Jay-jay's POV
"We're both illegitimate children."
I-I'm an illegitimate child?
I never knew about that. Grandma and the others never told me anything. None of them ever mentioned it, and it seems like they never planned to.
I gripped the pictures tightly, causing them to crease slightly. I couldn't understand—how was I an illegitimate child?
"E-explain it to me." I ordered.
He pulled out another picture from the brown envelope and handed it to me. It was a photograph of an old man sitting in a wheelchair.
"That's your grandfather." He said.
My grandfather?
He handed me another picture. I let go of the previous ones he had given me. I swallowed hard as my hands trembled upon seeing who was in the photograph—Papa and Percy's mother, dressed in wedding attire.
"W-what is this?" I asked, fear lacing my voice.
He took the picture back from me and examined it. His eyes held sadness as he stared at it.
"Your Dad and my Mom were victims of an arranged marriage." He said with a forced smile. "...And your grandfather is the one who set it up."
I kept staring at him, unable to speak, even though every word he said shook me to my core. His words were like a slap of truth across my face.
"They were already married before we were even born." He added, and at that moment, my tears fell freely.
Shit!
"I-I don't understand. H-how?" I asked, disbelief evident in my voice.
Is that why we became illegitimate children? But if they were already married, how did they end up having families with different people?
It's so confusing!
Maybe I made a mistake earlier when I said I wanted to know everything at once. He's really making the most out of my suffering.
"I don't know how, but they both chose to start separate families while living apart." He took a deep breath. "...And we are the result of that."
Every word he said was clear. It was in Tagalog, after all! But why did everything still feel like a jumbled mess in my head?
I had so many questions, but it felt like I couldn't understand any of the answers. This is so fucked up!
I looked down at my lap, where the other pictures I had let go of were resting. I picked up our family picture. In this photo, Mama and Papa were smiling, and I knew they were happy because the excitement in their eyes was undeniable.
"B-but why? W-why did Papa l-leave us and never come back?" I could barely breathe.
It felt like I couldn't inhale properly, as if something was choking me. There was a heavy lump in my throat, and once again, my tears threatened to fall.
Aren't you tired of falling?!
"Just like us." He said sadly. "...My mom left us and never came back. My dad married someone else, and that's Felix's mom."
"But why?"
He took one of the pictures from my lap and held up the photo of my grandfather to my face.
"Because of him... He found out the truth and threatened to have us both killed if they didn't stop."
I stared intently at the old man's face in the picture. He already looked frail, but his sophistication and authority were still evident. Everything about him screamed, 'Even though I'm old, I'm still rich!'
Triple M! Matandang, Mayamang, Masungit! (Old, Rich, Grumpy!)
I looked back at him when he lowered the picture. His eyes were full of sorrow, and I knew he was just as hurt by what my grandfather did. We were both products of our parents' so-called families, but it turns out... that family was never meant to exist.
"But... How did you end up with my dad?" I asked.
He said his mom abandoned him and never showed up again, so how did they end up together?
Something fishy is going on!
"When that accident happened—when they thought I died—someone saw me floating in the river. They took me to the hospital, and I was unconscious for several days, so no one could get any information about me."
He glanced at me briefly and smiled. "...At the same time, my mom was having my body searched for, and someone from that hospital recognized me."
A corpse?! Did it never occur to them that he might still be alive?
"B-but why did no one ever find out you were alive?"
If only he knew what happened when he disappeared. His friends fell apart. Almost everyone was mad at Aries because he was the one they blamed.
He gripped the steering wheel tightly. "My mom... She let them think that I was already dead." He smiled bitterly. "...And there I was, sulking, wondering why no one was visiting me. Turns out, I was already dead to them."
I shook my head. "You didn't show yourself for four years... Why didn't you do anything?" My voice was starting to rise.
I wasn't the one left behind when he disappeared. It didn't really affect me because I didn't even know him back then, but I couldn't help questioning him.
"Almost four years..." He corrected me. "...I was paralyzed. I couldn't move my body, and your dad was the one who took care of me. That's how I got to know you—he kept telling me things about you, and it made me... fall in love with you."
Tongo! (Idiot!)
