Three Months Later — Present Day
Jay-Jay (POV)
The room went quiet the moment I spoke.
Not heavy silence.
Just… waiting.
Like even the air wanted to hear what I was about to say.
I took a slow breath.
And finally, I said it.
"I remember."
Their expressions shifted instantly.
I looked at both of them.
"Do you remember when I asked you about telling Kiefer that I want to marry him?"
They both nodded.
My fingers tightened slightly in my lap.
"On the way to the airport… I had an accident in London," I continued quietly. "After that…"
A pause.
Then I continued, steadier now.
"I remember everything."
For a second, I braced myself.
For anger.
For disappointment.
Why didn't you tell us sooner?
But instead—
They moved.
Both at once.
Percy pulled me into a hug first, firm and immediate, like he didn't even need to think about it.
And Jare followed, patting my head gently like I was something fragile they had finally gotten back.
"You really went through everything alone," Percy said quietly.
His voice wasn't angry.
It was heavier than that.
Sad.
Understanding.
"You can relax now," Jare added softly. "You don't have to carry everything by yourself anymore. We're here."
Something in my chest tightened at that.
Not pain.
Just… release.
Like I had been holding my breath for far too long without realizing it.
My fingers slowly loosened.
For the first time in a long time—
I didn't feel like I had to stand alone.
I just let myself stay there.
Held.
Quiet.
Safe.
The moment their arms stayed around me… something in me cracked.
Not loudly.
Just enough that I couldn't hold it together anymore.
My voice came out broken.
"He really loves me, Kuya…"
A breath shook through me.
"And I love him too."
My fingers clenched slightly against their clothes.
"I tried… I really tried to act normal. Because I chose him. I wanted to make things right."
My throat tightened.
"But he always hides things from me… so I don't feel pressure. I know that… he's doing it because he doesn't want me to get hurt."
A pause.
My voice dropped lower.
"But when I heard those things again… everything came back rushing."
My chest hurt as I spoke.
"He called me the same way people used to call mom…"
I swallowed hard.
"I've always tried to prove I'm not like her… that I'm not going to repeat her mistakes…"
My breathing turned uneven.
"But when he said I was 'flirting with everyone'… it reminded me of what it felt like when I was younger."
Silence.
Thick.
Heavy.
My hands trembled slightly.
"I'm scared, Kuya…"
The words finally broke out of me.
"Not of losing him… but of not knowing what he's hiding from me."
My voice softened into something smaller.
"C-In… I thought he liked me because I was just… his friend at first."
A shaky breath slipped out.
"But it was a lie, Kuya… it was a lie…"
My fingers curled tighter into my sleeves.
"He just wanted to get close to me… and he already knew about me and Aries…"
My throat tightened painfully.
"I thought it was concern… I really thought it was care… but I was never loved the way I believed I was."
Silence hit the room again—but this time, it didn't feel empty.
It felt heavy.
Old.
Like something buried too long had finally been opened.
"I know it's been four years…" I whispered. "But when I remember it and heard it again… it still feels like yesterday."
My breath wavered.
"That feeling of being cheated… it never really left."
I swallowed hard, forcing the words out.
"I should've noticed when they suddenly became nice to me… when everything changed too fast."
My voice dropped, smaller now.
"I was so stupid… I fell right into it."
A pause.
Then the truth I had been avoiding finally came out.
"I'm not leaving him because I hate him…"
My chest tightened painfully.
"It's because I love him."
My eyes burned.
"If I see him… I'll give in again."
A shaky inhale.
"And not loving him… that's the hardest thing I've ever had to do."
My hands trembled as I looked down.
"But it's also the only way I can survive this."
A quiet pause settled over me.
"He would've said it was a lie… if I had asked him. But what if it wasn't?" my voice softened."My pain was real—no matter what he said."
And for the first time—
I didn't try to soften it.
I didn't try to hide it.
I just stood inside it.
I let out a shaky breath.
"But now everything feels confusing."
My grip tightened again as if I were trying to hold myself together.
"I don't know what's true anymore…"
And for the first time in a long time—
I didn't try to hide the way I was breaking.
My voice broke before I even realized I was still speaking.
I felt like hell.
Like something inside me had been pulled apart and left raw.
