"Saying I love you is not the words I want to hear from you.

It's not that i want you not to say it but if you only knew

how easy it would be to show me how you feel.

More than words is all you have to do to make it real.

Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me.

'Cause I already know."

Drea listened intently as his smooth baritone voice jived with the relaxing sound of the strings he's plucking. He's hot, and a total performer. Explains why everyone in here is going nuts just by watching him. All of them are clapping their hands, some are screaming her name. But she knows all too well that his eyes... they aren't looking at her.

It might appear to be like that-- that his eyes are alternating between looking at her and his fingers on the fretboard. But she would be a fool to believe that, especially when Michaela is literally behind her and what Jared sings right now is their song.

The amount of affection those chocolate brown orbs are projecting is something she knows isn't meant for her. There's a tinge of bitterness in them that she knows just where exactly is coming from and when she sees that? She knows he's mourning the love that he once had with Mick. 

She doesn't know why but... a part of her heart aches knowing the fact that he's not singing for her as his bride but for Michaela who was almost his wife. This was his dream, the reason why he tried to learn how to play that guitar she found standing still at the corner of his living room. And watching him do this while knowing she's just a part of the show and not the protagonist kills her.

This is wrong. She thought, eyes down. I'm blocking his view.

With a single snap, she moved aside. Giving way for Jared's eyes to see Michaela better. He didn't look at him again instead she looked at Mick. She's beautiful. And that smile... that awe in her eyes while watching and listening to Jared, that's the reason why she shouldn't be stealing the spotlight from her.

Drea forced a smile. Since Juliet is right beside her, she didn't want her to see the sadness in her eyes. After all, they're playing pretend that she's getting married to Jay, and it's better to make the lady be all eyes on her instead of looking somewhere else. 

And she is. While everyone is silently admiring the current stage performer, Juliet glanced at her.

"Everything okay?" She gently rubbed Drea's arm and it was answered with a fake smile and a nod. The song is almost through, and everyone's attention is in Jared. If she gets lost now, no one would even recognize.

Her chest is tugging in a way that it hurts, because she can't even look at him and expect that he'd be there, already staring. A lump in her throat suddenly appeared and caused her eyes to well up, but she doesn't want to admit it. She wants to blame it on the crowd of people and say that she's only finding it hard to breathe because the space doesn't allow that much air to come in her lungs. But honestly, it's just her heart. It's squeezing, nad that's what makes it hard for her to breathe.

"Excuse me," she whispered to Juliet. "I just need to get a drink," she offered a smile and silently walked away. But while doing so, she observed everyone. They were really all eyes on Jay who's now currently playing an instrumental and is focused on his fingers. Since she knows he will not notice, she just tried to find anyone who would care if she goes away., but there was no one. Michaela... she's just behind her but didn't even recognize that she's not there anymore.

This is wrong...

She shouldn't be feeling this way. She shouldn't let herself feel like this for him.

She made her way to the kitchen. It's a separate room from the villa itself, just a few meters away from the stage. She needs to get a glass of water before she dies of asphyxiation. 

Yesterday in the cemetery, in front of his parents' graves, she made a promise. And it was a stupid promise. 

Jared is worth protecting. He's worth the care and understanding, and because no one's gonna be there to do that for him, she purposively made him leave her some time alone to talk with those tombstones without him hearing.

She promised them... that as long as Jared's in her sight, she will never let him suffer the same pain again.

It wasn't even hers to promise.

When she entered the kitchen, no one was there. It was neatly left by whoever entered it last. The lights are all off, however, there's a very little space on the ceiling that allowed some moonlight to enter the place and since most of the stiff here are metals, they reflected the light. It was enough for her to see the fridge.

She stood up on the counter when she already had a glass in hand and a pitcher of water from the fridge. She put some in her glass and sipped a little, blowing out a sigh after and then leaning her front by the edge of the table. The refrigerator is in front of her, and the double doors of it reflected her and the glass door behind where she entered. This place is isolated from the others. This is where all the cooking for the events happen and her dad-- being the strict chef by heart and engineer by profession-- wanted to separate all the mess from the villa and all the filthy smoke and bad odor that will come from the food to be cooked or the garbage to be disposed. That's why he designed this kitchen room to be located outside and to have a big chimney where all the smoke will come out to. If she wants to yell all her deepest, darkest secrets here, no one will even hear her.

It's just... terrible. How can she make a promise like that? Yes, even if she doesn't keep it, it will be alright because after all the people she promised to are already dead. But why does it feel like she didn't make a promise to them after all? It is already breaking her now, and the ones who make promises and break them doesn't feel bad, instead the ones who are promised to should feel like this.

She screwed up, didn't she? She promised herself that she won't let him down. Yet after this chaos, after this mess, she will eventually go back to Japan to get to know Jin and marry him afterwards. That's just gonna be leaving him behind, right?

But why is she even scared to leave him? As if it will affect him in any way. He won't care. Even if she gets lost in oblivion, she's sure that he will give zero fucks about it. And besides, he's not the only one she's gonna leave. He's not the only one she will have to detach from. So why is she even thinking?

