Chapter 176 - Freya Hidalgo

Jay-Jay's POV

I wanted to ask her. I wanted her to clarify what she said earlier. I really wanted to.

But I know this is not the right time for that. I watched her for a while—not because I was happy to see her cry, but because I could see Freya's other persona.

It's really her.

I was about to walk away because I knew what I was doing wasn't right, but Freya got ahead of me, making sure I saw her.

Damn it!

I looked at her coldly, and she seemed to be waiting for my excuse. I couldn't speak—my tongue felt tied.

"What do you want?" she asked seriously.

It was obvious she didn't want to argue anymore, and neither did I. But I still couldn't speak.

"If you're here because of what happened earlier, just leave! I'm not in the mood to argue!" she said and turned to leave.

"Freya." I called out, stopping her.

Finally! I managed to speak!

"What?!" she asked, annoyed.

Thank God! Ugh, this is embarrassing, but I need to know. I'm already here—I might as well get some clarity.

"W-what you said earlier... I don't understand," I murmured.

She let out a small laugh. "I thought your friends told you."

I shook my head slightly. Freya stared at me from head to toe.

"Honestly, I would be even more surprised if they actually told you," she said, smirking teasingly.

She's back to being that bitchy Freya!

"What do you—"

"Yuri and Keifer are my exes," she cut me off, emphasizing the word ex.

Kiko told me that. I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

"After Percy's death, Yuri was the first to come to me. He supported me, always showing that he was there for me…" she paused, and tears started forming in her eyes. "…but what that asshole did is unforgivable."

Her tears kept falling, but she didn't stop them. She preferred to let me see the pain she was feeling.

"He made me fall for him, took what he wanted—like every guy does! And when he got what he wanted? HE RUINED ME!"

Impossible! Yuri isn't like that. I don't want to believe what she's saying, but I can't deny it.

Because it's true…

She closed her eyes, as if saying those words physically hurt her. "He left me," she whispered.

I wanted to go near Freya and hug her. I wanted to let her know I was willing to listen. But who am I? I'd be a hypocrite if I did that. Besides, this is Freya Hidalgo. She's stronger than me.

She wiped her tears and took a deep breath. "And then Keifer showed up, taking the spotlight." she shook her head slightly. "At first, I thought I should thank him, but I was wrong."

She looked at me again, and I almost stepped back.

"It was too good to be true. He was the ideal boyfriend every girl dreams of—treating me like a queen, even though only a few people knew we were in a relationship." Tears welled up in his eyes again. "…but everything changed when he realized I was still in love with Yuri. That shameless man was filled with jealousy! It even reached the point where he hit me."

What the hell?!

Is this what Rakki was talking about? Could Keifer really hurt a woman? But why? I'm so confused!

"What's worse? He controlled me! I was like a prisoner!" Freya took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions.

"'Don't talk to this guy! Don't go there! Don't go here! Don't leave your house without my permission! Never disobey me!'" she mocked Keifer's voice, her face twisting in anger.

She ran a hand through his hair and looked away, breathing deeply.

"He picked me up and dropped me off at home and school. People thought it was sweet. Ha!" she shook his head. "It was torture! He did it to make sure I wouldn't go anywhere."

She fell silent for a moment. She didn't seem to want to talk anymore, but even though I was hesitant, I asked. I needed to understand what had happened.

"W-what did you do?"

She smiled at me smugly, as if showing off. "I went out with other guys. Until he got bored and broke up with me."

She slept with other guys? Not just one? More than one?! What the hell?!

"…Then people started calling me a slut, a bitch, and a whore. Ha! If they knew—if you knew!" she pointed at me. "Would you still judge me?"

I lowered my head. If only I had known… Maybe I would have been her friend. Maybe I would have tried talking to her. Maybe I could have understood her pain.

"I'm pathetic, right?" she let her tears fall freely.

I was about to step closer, but she held up her hand.

"Don't. I don't need your fake sympathy," she said before walking away.

I stood frozen, watching her go. She didn't even turn around. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to blame Yuri and Keifer, but for what?

Yuri—she loved him, but he just used her and left. Keifer—it was a toxic relationship, and he turned violent.

