Jay's POV
The house hadn't changed.
Same polished floors that reflected faces but never warmth. Same walls that heard everything yet protected nothing. Every time I returned here, it felt like stepping into a memory that never wanted me.
I walked in without knocking.
"Jay?"
Angelo's voice snapped through the living room. He stood up abruptly, irritation written plainly across his face.
"Where were you?" he demanded. "Do you have any idea how long you were gone? You think you can just disappear like that?"
I placed my bag down slowly, deliberately. "I didn't disappear."
"That's not an answer," he said. "You live here. You have responsibilities."
Before I could respond, another voice cut in—sharp, anxious, laced with accusation.
"Where were you?"
Tita Gemma appeared from the hallway, her hand pressed dramatically to her chest. "I was so worried. Sick with worry. You don't answer calls, no messages—do you even think about how that affects this family?"
Family.
I looked at her calmly. "I'm fine."
I let out a slow breath. "Rules were never made to protect me here, Tita. Only to remind me that I didn't belong."
Angelo frowned. "What are you talking about now?"
Footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Slow. Casual. Almost amused.
Aries.
He descended with his usual indifference, eyes cold, lips curved in that familiar half-smile that always felt like mockery.
"Well," he said lightly, "it would've been better if you hadn't come back at all."
The room stilled.
Something inside me finally broke—not loudly, not violently—but cleanly.
"Don't worry," I said evenly, turning to face him. "That won't be a problem anymore."
Angelo scoffed. "There you go again. Always drama."
Drama.
That's what they called truth when it threatened their comfort.
"I know what you all think of me," I said quietly. "You don't have to pretend anymore."
Tita Gemma crossed her arms. "Jay, what exactly are you implying?"
I lifted my chin. "I know I'm an illegitimate child."
The words dropped like a blade.
Angelo froze. Tita Gemma's face drained of color. Aries stiffened—just for a second too long.
"Yes," I continued, my voice steady. "I know I was never meant to be here. I know my existence has always been an inconvenience."
Aries gave a hollow laugh. "At least you're self-aware."
I met his gaze. "And you, Aries—you're my brother."
His smile vanished.with something replaced with guilt, but he quickly masked it with that fake anger of his.
"There's no need to hide it anymore," I said. "No shame left. I'm leaving this house. So you don't need to pretend I'm just another cousin."
Angelo looked between us, shaken. "What nonsense is this?"
I didn't answer him.
Instead, I turned to the woman who had been silent the entire time.
Jeana .
My mother.
"You lied to me," I said softly.
Her eyes filled instantly. "Jay—"
"You always lied," I continued. "I was never really part of your family. You let me grow up here, in the province with Lola, , away from the truth."
"I did what I thought was best," she
whispered.
"No," I replied. "You did what was easiest."
The room felt suffocating now.
"You let me believe I was something to be hidden," I said. "You let me think I didn't deserve more."
Tita Gemma bristled. "We gave you a home."
"You gave me shelter," I corrected. "Not belonging."
The front door suddenly opened.
Hard.
Every head turned.
A tall figure stepped inside, framed by the afternoon light. The air shifted instantly, like the house itself recognized him.
Angelo gasped. "H-how—? I thought you were dead."
Dead.
The man stepped forward calmly.
"Four years," he said evenly. "Where were you all these four years?"
My breath caught.
Percy Mariano.
The room erupted.
"Percy?" Tita Gemma whispered. "But—"
"I was erased," Percy said coldly. "Not dead."
His gaze turned to me then—and softened.
"Nobody knew me," he continued. "But she does."
Every eye turned toward me.
"Yes," I said quietly. "I know him."
Angelo stared. "How?"
Percy answered for me. "Because I met her before. She knows who I am."
"And she knows," he added firmly, "that I am her step-brother."
Silence crashed down.
My father 's name hovered between us like a ghost.
Jasher Mariano.
"I know," I said. "And he knows my secret."
Aries stepped back, his confidence finally cracking. "This is insane."
"No," Percy said sharply. "This is long overdue."
He turned to Angelo . "You held guardianship papers over her life like a leash."
Angelo swallowed. "She's under our legal care."
"Not anymore," Percy replied.
He looked at me. "I will make sure the guardianship papers are transferred."
"To whom?" Tita Gemma whispered.
"To Jay's real father," Percy said coldly. "Jaspher Mariano."
The room went completely still.
"You can't do that," Jeana whispered.
Percy's lips curved slightly. "Watch me."
Something inside my chest finally loosened.
I wasn't trapped.
I wasn't owned.
I wasn't invisible.
I looked around the room one last time—the walls that never claimed me, the people who tolerated me but never chose me.
"I'm leaving," I said softly. "Not as someone discarded—but as someone who finally knows who I really am ."
Jeana reached out. "Jay—"
I stepped back. "I hope you find peace," I said. "But I won't stay to make you comfortable anymore."
Percy stepped beside me.
And for the first time in my life—
I didn't walk out alone.
Because blood didn't make this family.
Truth did. 🖤✨️
.....
A very happy new year to all of you and may your lives in 2026 be filled with happiness and love , ❤️✨️🌸💖🥳🏵
And I want atleast 10 comments on this chapter.