JAY-JAY POV
I knocked. Tita Gemma opened the door, and thank God it was her. Anyone else, and I might've turned around.
She pulled me into a hug the second she saw me. "Where were you, Jay? We were so scared!"
I didn't answer. Just stepped inside.
Section E was there. Keifer, their leader, looked relieved — or maybe I imagined that. I ignored them. Kuya Angelo and Aries were already throwing death stares.
"Where have you been? Do you even know what time it is?" Kuya Angelo snapped.
Then I heard it — that fake sweet voice I knew too well.
"Jay, where was sweetheart?" Jenna Frendenz. Standing beside her new husband, James, and her daughter Maria — same age as me, but living a very different life.
My chest tightened. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, anger rising fast.
"Jay, that's not how you talk to your mother," Kuya Angelo said.
I laughed, bitter. "Mother, my ass."
"Jay-Jay," Jenna said, all syrup and poison, "that's no way to talk to your mother."
"My mother is dead," I snapped. "And her name was Reycee."
Jenna blinked. "What about me? Who am I to you? Aren't I your mother?"
"No," I said, voice cracking. "Real mothers protect their kids. They don't leave them when things get dangerous."
"Jay-Jay, that's enough," Tita Gemma said gently.
"Enough?" I turned to her. "You don't know what I went through in that house."
I didn't care that Section E was watching. They'd find out anyway. They always do. "You're all the same," I said. "You use me. Then you leave."
"What are you saying, Jay?" Kuya Angelo asked.
"You know exactly what I'm saying." I pointed at all of them. "You're running my life. And I'm done."
I broke. Tears came fast, loud, unstoppable.
Where the hell was Percy? He said he'd come with me. But here I was — crashing alone.
Then finally—
"Whoa. What happened here?" Kuya Percy said, stepping in like he'd missed the explosion.
The entire room froze — maybe because they all thought he was dead.
"Kuya… you're still alive," Felix said, voice barely above a whisper.
Percy grinned, tossing his hair like he'd just walked off a runway. "Missed me, baby brother?"
Felix looked like he might faint.
Percy turned to me, his tone softening. "Let's talk later, okay? First—baby sister."
His eyes met mine, and I felt the tears start again. I tried to blink them away, but it was useless.
"You're crying again," he said gently, stepping closer. "You always do that when you're overwhelmed. Or when someone brings you the wrong fries."
I let out a shaky laugh, half-sob, half-snort.
Percy smiled, but it was softer now. "There she is."
He pulled me into a hug — not the tight, grounding kind from earlier, but something gentler. Protective. Like he was trying to shield me from the weight of the room.
I clung to him, burying my face in his shoulder. "You said you'd come with me."
"And I did," he said. "Fashionably late, but still counts."
Behind us, the silence cracked.
"You're supposed to be dead," Aries said, voice low, like saying it too loud might undo the moment.
Percy turned, still holding me. "Yeah, well. I'm full of surprises."
Keifer stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "How?"
Percy raised a brow. "You want the short version or the dramatic monologue?"
"Percy," Kuya Angelo said, voice tight. "This isn't a joke."
"I'm not joking," Percy said, suddenly serious. "I was gone. I was hurt. And I was lied to. Just like all of you."
Jenna took a step forward. "You should've told us."
He looked at her like she was a stain on his favorite shirt. "You don't get to ask for honesty when you built your life on lies."
Maria flinched. James put a hand on Jenna's arm, but she shook it off.
"I did what I thought was right," she said.
"No," I said, stepping out of Percy's arms. "You did what was easy. You took me because you thought I was all that was left. And when I didn't fit your perfect picture, you tried to erase the parts of me that didn't match."
Jenna's face crumpled. "Jay-Jay—"
"Don't," I said. "You don't get to call me that."
The room was still. No one moved. Even Section E, usually full of snark and swagger, stayed quiet.
Then Jare appeared in the doorway, breathless. "Did I miss the dramatic reveal?"
Percy raised a hand. "You're just in time for Act Two."
Jare grinned. "Perfect. I brought snacks."
I froze