"I love him… but I want to be loved by him too."
My fingers pressed against my chest like I could hold myself together that way.
"When he said everything… even now, after four years, it still hurts," my throat tightened."It felt like my soul was pulled out of my body."
A broken inhale.
"I don't want to be near him."
My voice dropped.
"If I see his face… I keep remembering it."
My hands trembled harder now.
"Please, Kuya…" I whispered. "Take these thoughts out of my head… I don't want these memories anymore. If I had known they would hurt this much, I would've never tried to remember them."
And then it came.
The tears.
They just fell.
Heavy.
Real.
I didn't even try to wipe them away.
They didn't interrupt me.
They just held me while I broke.
My voice came out smaller again, shaking.
"I knew about the incident… when he rescued me…"
A pause.
"But it was Aries…"
My breath hitched.
"Everything was a lie, Kuya…"
My gaze dropped, lost somewhere on the floor.
"And I still love him anyway."
My voice faded into something softer.
Something exhausted.
Something that had finally run out of ways to protect itself.
"He is just a part of your life, Jay. Only a part of life," Jare said gently.
The words should've comforted me.
They didn't.
Something inside me tightened immediately.
"No…" My voice came out broken. "Kuya… he wasn't just a part of me…"
I swallowed hard, shaking my head.
"He was my everything."
Silence settled again, but this one felt heavier.
Like even my own words were afraid of how true they sounded.
"I can't hate him…" My voice lowered. "Even after everything… I don't know how to unlove him."
My fingers curled into my palms.
"I'm just scared…"
A breath broke in my chest.
"Because he loved me the way I always wanted to be loved…"
My voice cracked.
"But if one day he lets go of me again…"
I looked down, unable to continue for a second.
"I don't want to spend my life scared that he'll disappear from my world."
My throat tightened painfully.
"He was my world, Kuya…"
The words came out softer now.
"If he leaves… I don't think I'll know how to need anyone else again."
My hands trembled as I pressed them together.
"I'm scared to love again."
A pause.
Everything inside me felt too full, too heavy.
"All I ever did was love him with my whole heart… hoping he would love me back the same way."
My breath shook.
"But why does it hurt so much… even when he did love me?"
My eyes burned.
"Why is it so hard when he keeps everything inside himself?"
My voice dropped.
"I knew he was hurting… but he didn't share it with me."
A fragile inhale.
"I'm his partner…"
My lips trembled.
"I'm his wife…"
And then it came out smaller.
More afraid than anything I had said before.
"I'm scared…"
My voice barely held.
"That when I wake up from this… he won't be mine anymore."
A pause.
"…or that he won't love me the same way again."
And for the first time—
I didn't try to be strong after saying it.
I just stayed there.
Breaking quietly.
While hoping love didn't turn into something I couldn't survive without.
Percy (POV)
"Jay…"
I said her name softly, but firmly enough to pull her back to me.
She looked at me.
Eyes red. Breathing unevenly. Like the world had been too heavy for her for far too long.
I didn't look away.
"You think I'm not scared?" I asked quietly.
A pause.
Then I exhaled.
"I went through an accident eight years ago."
My voice stayed steady—but the memory didn't.
"I couldn't walk after that."
Silence tightened around us as I continued.
"I stayed in bed for four years."
My fingers curled slightly at my side.
"At some point… I stopped hoping."
My gaze lowered for a second.
"I used to think… maybe it would be easier if I just disappeared."
A beat.
Then I looked at her again.
"But then people started showing up."
I nodded slightly toward Jare.
"Jare… Cole… they didn't fix anything. They just stayed."
A faint, bitter smile passed my lips.
"Sometimes they teased me… sometimes they just talked like nothing had changed."
My breath slowed.
"And I remember hating Kiefer, Aries, and Yuri for not being there when I needed them."
My voice softened.
"I felt abandoned..I even hate Mom hidding me from world."
A pause.
"But even then… I didn't stay broken forever."
I lifted my head slightly.
"I started hoping again."
My hand moved slightly, like I could still feel those early steps in my legs.
"I learned to walk again."
A faint exhale.
"I couldn't drive at first… but I tried anyway ."
A small nod.
"And somehow… I started liking it again."
My gaze returned to her fully.