Impossible…

"Jay-Jay!!" Someone called my name.

I turned to see Ci-N, David, and Felix approaching me. I quickly composed myself and forced a smile. I didn't want them to know something was wrong.

"We thought you went that way," Ci-N said as he reached me.

"I-I didn't go far."

"Did you see it?" Felix asked.

I looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

"The small waterfall and river. We thought you were going to check out the trail?"

Oh! Thank God! A distraction!

"Ahh… O-oh. Y-yeah, I saw it. Are we going?"

I looked at David because he was looking at me differently, as if he was silently saying, There's something different about you.

"Alright, we won't do anything," Ci said excitedly.

"I'll go get the others," Felix said before immediately walking away.

The three of us remained. Ci-N spotted a gazebo and immediately ran toward it. We just watched as he inspected every nook and cranny.

"We met Freya. Did you two talk about anything?" David asked.

I deliberately avoided looking at him because I had a strong feeling he would see right through me.

"We already talked about that earlier."

He didn't ask any further. That's how he is—he doesn't get angry or interfere much. But to this day, I still wonder how he and Percy met.

Ci-N ran back to us, still smiling, clearly excited.

"Is the waterfall far from here?" he asked.

"Somewhat."

"I'm excited!" he said, running ahead.

And then—he fell into the fish pond!

"They're here," David said.

I turned to see the others approaching, all of them visibly excited. But then I noticed something.

The King and Yuri were missing. I looked in the direction they had come from, hoping they were just lagging behind.

"Josh, Keifer, and Yuri left," Felix said. "...because someone needed to stay behind and guard our place."

I just nodded. Guard? More like they didn't want to be questioned. Maybe they were planning something. I had no idea what Josh was up to.

"Come on! Let's go!" Aya shouted, hyping everyone up.

Since I knew the way, I led them forward. We passed through the thick brush on the side of the fish pond. Just as I had seen earlier, there was a big "KEEP OUT" sign.

"We'll cross here," I said, squeezing between the wires.

"Careful," David said, steadying me.

Once I reached the other side, I waited for the others to cross. I made sure everyone was accounted for before continuing. We followed the pathway—the part without plants, which was clearly well-trodden.

When I said thick, I had expected only tall grass. But what we encountered was much worse. The path was slippery, and fallen branches were scattered everywhere.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Calix asked.

No!

But I couldn't tell them that. They'd get mad at me, especially since I was the one who confidently agreed to this.

"Y-yeah... this is the right way."

We kept walking. My nerves were on edge because I had a sinking feeling we were lost.

You're an idiot, Jay!

What scared me even more was the possibility of running into a snake—my new best friend!

My fear disappeared when I heard the sound of rushing water. The splashing grew louder as we walked.

And then, amazement spread across everyone's faces as we finally saw the small waterfall. The water was crystal clear, shimmering under the sunlight as it cascaded down.

"Let's swim!" Ci-N shouted and immediately ran toward a large rock nearby.

His friends followed. In an instant, the guys took off their shirts—except for Ci-N. He was only wearing boxers. I smacked my forehead at the sight.

"Damn! So it's not just your height that's short?" Eren teased.

We all burst into laughter, which only got louder when Ci-N instinctively covered himself.

"It's still a man! Get angry!" Felix joked through his laughter.

"Hey!" I scolded.

He seemed to have forgotten that there was a girl in the group. He immediately flashed a peace sign and walked away.

I made my way toward the large rock where they had placed their clothes. Sitting down, I watched them. They looked like a bunch of carefree kids, completely lost in the moment.

"Jay! Come join us!" they called out to me.

I just shook my head. The truth was, even if I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to have fun—not after what I had heard earlier.

"Don't you want to have fun with them?"

I turned to see David standing next to the rock, shaking his head with a smile as he watched the others.

"Maybe later," I replied.

"Suit yourself," he said, pulling off his shirt.

Why is it suddenly so hot?

He joined the others in the water, with Ci-N immediately climbing onto his back, nearly making them both slip.

Just don't let the organizer catch us, or we're screwed. Batman can take care of us... or maybe Superman—if he's not too busy swimming with his fellow idiots.

