Third Person's POV.
It was a difficult, sleepless night for Percy. He went through the motions of the after-party, his mind a hollow echo chamber of Gemini's last words to him: "I can't risk my future for your experiment." He managed to avoid his mother all night, thank goodness, but the effort of feigning normalcy was physically exhausting.
After an hour of socializing at the after-party Penelope finally ushered him back to his hotel room, and the illusion finally shattered.
He didn't sleep. He sat in the dark, the weight of the breakup—the fact that Gemini choose his scholarship over him—crushed him. He was supposed to be celebrating this new age, but he felt utterly empty.
First thing in the morning, Penelope, looking weary but determined help her brother, drove straight to the grand hotel downtown. She knew the fight wasn't about them suddenly realizing they weren't fit for each other; it was about the collision of two different, complicated worlds, sabotaged by their mother.
She found Ohio in the lobby, nursing a large, strong coffee.
"How is he?" Penelope asked softly, skipping all formalities.
"Still a mess," Ohio confirmed, rubbing her forehead. "He barely slept. He keeps crying about being called a 'temporary distraction' and keeps talking about his scholarship. He's terrified, Pen. He's convinced your mother can ruin his life."
"I know," Penelope sighed. "That's why I'm here. I need to talk some sense into him before he does something irreversible."
Ohio led her up to the room. Gemini was sitting by the window, still in the rumpled dress shirt, looking utterly drained.
Penelope sat down gently on the arm of the chair next to him. She didn't yell or demand answers; she started with simple honesty.
"Gemini, sweetie." she began, her voice firm but not unkind. "I know you're scared. I understand the reality of what my mother said. She is a powerful, scary woman, and I won't pretend she isn't a threat."
Gemini finally looked at her, his eyes filled with fresh tears. "She told me she'd stop my funding. I can't throw away my future, Penelope. It'll kill my Nana."
Penelope reached out and took his cold hand. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, then her expression turned serious.
"I get it. I really understand you. But you need to understand something about my brother, Gemini," she said, her voice dropping to a light scold. "My brother doesn't cry. You have seen him maybe once get genuinely angry, but he never cries. Last night, on his birthday, he was broken. He was a sobbing disaster, and it was entirely because of you." She paused, letting that heavy truth sink in.
"You made someone who never shows any kind of emotion actually cry. You have that much power over him. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Gemini took shaky breaths and avoided Penelope's gaze.
"It's obvious you two love each other, and yet you're both being too stubborn to fight for it," Penelope continued. "It's okay for you to be scared, and it's okay for you to protect your future. But you need to be honest with yourself, Gemini. You need to think about how much Percy cares about you. Think about what he risked by fighting our mother for you."
She leaned closer, looking him right in the eye. "You have every right to walk away and protect your future. But you should also make it very clear to yourself: Do you want to lose Percy? Because if you don't fight for him, she wins, and you lose him forever. She separates you, and you both end up miserable, thinking you did the 'right' thing."
Penelope stood up, leaving the final choice heavy and unavoidable in the quiet room.
"FYI? Percy is more than capable of giving you the future you want. Think about what losing him means, Gemini," she concluded. "Not only about losing your scholarship, but him."
Gemini sat by the window, the image of Percy crying—a guy who never showed weakness—locked in his mind.
Penelope's words had landed with painful accuracy: Do you want to lose Percy? He knew the answer was no. The prospect felt like losing the one constant, supportive force he'd ever known. He decided he had to talk to Percy, to explain his fear, and maybe, just maybe, try to find a middle ground.
After checking out of the hotel, he hugged Ohio goodbye, promising to call her later. He focused solely on getting back to Percy, but then, he ran directly into Daphne. It felt less like a coincidence and more like a cruel setup, though whether by fate or human design, he couldn't say.
Daphne's expression was calculatedly fragile. She cornered him discreetly near the hotel entrance.
"Gemini," she said, her voice dripping with sympathetic drama. "I'm so sorry about last night. I didn't mean to interrupt your moment with Percy, but I had to. What you two were doing wasn't normal."
She launched into a confession about her own feelings for Percy, how she'd loved him for years, how they were supposed to be the endgame, and how Gemini was sweet, but he was simply too fragile for Percy's world.
"Look at you," Daphne sighed, gesturing vaguely toward the city. "You already ran away at the first sign of trouble. You think you'll be able to hold his hand in front of people? Be honest with yourself. Percy needs someone who understands the rules, someone who can withstand the pressure of his life. Someone who belongs in his world."
Daphne's words echoed Mrs. Moore's, but coming from someone closer to his age, someone who also wanted Percy, the message hit harder. She's right. Gemini felt a painful surge of fear and guilt. He was being selfish, clinging to a guy who deserved to be with someone who will provide him with corporate alliance and power, not a scholarship kid who's risking their entire future just by existing near him. He was wrong for wanting someone above him.
Instead of going to Percy, Gemini took a taxi straight to Percy's house. He didn't want to see Percy again; he couldn't face the raw, heartbroken look he'd seen at the mansion last night.
He quickly went to his room, packed his few belongings, and then gathered everything Percy had ever bought for him and left them all neatly stacked in his room.
He left a single, folded note: Percy,
It's better if we go our separate ways. I can't be what you need, and I can't risk what I have. Please don't contact me again.
Goodbye,
Gemini.
Percy and Penelope arrived back at the house shortly after. The atmosphere was heavy, yet hopeful. Percy was exhausted, but Penelope had convinced him that Gemini's fear was understandable and that they needed to talk through it. But when they walked into Percy's bedroom, and the hope immediately died. The room was neat, too neat. Gemini's duffel bag was gone. His space in Percy's closet empty. On one corner of the room, the damning note sat on top of the stack of items Percy recognized as some of the things he got for him.
Percy walked over, picked up the note, and read it in silence. He didn't yell; he didn't cry. No. He'd done enough of that last night. He simply stood there, a chilling stillness radiating from him. The finality of the action—leaving the gifts, leaving the note—was undeniable.
"He's gone," Percy stated, his voice flat. He was certain now that things between them were really over.
Penelope rushed over, grabbing the note from his hand. "No, Percy, wait. I told you, he's scared! He's reacting to Mother's threat! He just needs time to cool down, to realize he's being too rash—"
"He's not being too rash, Pen." Percy interrupted, his eyes fixed on the pile of returned items. "I know him. This is him making a decision after thinking things over. He made his choice. He chose his future over me. I can't fault him for that. Anyone on their right mind would do the same."
He pointed to the neatly folded sweater and the stack of items. "Take all of this. Please, return it to him. I can't do this right now."
Penelope stared at the pile, confused. "Return it? Percy, he left it here. Why would you give it back?"
Percy finally looked at his sister, his expression tired and utterly empty. "It's okay if he wants to end things. It's okay if he doesn't want me. But he does not get return the things I got him like it's nothing." He shook his head slowly. "He does not get to erase me from his life as easily as returning these things, Pen. If he wants this to be truly over, he has to keep the evidence."
He walked away from the gifts, collapsing onto the bed. "Just take it to his dorm, Pen. Make sure he takes it all. And tell him...tell him I won't contact him again."