Yvo Luke’s Point of View


Dash had been laid out in our home for four days now. Dad wasn’t here—he was still abroad and didn’t look like he’d be coming home. Kuya McPhee, no matter how much he wanted to, couldn’t make it either because of a shoot for his new movie. And Hayes… Hayes hadn’t woken up since his surgery.
Truth is, he was still in the ICU. They pulled out multiple bullets from his body. When we found him and Dash inside that barrel, he was cradling the child in his arms. It was heartbreaking.
There were a lot of people in the house today—Dash’s final wake. Tomorrow, he’ll be laid to rest. Most of the people here came from our agency. A few were Mom’s friends. And of course, our classmates were here, too. Everyone except Gio, who seemed completely tied down by Ingrid now.
But even with them around, we couldn’t talk to them. It was obvious—Kobe kept stealing glances at Merville, who didn’t even spare him a look. Bolt kept looking over at Devon, who sat silently beside her twin. Luna wasn’t here either; she was at the hospital, watching over her boyfriend Hayes. She said she’d drop by tomorrow instead.
The three of us sat outside, gathered around a round table. Just a few tables away sat Denim and his group. The air was heavy between us, all of us staring off into space, lost in thought.
"I'm worried about Mavis," Bolt suddenly said, snapping Merville and me out of our daze.
“She hasn’t cried since Dash died. I’m scared it’s not good for her.”
He wasn’t wrong. It had been three days since Mavis last shed a tear. And that wasn’t normal. I knew her too well—she always bottled everything up, never spoke of her pain, always keeping it to herself. “I’m strong,” she would always say.
“She should be leaning on Gio right now,” Merville said bitterly. “But that bastard chose Ingrid.”
“Did they break up?” I asked. Merville simply nodded.
I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel anymore. I was completely lost in all of this—unable to think, unable to act. Mavis hadn’t spoken to us. She was pulling away from everyone, especially us. She’d locked herself up in her room and hadn’t come out in three days. She hadn’t eaten either. We were all worried sick.
Suddenly, Mom approached us with a sorrowful smile. “Kids…”
“I feel bad for Mavis, Ma,” I told her.
She gave me a weak smile. “Don’t lose hope. She needs us more than ever, so we need to be strong for her.” She sat beside Merville. “Why don’t you try talking to her now? Maybe this time, she’ll listen.”
We exchanged looks, then stood up almost in unison. “We’ll try.”
I was about to turn around when something—or someone—caught my eye. A man stood outside our gate, wearing a cap, eyes locked on mine. My jaw clenched and my fists balled up when I realized who it was.
Gio.
I was ready to confront him, but Merville pulled me back inside.
We stopped right in front of Mavis’s room, the three of us arguing over who should knock. In the end, Bolt stepped up.
“Mavis… c-can we come in?” he asked. No response. He knocked again. Still nothing. He turned to us, unsure.
“Maybe she’s just sleeping,” Merville offered.
I shook my head and opened the door myself—only to find the room empty. She wasn’t in bed.
We hurried inside.
“Mavis? Where are you?” I called.
“Oh my god!”
Merville’s voice rang out, panic-stricken. She was staring at the floor, eyes wide in horror. Bolt and I rushed over—and there, collapsed on the floor beside the bed, was Mavis.
Her eyes were closed. Foam bubbled at her lips. In her hand was a bottle of pills.
“Shit!” Bolt dropped to his knees beside her. “Call an ambulance!”
Merville fumbled for her phone, hands shaking as she tried to dial. I was trembling too—pacing, swearing, raking my hands through my hair.
Bolt couldn’t wait. He scooped Mavis up in a bridal carry. The three of us ran out of the room.
Gasps erupted from the guests. Mom ran toward us, crying.
“Oh god, Mavis!” she wailed, clutching her forehead.
Outside, the paramedics met us at the door with a stretcher. Bolt gently laid Mavis down, and they rushed her into the ambulance. I noticed Kobe and the others trying to approach, but Denim stopped them.
“Yvo, Bolt!” Merville called from her car.
We jumped in, speeding after the ambulance.
“I saw Gio,” I muttered, still stunned.
“He better not show himself to me or I’ll kill him,” Merville growled, slamming her foot on the gas.
“Focus on Mavis,” Bolt said. “Forget that bastard.”
When we arrived at the hospital, Merville barely parked the car properly. We rushed after the nurses pushing the stretcher down the hallway.
“I’m sorry, but this is as far as you go,” one of them told us, before disappearing behind the emergency room doors.
I cursed, gripping my head in frustration and slamming my fist into the wall.
I sat down, trying to catch my breath. I was scared for Mavis. But more than that—I was furious. Blindingly so.
“Yvo!”
Gio.
He was approaching, but before he could get any closer, I punched him across the face. Blood trickled down from his lip.
I was about to hit him again, but Merville and Bolt held me back.
“Fuck you, Fraser! Fuck you!” I yelled. If I had a gun, I’d shoot him without hesitation.
Gio wiped the blood from his mouth, eyes fixed on the ground.
“Get out of my face before I lose it,” I snapped.
He opened his mouth. “I just wanted to see Mavis—”
“Wow, Fraser! The nerve!” Merville spat, laughing sarcastically. “Leave, asshole. Leave. You suck like a dick, Gio.”
Bolt joined in, equally furious. “We let you hurt her once. But this time? No. Never again. You won’t get the chance to hurt her again.”
“I had my reasons—”
“Fuck your reasons,” Merville snapped. “We don’t care. You chose that tramp Ingrid over her. That alone makes you scum.”
Gio hung his head, shoulders slumped. I thought he’d walk away, but he didn’t.
“My sister’s missing. Almost a month now,” he said quietly. “The Carters know where she is. Ingrid said she’d tell me where if I broke up with Mavis. They’re threatening my family too. Shaun said if I didn’t do what his sister wanted, he’d hurt Mavis. But even now… my sister still isn’t back.”
Merville scoffed. “We don’t care anymore, Gio. You still hurt my sister. That makes me hate you. If you think your story changes anything, it doesn’t.”
“Leave while I’m still holding it together, Gio,” I said coldly, glaring hard. “Leave!”
He stared at us for a few seconds… then finally walked away. I let out a long breath and buried my face in my hands.
“So Mavis was right,” Merville said blankly. “Those three really are monsters.”
The doctor came out. We rushed toward him.
“The patient is suffering from depression,” he informed us.
I inhaled sharply. The three of us exchanged looks before the doctor walked away.
Then I noticed Bolt—frozen, staring into space, troubled beyond belief.
“Bolt, what is it?”
He looked at us, eyes heavy. “Kuya Chord… is missing.”
Shit.
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