"That became my happiness again."
Then my voice lowered.
"But I still fear driving when it rains."
A pause.
"When I see rain… I still feel anxious."
I didn't hide it.
Because it was true.
"But I know something else too."
My expression softened.
"One day… it won't feel like that anymore."
A small, steady breath.
"Because I have you all and my wife who loves me ."
I stepped slightly closer.
"And Jay…"
My voice softened further.
"You're not alone in this."
A pause.
"You're allowed to fall apart."
I held her gaze.
"But you're also allowed to come back from it."
The room went quiet after that.
Heavy quiet.
The kind that tells you someone is holding themselves together with effort.
I stepped closer.
And without thinking too much about it, I lifted my hand and gently patted her head.
She flinched slightly but didn't pull away.
"Trust Kiefer," I said.
Her eyes lifted toward me.
Not fully convinced.
Not fully calm.
So I stayed steady.
Not as his friend.
Not as someone defending him blindly.
But as someone who had seen him.
"I'm not saying this as his best friend," I continued. "I'm saying this because I've seen him."
A pause.
"The first time in my life… I saw Kiefer love someone."
Jay's breath caught slightly.
"And smile."
My voice softened a little at the memory.
"He doesn't do anything halfway, Jay."
I held her gaze.
"If he loves… he gives everything. He doesn't know how to stop. And loving him isn't easy… but you already did it."
Silence stretched between us again.
Then I asked quietly—
"You already gave him a chance."
Her eyes dropped.
"So why are you only thinking about what you might lose?"
I exhaled slowly.
"It's love, Jay."
A pause.
"You're in love with him."
She didn't deny it.
And that alone said enough.
"You trusted him once," I said gently, "so ask him. Ask him why he did what he did. Don't run from it."
My hand stayed lightly on her head.
Grounding her.
"What if he loved you just as much as you loved him?"
A beat.
"And if he didn't…"
My voice softened again.
"I'll be here."
She looked up slightly.
So I continued.
"You have me. Jare. Cole. Angelo. Clyden. Aries."
A faint pause.
"You've got five ates—Mia, Amy, Honey, Ion, and Ella."
A small, tired breath left me.
"You're not loved by just him, Jay."
My tone steadied.
"You're loved by all of us."
Then I leaned back slightly, my expression firmer now.
"Didn't you promise me something?"
Her gaze flickered.
"That you wouldn't fall apart… that you would fight for him."
A pause.
My voice lowered.
"Don't make me regret believing in you."
"I'm just scared, Kuys… what if?" Jay's voice cracked again.
I looked at her properly this time.
Not as someone trying to fix her.
Just as someone told her the truth she wasn't ready to hear gently.
"Jay…" I said quietly.
She looked at me.
And I exhaled.
"Everything is scary."
A pause.
"Even life itself."
Her brows tightened slightly.
So I continued.
"One day, I know I'm going to die."
Silence deepened in the room.
"But I still wake up and plan my next day."
My voice stayed calm.
"Because I don't live thinking about the end."
I met her eyes.
"I live, thinking about today."
A small pause.
"We are not immune to loss, Jay."
My tone softened slightly.
"I could walk out tomorrow and not come back."
Her breath caught.
"But even tonight… I still plan for tomorrow."
I leaned slightly forward.
"I still hope tomorrow will be better."
A beat.
"So you have to learn something too."
My voice steadied.
"Live today."
She didn't speak.
So I continued.
"You love him."
A simple statement.
Not a question.
"Then love him fully."
My gaze didn't move from hers.
"Make him yours."
A pause.
"Pain is normal, Jay."
My voice lowered.
"It's not a sign you're doing something wrong. It's part of it."
She swallowed hard.
I softened my tone slightly.
"If you love someone… you accept everything that comes with them."
A beat.
"Winter will always be cold."
I watched her carefully.
"But you don't leave in winter."
A pause.
"Because you already know spring is coming."
Silence settled again.
Not heavy this time.
Just… thoughtful.
And I added quietly—
"So stay, Jay."
"Even if it hurts."
"Because love doesn't stop being love just because it becomes difficult."
I moved toward her.
"It's always here, Jay."
I stepped closer and gently pointed toward her chest.
"Right there."