With settling herself with the fact that she shouldn't give any care about it as much as he won't, she took her glass again and emptied it this time. That didn't quench her thirst enough, she needs at least another half glass, but while she's in the process of pouring another shot, a reflection from the transparent door projected on the fridge that she saw in her peripherals.

Quickly, she leapt under the table and crawled to the other side of it, securing the gun she has in the holster around her right leg. In sync with that, the earpiece in her left ear received a message.

"Michaela, this is Vance, we have been followed." 

Vance sounded as if he's running, chasing somebody.

Michaela replied right away, with her voice are noises from outside. "I'll be there. Who saw you?" 

"I don't know. Blonde, brown eyes, looks rich, probably your age." Said Vance, panting. 

It's Patrick, damn it.

"Where are you? Why are you running?" It's Mick this time, and she's also running.

"The jackass got away with the elevator, we're in the stairs." 

"HOW DID THEY GET THERE?"

Drea suddenly flinched when she heard a glass shatter from a near distance. It's Juliet's voice she heard, and she sounds mad.

"DID THEY STEAL SOMETHING? WHAT ARE THEY DOING?" She asked again. Drea wanted to listen to her still but the receptor in her ear noised out different voices. But one in particular left her wanting to listen.

"Drea, where are you?" 

It was Jared, he's panting, obviously running after his performance. She didn't answer because if she did, Juliet will know she is here.

"They shouldn't know it's there... who told them it's there?!"

"Jared, I'm coming to the apartment. Secure Juliet." Mick says from her line. Drea slowly reached for her gun but changed her mind when she heard Juliet sobbing.

"They shouldn't know it's there, Patrick, they must not know." Her voice cracked.

"Drea, where the hell are you?!" Jared's voice thundered. It made her flinch once again but still, she refused to answer.

"They can't know..." Juliet's voice was trembling. "I cannot live like that. I don't want to be put to jail!" 

The moment she said she didn't want to go to jail, Drea immediately caught sight of her feet walking to the exit, this made her stand up and stop her.

"Juliet, no." She said, getting her attention. Drea raised her gun in the air and pointed it to her.

"What are you doing here?" Juliet's eyes widened with darkness.

"I don't want to hurt you, please. You need to stop."

"Drea, honey, why are you holding a gun?" She tried to bribe her with a smile.

"Don't do this. You can't trick me, I know what you did." 

Juliet almost faltered, trying to walk closer to her.

"I didn't do anything... I didn't do anything..."

She slowly reached for her earpiece and tapped it to enable the mic. 

"Jared, I got her--"

"Sweetie, please don't do this, alright? Don't do this to me... just let me slip off." She tried talking her out again but Drea didn't want to hear any of it.

"Do you think if I let you slip off, anything will change? Police will come looking for you-- you'll have a heavier sentence for trying to flee--"

"I won't let them catch me. I won't let them, Drea, trust me. I won't tell a soul. Just let me go. Huh?"

"Drea, where are you? Are you safe?" Jared whispered through, but she was too focused on Juliet to even answer. She's well aware that her microphone's still on and that everyone can hear everything that's happening. 

"You can't get away with this, I'm sorry."

Slowly, Drea's left hand reached for the handcuffs attached to her holster. She's still holding the gun up, but her eyes lost focus for a split second and the next thing she knew, there's already a big slice of skin on her hand, making her drop the gun together with a few drops of blood.

Drea was on edge, she staggered back and held her breath when Juliet picked up the gun from the floor and pointed it right in front of her head. Seeing the long wound that she has caused her using that chunk of broken glass, Juliet's eyes gleamed with genuine shock and guilt. She wants to apologize but she is fumbling with words and her hands are shaking, making it all the more dangerous with her holding the gun.

Her hands were raised up beside her head now. "Aunt Juliet, put the gun down, please." She almost hissed, feeling the burning sensation of the cut along her hand.

"Jay, Drea, they got the fin. We have the suit, we only need Juliet," Mick signaled through the earpiece. "Where are you guys?"

Jared's heavy footsteps can be heard. "Drea, where are you? What's happening?" His voice sounded even more angry now.

"You don't have to do this... you can surrender to me and we will sort this out, okay?" She negotiated. No matter how much she wants to answer either Mick or Jared, she can't. If she says a word, she will be done for.

"DREA WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" 

She gulped.

Michaela replied from the other line. "Jared I'm calling backup. We'll be there in a few. Where's Drea?"

"Damn it!" He cursed, and then his line went dead. She can't hear a single thing now and all she can see is the hole where the bullet will shoot from if she moves.

Juliet now is a mix between psycho-crazy and scaredy-cat. She can't tell where she is standing on. 

"Aunt Juliet, it's okay. It's okay... trust me. Just put it down, alright? Put the gun down." She whispered, slowly gesturing her hand. But then Juliet got even more aggressive to wave the gun closer to her skull.

"You're a liar!" She yelled. "Are the others cops too? Are you planning this with Daphne, huh?" 

"No... no, it's just me. They're not involved--"

"Liar!" She screamed on top of her lungs. Now Drea is frozen. "Just let me go..." Juliet pleaded. 

She doesn't have much time. While the older lady is acting vulnerable still, she took advantage to move and get the gum from her, but then she pulled the trigger in the nick of time.