My eyes widened at what he said. Fall in love with me?! The weight of his words hit me like a ton of bricks. Shit! This feels like a huge problem.
"As a sibling... A brotherly thing. Just like with Felix when I first met him." He chuckled. "...Geez! Look at you, overreacting."
I swear, I want to punch him in the face. My emotions were already all over the place, and then he goes and says something like that?! Now I don't even know how to react to him. This guy is driving me crazy!
He's impossible to talk to! Damn it!
"So..." He continued. "...That's who I am in your life. Stepbrother." He smiled at me.
I shook my head. I was happy to finally know who he really was, but sadness still weighed me down. My life turned out to be so complicated. So complicated that no one even had the guts to tell me the truth.
"D-does Mom knew?" I asked softly.
He took a deep breath and looked away. "I'm not the one who should answer that."
I didn't even need to ask. I already knew the answer. I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall, but they wouldn't stop.
"Argh!" I yelled, covering my face. "...Damn it!"
"Tsk! Damn you! Don't say bad words." He scolded, but I ignored him.
I kept crying. Mom knew the truth. I was sure of it. They never told me anything because they knew. They didn't want me to look for Dad because they knew he already had another family.
I had longed for so long to be with Dad, just like my older brother. If only they had told me the truth, I wouldn't have held on to false hope. I wouldn't have wished so badly to see him.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
So that's why even Kuya Angelo was stopping me from seeing him. So that's why!
Is it always like this?! Is everyone around me just going to keep lying to me? Am I only being kept alive so they can keep secrets from me?
No wonder some of our relatives never really accepted me. Because Mom was a mistress, and I am the result.
Why does my life have to be this chaotic?! Why does it have to be so complicated?! Why do I have to be the one to suffer through it all?!
I pulled my legs up onto the seat and hugged my knees. I felt so alone in the problem I was facing.
Percy was right—I probably shouldn't have learned the truth yet. I should have let my anger fade first. Maybe I really am meant to cry my heart out, seeing as my problems just keep piling up one after another.
I used to be fearless in fights, but now, the truth has crushed me. I was never the type to cry, but now… now I'm breaking down like this. I thought I was ready to face my problems, but I couldn't even bring myself to face the truth.
Because I am weak!
I looked at Percy, who was watching me. His eyes were full of pity, as if I was someone utterly miserable. I hate it when people pity me like that—but what can I do?
I am miserable.
The truth has beaten me down, slapped me across the face like I was in some soap opera, and tortured me until I cried.
This is straight out of a telenovela. I feel like an actress!
"Percy..." I called his name, as if asking for help.
Without a word, he pulled me into a hug. I clung to him and cried my heart out against his chest.
"It's okay... Kuya is here." He said, kissing the top of my head. "...Kuya won't leave you, no matter what."
That's unfair... He shouldn't be the one saying that to me.
It should be Aries. Aries should be here, holding me like this. I used to think my older brother and I would get along, even if we had different fathers. But I was wrong. We will never get along.
I don't know how long we stayed like that. I only stopped crying when exhaustion completely took over me. I was still hugging him as I stared outside.
"Do you want to go home now?" he asked.
I shook my head and pulled away from him. "I don't want to go home."
"That's not an option… You have to—."
"For what?" I cut him off. "...So they can lie to me again? So they can manipulate me and make me agree to what they want?"
"If you're not going home, then where will you go?" he challenged.
I lowered my head and played with my fingers. "To your house."
"WHAT?!" he exclaimed. "...Are you out of your mind?! You can't stay at my place!"
Annoyance flared up inside me. "Why not?! You get to be with Dad, but I can't?!"
"Because your dad isn't even there! People in that house might think I took advantage of the fact that no one's home!" he argued.
"When can I finally be with my dad?!" I asked, frustrated.
He looked away. "I don't know yet."
"Why?!"
"It's complicated," he said in an exasperated tone, which only irritated me more.
I grabbed him by the collar and shook him violently. It felt like his head was about to snap off.
"A-ah! Stop—Argh!" he yelped, grabbing my hands.
"I'm not going back there! I don't want to see them anymore!" I shouted.
"S-stop—Jay!" he yelled again.
I let go of him abruptly, and his head hit the car window with a loud thud. I saw the pain flash across his face.
