Later that day, in the Samson estate’s kitchen, Iñigo was chatting with one of the cooks while waiting for Kenji’s birthday cake to finish baking for his party tomorrow. Throughout their conversation, he was pressed on his relationship with Esther, or so they heard from the other helpers around the estate. He was quick to dispel whatever thoughts they had, although the cook didn’t seem convinced. 

It was only until another helper ran into the kitchen and warned them that Javier was coming when the cook stopped talking and went back to work, while Iñigo wondered what kind of rumours were spreading around.

Moments later, Javier walked into the kitchen. After asking the cook to keep an eye on the cake, Javier placed a hand on Iñigo’s shoulder, leaning in to ask if they could talk privately. Iñigo, seeing the seriousness in Javier’s expression, nodded. Javier took his hand and guided him out of the kitchen.

As they left the kitchen, the low murmurs of the helpers followed them, speculating on their closeness. Iñigo tensed at the gossip, but Javier didn’t tighten his hold or react with possessiveness. Instead, he stepped a bit closer, as if to shield Iñigo from the prying voices.

They reached the dining room, where an elaborate spread of sweets sat untouched. Javier pulled out a chair and offered it to Iñigo. Iñigo sat, watching as Javier poured coffee for the two of them, his hands steady but his gaze focused downward. The fragrant aroma of the brew filled the air. Javier took his seat slowly, looking as though he were carrying a burden he was finally ready to share.

“What’s going on, Kuya Javier?” Iñigo asked softly, concerned by Javier's heavy silence. Javier took a sip of his coffee, then set the cup back onto its saucer. He looked up, his eyes reflecting a deep, painful conflict.

“I’ve been worried about you, Iñigo,” Javier began. “How has Kenji been treating you lately?” 

Iñigo hesitated, the suddenness of the question catching him off guard. He looked away, leaving the two of them in silence. Javier didn't press. He simply waited. 

“You don't have to tell me everything,” Javier said. “But I can see how much you’re suffering. He’s been cold to you lately, right?”

Iñigo thought back to all the times he had been ignored, shooed away, and belittled by him. The memories sparked a sudden pang of exhaustion in his chest. He felt his pulse quicken, not with anger nor fear, but with the weight of trying to hold a crumbling relationship together.

Iñigo’s hand trembled, and coffee spilled over the rim of his cup as he set it down. He stood up to look for a towel, but Javier reached out, holding onto Iñigo’s hand to stop him. Javier signaled a helper to clean up the spill, then stood and motioned toward the quieter hall leading to the bedrooms, wanting to find a place where they could speak without being overheard.

“Kuya Javier, what are you doing?” Iñigo said, stopping just outside the bedroom door, his voice strained. 

Javier stopped immediately, turning to face him. He didn't reach out this time, instead leaning against the doorframe, looking at Iñigo with the fear of watching someone he loved slowly break apart.

“Break up with him,” Javier told him, and Iñigo felt his heart twist. 

Iñigo very well knew the grief and suffering Kenji gave him over the past few weeks, and that it was starting to reach a boiling point. He knew how bad their relationship was beginning to sour. But in spite of it all, he hadn’t seriously given the prospect of breaking up with him much thought, for Iñigo still held Kenji close to his heart. 

Sensing Iñigo’s reluctance, Javier continued to ramble on. “You’ve been saying so yourself all these weeks!” Iñigo recounted all the times he went over to Javier’s house to rant about how cold Kenji had been treating him, and all the times Javier had to stand idly as he listened to him trudge closer and closer to tears.

“I can tell from a mile away how he has been treating you,” Javier continued, gripping Iñigo’s hands even tighter. “So please, please, for your sake, break up with him.”

The conversation felt suffocating. Iñigo pulled his hands away from Javier’s grip, feeling the need to escape. He headed back toward the kitchen to finish the cake so that he could head back home. All of a sudden, Iñigo felt an embrace from behind.