Suddenly, I noticed them running toward me. Before I could react, they surrounded me.

"W-what?" I asked nervously.

"Just come with us!"

I had a bad feeling about this. Felix and Rory grabbed my wrists, pulling me into the waist-deep part of the river.

They let go and formed a circle around me.

"Let the baptism begin!" Ci-N shouted.

And then—SPLASH!

Water came at me from all directions.

Damn it!

I covered my face, completely drenched. There was no escape. They just kept laughing and splashing more water at me.

Great! I didn't even need to go into the water myself—I'm already soaked!

One by one, they stopped, finally feeling exhausted. I took the opportunity to catch my breath. I felt like I was drowning after everything they had done.

"Damn! Were you trying to kill me?" I asked them.

They just laughed—animals!

"Don't be shy! Take off your clothes!" Ci teased, but he was immediately met with a strong slap from David.

"You're unbelievable!"

"What? It's fine with me. I've seen her naked before," Ci said, rubbing the back of his neck.

My eyes widened at his words. The others were just as shocked. Seriously? When did he see me naked?

"We're going to report you to Keifer," Edrix threatened.

"Are you serious?" I asked Ci.

He nodded innocently. "I saw your bare back."

"Oh my!"

"That's really bad!"

"You're welcome!"

Even I was shaken by what he had just said. He's going to get into trouble for this!

"I even saw the big mark on your back," he added, pointing at me.

Without realizing it, I reached behind me. A mark? A big one? But as far as I know, I don't have anything like that.

"Are you sure you're talking about my back?" I asked. "...I don't have any scars."

"You do," he insisted.

I turned to Felix, who was the closest to me.

"Take a look," I instructed.

He stepped forward as I lifted the back of my dress slightly—just enough for him to see what Ci was talking about. The others leaned in for a look as well.

"There is a mark," Felix confirmed.

"Is that really a scar? Why does it look like it has a shape?" Edrix asked.

"Damn! It looks like a branded mark," Eren added.

"It's not just a scar—it's blurry, and if it were just a normal wound, it should be smooth and dry by now," Calix noted.

"Why does it have a pattern?" Eman wondered.

"A shape… like an iron brand," David muttered.

It felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had just been poured over me—colder than the river itself. My hands instinctively gripped the hem of my dress tightly.

They all stared at me in shock. Their expressions were unreadable, but I could tell they were surprised.

"Jay?" Ci called my name.

I lowered my head and bit my bottom lip.

"It's not just a mark, Ci," I whispered. "...It's a scar."

Even though they said nothing, I could feel their concern. They wanted to ask questions—I knew that much—but I had no answers to give them. Even I didn't know where the scar had come from.

It was one of the things grandma and the doctors treated when I woke up in the hospital. But whenever I asked about it, no one gave me a clear answer. I used to think the scar would eventually fade, but no matter how many times we went to the doctor to have it removed, it never disappeared.

"A-ahh... W-well, your scar is fancy—it even has a shape," Ci tried to joke, though his voice carried hesitation.

I forced a laugh, even though the atmosphere had grown awkward. I knew that wasn't what he really wanted to say.

"You were probably too lazy to lie down properly, so it never went away," he added, trying to lighten the mood.

What an idiot!

Since when could a scar be removed by stretching? Completely ridiculous! But I knew he was just trying to make things less tense.

"That's why Jay-Jay needs another bath!" Felix shouted before splashing water at me again.

The shameless ones joined in. I was nearly drowning from all the water they threw at me. I tried to fight back, but it was pointless—there were too many of them.

We stayed in the water for a long time. If hunger hadn't kicked in, we probably wouldn't have stopped. My entire body and clothes were soaking wet, while the others, especially Ci-N, were only half-drenched since he had been wearing boxers earlier.

Exhausted, we slowly made our way back to the fish farm. My body felt heavy from fatigue.

"Was the swim worth it?" I asked them.

"Hell yeah!" Ci cheered.

"You're the only one who's hanging!" Felix teased.

They continued their playful bickering, as if they never ran out of energy.

We were almost at the hall when I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

I turned my head toward the person Sir Alvin was talking to. The Ulupongs noticed and followed my gaze.

"Why is your cousin here?"