Maybe that was too much…
"It hurts... Are you trying to kill me?" he complained, almost in tears.
Guilt and pity suddenly washed over me. I never meant to slam his head like that. He was still clutching the part of his head that had hit the window.
"I'm telling you, you can't!" he said irritably. "...You need to face them and listen to their explanation."
I lowered my head. It was true—I had to face my family. But I didn't know if I was ready to hear their explanations.
"Alright, how about this," he said, and I looked up at him. "...When your dad arrives, I'll pick you up and take you home."
But when would that be?! I might not be able to hold on until Dad arrives.
I pouted but quickly nodded in agreement. Honestly, I was scared to face him. He left me the first time we met—what if he still wouldn't accept me? What if he didn't even acknowledge me when we saw each other again?
"I'll take you home now." He said as he started gathering up the scattered photos.
He put them back inside the brown envelope and tossed it onto the back seat. Once he was done, he started the car.
The entire ride, I just stared out the window. Nothing was running through my mind.
Blank—just like the possible outcomes.
Blank—just like the things I could do, except for leaving Tita Gema's house.
I felt like a lifeless vegetable—drained and completely unmotivated to live. My eyes stung, and even without looking, I knew my nose was red.
I had probably used up all of Percy's tissues in his car. He handed them to me earlier while I was hugging him. It was a whole box of tissues, but now, it was empty.
Well, he's rich—he can buy a new one.
By the time we reached the city, the sky had turned yellow and orange. I hadn't realized how far we had driven until now.
Suddenly, the car turned into a drive-thru. That's when I remembered—we hadn't eaten lunch yet. I suddenly felt embarrassed. He must be hungry too.
"Ten Happy Meals..." he told the McDonald's crew. "...All burgers, with the Minion packaging. And... for drinks, Honey Banana Float."
Honey Banana Float?!
I stared at him, full of confusion. Ten Happy Meals?! Is this guy addicted to McDonald's?
He handed the payment to the crew and drove forward to pick up the order from the next window. We had to wait because there was a car ahead of us.
"Ten Happy Meals?!" I asked.
He smiled at me. "Yeah... You get the toys, I get the food."
What am I supposed to do with the toys?!
When it was our turn, the crew handed over our orders one after another. Ten boxes of Happy Meals, two bags full of burgers wrapped in yellow packaging, and three plastic cups containing the drinks.
I didn't even have time to react before Percy dumped all the plastic bags and Happy Meal boxes onto my lap.
We drove again until he parked in a spacious lot.
"Time to eat!" he cheered as he grabbed a burger.
He took big bites in quick succession, nearly choking on his food. I couldn't help but laugh at how he ate—it reminded me of someone.
Those ravenous eaters!
I closed my eyes briefly and forced the memory away. The way those Ulupong used to fight for food, rushing to be first in line just to eat.
It hurt to remember them because it also brought back the memories of when we were all together—
Only to realize it was all a lie.
Don't cry!
"Eat now... I know you're hungry." Percy said, making me look at him again.
He was now holding two burgers, both with bites taken out of them. Honestly, I was getting hungry too. After endless crying, with only a bottle of water restoring a bit of my energy, it was inevitable that I'd feel this hungry.
You put all the toys in the back seat first and started eating as well. The moment I tasted the burger, I suddenly felt an extreme hunger, like I hadn't eaten for ten days.
"Give me some of the drinks." Percy requested, so I handed him one of the plastic cups full of drinks.
I took bite after bite, as if I were in a speed-eating contest. I glanced at Percy, who had already finished two drinks while still holding a burger in his hand.
I almost choked from swallowing too quickly. Sometimes, I didn't even chew. I grabbed a drink and chugged it straight down.
Shit! Brain freeze...
A sharp pain shot through my head from the cold drink. I couldn't even hold my head because one hand was holding the burger and the other the drink.
"Hahahaha... That's what you get for eating like a glutton." Percy laughed, bits of food flying from his mouth.
Disgusting!
"Wow, I'm so embarrassed because of you." I said irritably.
I went back to eating, ignoring him. He had already finished three drinks, while I had finished two. There was only one burger left in front of us.
