no glitch in the photo. Nothing obvious that says it was edited. For someone who's not in event, they will believe it easily."

His eyes slowly shifted to me.

“This is your fault. For being stubborn. For getting drunk when you can’t handle it,” he said. Blaming me.

“Really? It’s my fault now?” I exclaimed, standing up. “For the record, it’s not my fault you’re such a bastard that people hate you. Look what you did. You even dragged me into it.”

“I thought you said you were willing to risk it with me?” he asked quietly.

“Not anymore,” I said.

He just nodded and just a forced smile.