Her eyes flickered down instinctively.
I kept my voice steady.
"When you're happy, everything feels bright… when you're sad, everything feels heavy."
A pause.
"So don't let your mind convince you that everything is already lost."
She stayed quiet.
Listening.
So I continued.
"Just search for what you actually need."
My tone softened, but it stayed firm.
"You need him? Then go to him."
A beat.
"Get him."
Her breath wavered slightly at that.
I didn't look away.
"Who are you, Jay?"
Silence tightened in the room.
And I said it clearly.
"Jay-Jay Mariano."
My gaze held hers.
"Don't forget that name."
A pause.
"Don't become someone who looks back one day and regrets letting go of the person she loved just because she was scared in the moment."
My voice lowered slightly.
"You don't have to choose fear over love."
I exhaled slowly.
"Don't regret losing him just because you didn't fight for him when you still could."
Jay-Jay (POV)
I knew Percy Kuya was never the overly serious type.
He always joked, always teased, always acted like nothing could really shake him.
But today…
I saw a different side of him.
And it stayed with me.
Quiet. Steady. Real.
It made me admire him more than I expected to.
Jare gently took my hand and gave it a soft pat on my head.
"Take care," he said. "We'll be outside."
A small pause.
"And don't worry… I'll be within a ten-meter radius."
A faint, almost helpless smile tugged at my lips despite everything.
He was always like that.
Present, even when he gave space.
They both walked out slowly, leaving the room quieter than before.
The door clicked shut.
And suddenly…
It was just me.
Just my thoughts.
I sat there for a moment, staring at nothing, trying to steady the chaos inside my chest.
Everything Percy Kuya said replayed in my mind.
Winter will be cold… but spring is coming.
Don't regret it.
Fight for him.
My fingers curled slightly.
And then I thought—
I never knew Percy Kuya went through all of that.
Not just pain.
But collapse… recovery… rebuilding himself from nothing.
And still standing here like it was normal.
Like survival was just something people were supposed to do quietly.
My chest tightened slightly.
Maybe… I wasn't the only one who had been breaking silently all this time.
Maybe everyone around me had their own battles too.
I lowered my gaze slowly.
And for the first time today—
I didn't feel completely lost.
Just… thinking.
About what I was going to do next.
Jare (POV)
"Kuya… you're actually amazing."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Percy looked at me like I had just said something illegal.
I shook my head, half laughing.
"I mean it. I never thought I'd see you like that today… you were—" I paused, searching for the word. "—solid."
He blinked once.
Then twice.
And just like that, the moment was gone.
"What?" he scoffed, placing a hand dramatically on his chin. "I'm always amazing. And handsome."
I snorted.
"No. You always act like a handsome freak. That's different."
He pointed at me like I had personally betrayed him, then clutched his chest.
"I'm hurt."
"Good," I muttered.
A beat passed.
Then I sighed, softer this time.
"I love you, Kuya."
He froze.
Completely.
Slowly… very slowly… his head turned toward me.
"Say that again."
I frowned. "Why?"
His eyes lit up like a kid.
"Because I really like hearing my brother say he loves me."
Before I could react—
He leaned in and kissed my cheek.
I jerked back instantly.
"Oi—what the hell?!"
And of course—
That's when Mia walked in.
Perfect timing.
She looked at us.
At me.
At Percy.
Then back at me.
I raised both hands immediately.
"Mia—it's not what you think."
She smiled.
Way too calmly.
"Enjoy, brother love."
And just like that, she walked past us, carrying food toward Jay-Jay's room like she hadn't just destroyed my reputation.
"…Shit."
I rubbed my cheek like it was burned.
"I've never said that to you before," I muttered, already walking away.
Big mistake.
Because Percy immediately followed me.
"Say it again."
"No."
"Say it."
"Not happening."
"Jare—say you love me again."
I walked faster.
He walked faster.
"Say it louder this time."
"Get lost."
"I know you mean it."
"I regret everything."
His voice got even more dramatic behind me—
"Jare, don't run from your feelings!"
"I'm not running, I'm escaping!"
And somehow—
even after everything that happened today…
this felt normal.
Annoying.
Ridiculous.
But normal.
And maybe—
that's exactly what we all needed.