He looked at me with a mischievous grin. "I'll take this one... You've already eaten a lot."
His hand was ready to grab the burger, but I smacked it away hard.
"It's in my plastic bag... so it's mine. You've already had five!" I said angrily, grabbing the burger.
Before I could even unwrap it, he suddenly pushed my face away with one hand.
"Owwww!" I shouted.
"You're such a pig! This is mine now!" he yelled at me and snatched the burger away.
Damn it!
As if my emotions weren't already in pain, now he was physically messing with me too. He let go of me and immediately took a bite of the burger—even with the wrapper still on!
Wow! So, he's not greedy, huh?!
After he took a bite, I snatched the burger back from him. He tried to grab it again, but my hand was faster, smacking the top of his head instead.
"OUCH!" he screamed, loud and furious.
I removed the wrapper and took a big bite of the burger. His eyebrows furrowed as he glared at me.
As I was chewing, he suddenly looked out the window beside me and pointed at something. Out of curiosity, I looked too—only for him to snatch the burger from my hands.
I fell for it!
"Hey!" I shouted again.
I thought he was just going to take another bite, but instead, he licked the bun. He grinned wickedly and tried to hand the burger back to me.
"There! Shove it in your lungs!" he said, laughing.
I stared at him in pure disgust. What an idiot. Seriously, is this guy really rich?
"You're disgusting..." I muttered, but it seemed he heard me because he burst out laughing again.
He happily ate the burger, making sure to tease me with every bite. Damn it! So, I got a new sibling, but he's just as crazy.
Can I request for a more normal one instead?!
But even so, I couldn't help but smile. For a moment, I forgot about my problems because of his antics. But I couldn't afford to be complacent—just like before. I let my guard down with them, and I didn't even realize they were deceiving me.
"Do you still have any drinks left?" he asked while trying to peek inside the plastic bag.
I took a deep breath and handed him the remaining drink. I took one for myself and let him finish the rest.
This guy was unbelievably greedy. It was like he was eating a McDonald's burger for the first time. After eating, he turned his attention to the toys.
"Banana! Banana!" he said, playing with one of them.
I suddenly laughed at him. He looked like a little kid, and he reminded me of Ci—shit! Thinking about them felt like being stabbed.
I averted my gaze and started cleaning up our mess. I gathered everything into a plastic bag and stepped out of the car to throw it in a nearby trash bin.
When I returned, all the toys were unwrapped, and he was playing with them.
Pfffttt... Such a child!
"I changed my mind. These toys are mine now." he said.
"Then they're yours." I answered, bored.
He glanced at the sky for a moment before gathering the toys again, dumping them all in the back seat. "Time to go home."
I felt a deep sense of unease. A huge part of me didn't want to go home anymore. I wasn't ready to face the people waiting for me.
As the car moved forward, getting closer and closer to my house, my heartbeat raced. I wanted to open the car door and just jump out.
But that would hurt... Better not.
As we turned the corner onto my street, the car gradually slowed down. Even from a distance, I could already see the parked cars outside our house—along with the people seemingly waiting.
Shit! What the hell are they doing here?!
The nervousness I felt earlier was now mixed with anger and pain. I wanted to go home even less. I couldn't understand why those damn snakes had to come here.
Percy stopped the car a few houses away from ours. I turned to look at him when I heard him sigh.
"I wasn't planning to show up to them yet. But..." he looked at me and smiled. "...you need to go home."
"Maybe I can go home tomorrow instead? Maybe—"
"No. We already talked about this, Jay." he said seriously, leaving me no choice but to stay silent.
A storm of emotions swirled inside me as he started the car again. The eyes of those damn snakes immediately shifted to us. Yuri and Keifer weren't there, but even so, the feeling didn't go away.
Percy stopped the car right in front of them. They all stood in different spots, looking tense at our arrival. He turned off the engine, but we remained inside.
I took several deep breaths and swallowed hard to stop my tears from falling. Percy held my hand and smiled. He gave me a small nod, as if saying, It's okay. You can go out now.
I had no choice but to open the door. I stepped out, forcing myself to hide everything I felt. I also tried to keep my expression blank.
This was so damn hard for me! Hiding the pain in front of the very people who caused it.