JARE POV
Dinner was chaotic. The good kind.
Ci-n was chasing Drew around the table, yelling about his missing eight cents. Drew was offering seventeen back if he got nine more. Felix was balancing a spoon on his nose. Luna was threatening to break it. Percy was eating like the bread rolls owed him money.
Jay was smiling. Laughing. Present.
Then she stood up. And everything changed.
She blinked. Wobbled.
I thought she was joking. Pulling one of her dramatic bits.
But then—
She collapsed. Hard.
Keifer caught her before she hit the floor. Thank God. But her body went limp in his arms.
"Jay!" he shouted, voice cracking.
Everyone froze.
Then I saw it. Blood. Running from her nose. Dripping down her face.
"Get water!" Luna yelled. "Call someone!" Percy scrambled for his phone.
Keifer held her like she was glass. Like if he let go, she'd shatter.
"Jay, hey—come on," he whispered. "I've got you. You're okay. You're okay."
I dropped to my knees beside them. "Jay," I said, voice shaking. "Come on. You're okay. You're okay."
She didn't answer.
I looked at Keifer. His face was pale. His eyes were burning.
He knew something. Something I didn't.
"Keifer," I said. "What's happening?"
He didn't answer. Just held her tighter.
I didn't wait. I scooped her up and carried her to my car.
Keifer was right behind me. Aries too. Percy climbed in without a word.
Jay's head rested against my shoulder. Her nose was still bleeding. Her skin felt cold.
"Drive," Keifer said, voice low. "I'll sit with her."
I nodded. Started the engine. Didn't look back.
No one spoke. Not really. Just the sound of tires on pavement and Jay's shallow breathing.
"What the hell?" I snapped, slamming the car door shut. "Are you guys seriously still not going to talk?"
No one answered.
Keifer stared out the window, jaw clenched. Aries looked like he wanted to disappear. Percy was shaking in the backseat, eyes locked on Jay's pale face.
"She passed out in front of all of us!" I shouted. "There was blood, Keifer. Blood. And you're just sitting there like—like this is normal?"
Still nothing.
I hit the steering wheel. "Someone better start talking before I lose it."
Keifer finally turned to me. His voice was quiet. Too quiet.
"Jare… it's not my place."
"Not your place?" I repeated, stunned. "She's my sister."
Aries looked down. Percy wiped his eyes.
That's when I knew. They all knew. And I didn't.
"Tell me," I said, voice cracking. "Please. Just tell me what's going on."
We were at the hospital.
Jay was inside. Behind a door I couldn't open. Surrounded by machines I didn't understand.
Section E was scattered across the waiting room. Everyone was tense. Tita Gemma and Kuya Angelo were whispering in the corner, worried.
Then I heard it. A voice I hadn't heard in years. Sharp. Familiar. Unwelcome.
"Where is my daughter?"
I turned. And there she was.
Jenna. James behind her. Her daughter trailing behind, looking bored out of her mind.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped, standing up so fast my chair scraped the floor.
"She is my daughter," Jenna said, chin raised. "I have every right to be here."
I stared at her. At the woman who hadn't shown up for birthdays. Who hadn't called. Who hadn't been there.
Now she wanted to claim rights?
"Get out," Keifer shouted, voice sharp and shaking.
Everyone turned.
"It's because of you she's in that condition," he said, stepping toward Jenna.
I froze. What?
"What the hell did she do?" I asked, my voice rising.
Jenna didn't flinch. Didn't deny it. Just stared at Keifer like she'd been caught.
"She didn't tell anyone," Keifer said, eyes locked on her. "She let it happen. She let him poison her."
Poison?
"What are you talking about?" I demanded. "Who poisoned her?"
Keifer looked at me. And I saw it. The truth he'd been carrying. The weight he'd been holding.
"Gabriel," he said. "Her stepfather."
I couldn't breathe.
"She's been sick for weeks," Keifer continued. "She didn't want anyone to know. Jenna knew. And she didn't say a word."
Jenna didn't deny it. She just looked tired. Like guilt had already eaten her alive.
Then she spoke.
"What the hell?" Jenna snapped. "It's her fault from the beginning."
Everyone went still.
"She knew you were alive," Jenna said, pointing at me. "But she didn't say anything. I thought—" Her voice cracked. "I thought because of her, you died."
I blinked. What?
I stared at Jenna. At James behind her. At her daughter, bored out of her mind like this was just another Tuesday.
"She knew you were alive but didn't say anything," Jenna said, voice rising. "I thought because of her, you died. So I figured—"
"Stop," Keifer snapped.
But I couldn't. Not anymore.
"You figured what?" I shouted, stepping forward. "That she deserved it? That letting him poison her was justice?"
Jenna flinched. But I didn't care.
"You weren't there!" I yelled. "You weren't there for her birthdays, or when she cried herself to sleep, or when she begged me not to leave!"
Everyone was silent. Even Section E. Even Tita Gemma.
"You don't get to show up now and call her your daughter," I said, voice shaking. "You lost that right years ago."
Jenna opened her mouth. But before she could speak—
The door opened.
A nurse stepped in. Calm. Professional.
"She's awake," she said.
The room froze.
"She's asking for Jare."
I didn't wait. Didn't breathe.
I ran.
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Hey everyone 💛 I know I've been slow posting new chapters lately — thank you for being patient. We've hit a part of the story that needs time. The emotions here aren't just dramatic… they're layered, raw, and real. And I want to get them right.
So if I'm quiet, just know I'm deep in the chaos, crafting something that'll hit. I appreciate every comment, every reader, every bit of support. You make this worth it 💬✨
Stay tuned — it's coming. And it's going to hurt in the best way.