“I hate seeing you put yourself down,” Javier muttered in desperation. “I want to see you go back to the happy person you were before.”

Javier held onto the fabric of Iñigo’s shirt as his embrace around him tightened, his heart beating tumultuously against Iñigo’s back.

But Iñigo ruffled within Javier’s arms as he broke away from the embrace. Iñigo turned around, looking into his eyes before he sighed.

“I’m thankful for your concern, Kuya Javier, and I’ll be sure to talk to him about this,” Iñigo remarked, before the smile on his face faded. Javier’s heart dropped. “But respectfully, this is a problem only he and I can solve.”

As a tense feeling began to seep into the air around them, Iñigo turned back around and walked toward the kitchen to finish Kenji’s birthday cake. Unsatisfied, Javier chased after Iñigo, who only seemed to walk faster and faster.

“Iñigo, wait!” Javier protested, as if desperately trying to get Iñigo’s attention, but he was beaten to it by a thud resonating from Esther’s bedroom door, which they had passed just moments before. The two stopped in their tracks and turned.

By her door stood Esther, a nervous look forming on her reddened face. As they came closer, they noticed the streaks of tears running down her cheeks. As if forgetting about their exchange moments earlier, the two rushed over to her in concern.

“Esther, what happened?” Iñigo asked, as he quickly took her into his arms. He felt her breath tickle against the nape of his neck as she sunk into his shoulder and sobbed. He looked up toward Javier, who stepped forward, his focus entirely on his sister.

“I’m pregnant…” Esther muttered softly, as if but a whisper, but it may as well have reverberated throughout the house. As Esther kept her face buried in Iñigo’s arms, Iñigo could only stare at Javier, whose face drained of colour, his shock transforming into something fierce and protective.

He didn’t care about the scandal that might touch the estate. He only saw his sister’s shattered composure. He looked at Iñigo, and then at Esther, his mind racing to understand who could have caused her this level of distress.

When his eyes met Iñigo’s, his voice was steady. “Iñigo,” he asked in a low voice. “Do you know who did this?”

When Iñigo shook his head, Javier felt a surge of relief. Not because he suspected Iñigo, but because he was grateful that the person he loved the most wasn't the one caught in the crossfire. He turned to his sister, his breath becoming hitched as his concern sharpened.

“Who was it then?” Javier asked, keeping his voice controlled to avoid drawing attention, though the intensity was palpable.

Javier’s expression turned grim. He held onto Esther’s shoulders, his grip firm and steadying. He looked as if he was preparing for battle, not against Esther, but against the guy who had dared hurt her. It was a look Iñigo had never seen before. It was the look of a man who would tear everything apart to keep his family safe.

After a few moments of hesitation, Esther began to speak.

“My ex-boyfriend from abroad,” she said softly.

For what seemed like an eternity, the three of them simply stood. Neither Javier nor Iñigo could say a word. As the tension in the room began to fade, Esther began to quietly cry. Iñigo walked toward her and wrapped her body into a hug.

“We’ll get through this,” Iñigo comforted his friend, who tightened her embrace in turn. Soon after, Javier joined in, and all the stress and worry in the room began to dissipate. Within the silence of their hearts, they made a pact to support each other throughout this ordeal.

Later that day, at half-past midnight, Javier tucked Esther in bed and walked outside her door. Outside stood Iñigo, who had left shortly after their heart-to-heart to finish decorating Kenji’s birthday cake. After a moment of awkward silence, Javier patted Iñigo’s back, resting his hand along his shoulder. 

“I’ve called Kenji to let him know that I’ll be spending the night to look after Esther,” Iñigo said to Javier. “We can bring the cake over to my place tomorrow, but Esther’s condition is more important.”

“Thank you,” Javier smiled at Iñigo’s sincerity. “Was he angry at you?”

“Very,” Iñigo responded, his voice trailing as his expression grew more miserable. “We can deal with it tomorrow after his birthday party.”

Soon after, Iñigo gave Javier a curt nod to wish him good night before walking away.