Xiarya's POV
It started like any other rehearsal day.
The four of us were crowded into the studio, soundcheck thundering through the floorboards. Steve was balancing a bottle on his head to make Mark laugh, Gelo was reviewing the setlist with his usual precision, and I was doing what I always did: pretending I wasn't looking at him too much.
But then Monique walked in with a folded letter in her hand and a face that made the room tilt.
"Gelo," she said, voice clipped. "Your parents sent for you. They're waiting in the car."
Something in my chest clenched.
Gelo set his binder down, expression calm, almost too calm. "Why?"
Monique's eyes darted to me, then back to him. "It's... personal. Private."
But nothing in our lives was private anymore.
He left without another word.
Gelo's POV
The car ride was silent except for the hum of the air-conditioning. My mother sat ramrod straight beside me, my father across. Their silence was worse than lectures; it was the kind that meant a verdict had already been reached.
When the driver closed the door, my father finally spoke. "Son. You're twenty. The band is thriving. But family legacy cannot wait forever."
I felt it before he said it. "What are you planning?"
My mother clasped her hands. "Ariela Thompson. The arrangement was agreed upon years ago. Her family has returned from London. It is time."
Arranged marriage.
The words landed like iron.
"I won't," I said immediately.
"This isn't a choice," my father snapped. "It is duty. The Thompsons secured us during the merger. You owe them loyalty."
I thought of Xiarya. Her laugh when she forgot she was supposed to be Adra. The way she whispered "soup full" when she let herself be soft.
"No," I said again, voice steady. "I owe them nothing that costs me her."
My mother's lips tightened. "Her? You mean the girl pretending to be your cousin? The one hiding in your band's shadow? She will ruin you, Gelo. We're saving you from her."
The car felt too small for the anger in my chest. "You don't know her. You don't know what she's saved me from."
But they had already decided.
Xiarya's POV
By the time Gelo returned, his jaw was tight, his shoulders coiled. He didn't say a word during practice. Didn't even glance my way.
That night, Monique called a house meeting.
"There's no easy way to say this," she began. "Gelo's parents want him engaged to Ariela Thompson. The announcement is scheduled for next week."
My world collapsed in one sentence.
Mark swore under his breath. Steve nearly dropped his controller.
I just sat there, numb, while my chest burned.
Gelo finally spoke, voice firm. "It won't happen."
But the fire in his tone only made it worse. Because fights like that, against parents with power, didn't end cleanly. And I wasn't sure I wanted to be the reason his family fractured.
For the first time since I started wearing Adra's mask, I thought about running.
The Confrontation
A few days later, Ariela showed up.
Tall, elegant, flawless in a cream dress. She walked into the studio like she owned it, smiling as if this were already decided.
"Adra," she greeted, eyes sliding over me with calculated sweetness. "You look... different. But I suppose the rumors were true—you've been under the weather."
Then she turned to Gelo, touching his arm. "It's been a while, fiancé."
I flinched.
Gelo stepped back, jaw tightening. "Don't call me that."
Her smile didn't falter. "Oh, but it's public record soon. Might as well get used to it."
Then she faced me fully, eyes sharp. "And you. The girl who looks like him. I wonder—how long do you think this charade can last once I'm part of the family? Do you think I won't find out every secret?"
My throat went dry.
Before I could answer, Steve moved between us, protective as a wall. "Back off. She doesn't owe you anything."
Ariela's eyes narrowed. "This is family business."
"Then maybe you're not family yet," Steve shot back.
The tension was razor sharp. I could feel Gelo's anger boiling beside me, but he stayed silent, watching.
And for one terrifying second, I thought he'd let me go.
Gelo's POV
Seeing Steve step in first—seeing Xiarya glance at him like he'd saved her—ignited something dark in me.
Jealousy. Ugly and raw.
I hated it.
I hated that Ariela's words made Xiarya shrink. I hated that Steve got to be her shield before I did.
That night, I couldn't stand the walls of the dorm. I grabbed Xiarya's wrist and whispered, "Pack a bag. We're leaving."
She stared at me, wide-eyed. "What?"
"Just a week. A retreat. Away from this circus. Space camp in Batangas—they've got quiet cabins. No reporters. No parents."
"Gelo—"
"I need you to myself before they take everything apart."
Her breath caught. Slowly, she nodded.
We left before dawn.
The Retreat
Space camp was nothing like I imagined. Less stars and rockets, more silence and pine trees. The cabins smelled of wood and soap. At night, the sky stretched endless and black, stitched with constellations.
We hiked trails, cooked instant noodles, shared stories we never meant to. She told me about the guava tree in the orphanage yard, the one she used to climb just to see the city lights. I told her about the nights I lay awake wondering if music was really mine or just a leash my parents held.
Every day, I fell harder.
Every night, I fought not to.
Because I still didn't know if I was enough reason for her to stay.
Steve's POV
Back home, Ariela lingered. But not for Gelo—for me.
She cornered me one night, her perfect façade cracking.
"I don't want this either," she admitted. "This engagement. It's politics. Not love."
I studied her carefully. "Then why play along?"
"Because no one ever asked what I wanted."
Something in me softened. For once, she wasn't the villain. She was just another piece on a board neither of us had chosen.
So I told her the truth. "I like you. Not as Gelo's fiancée. As you."
Her eyes widened. "Steve..."
We talked for hours, laughter breaking through the bitterness. And by morning, the arrangement was broken—not by scandal, but by choice.
Ariela called her parents. Steve Thompson. A girl who wanted freedom more than status. And somehow, they listened.
"I'll deal with my family," she promised. "But tell Gelo... he's free."
Xiarya's POV
By the end of the week, Gelo and I sat under the stars, shoulders touching.
"They'll never stop trying," I whispered. "Your parents. People like them. People like Ariela."
He turned to me, eyes fierce. "Then I'll never stop fighting."
My chest ached. "What if I'm not worth it?"
His hand found mine, steady and unshakable. "You already are."
For the first time, I believed him.
Back in the City
When we returned, the news was waiting.
Ariela had officially dissolved the arrangement. The statement was calm, dignified: Our families respect the decision. Ariela has chosen her own path.
And by her side, in one blurry paparazzi photo, was Steve. His grin was unbothered, his hand in hers.
Mark nearly choked laughing. "Of course it's Steve. Only he could turn a feud into a romance subplot."
But Gelo didn't laugh. He just pulled me closer, his hand warm at my back, a silent claim no one could argue.
Gelo's POV
My parents tried one last time.
"Gelo, think carefully. This girl—she will cost you everything."
I looked them in the eye and shook my head. "No. She's the reason I won't lose myself. If you can't see that... then I'll build a family that does."
They didn't answer. But they didn't stop us either.
Sometimes silence means surrender.
Xiarya's POV
The night after, we walked through the city, just the two of us.
No stage lights. No fans screaming. No masks.
He stopped by a bridge lit with string lights, turned to me, and for the first time since all this began, said it without fear:
"I love you."
It was simple. Solid. Like soup on Sunday.
I smiled through tears. "I love you too."
And when he kissed me, it wasn't about battles or masks or family feuds.
It was about finally choosing each other.