JAY-JAY POV
He walked straight to me.
Didn't flinch at the silence.
Didn't care about the stares.
"You okay?" Percy asked, voice low.
I nodded, but my hands were still shaking.
Percy turned to the room, gaze sharp. "Anyone else want to yell at my sister?" he said. No one answered.
"Good," he said. "Because if you do, you'll be talking to me next."
Then he looked at me. "Jay, let's go. You're not staying in this hellhole anymore."
Heads turned. Whispers stirred. "And the engagement?" Percy added. "Canceled."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Yuri asked, finally breaking the silence.
Percy turned to him, calm but deadly. "That means my sister is not marrying any roster."
"You can't do that," Kuya Angelo said, stepping forward.
"Oh, actually I can," Percy said, pulling out a folder. "And I just did. Here—partnership papers between Mariano and Fernandez."
Kuya Angelo snatched the documents, scanning them.
His face drained of color.
"Let's go, Jay," Percy said again.
"You can't take my daughter away from me!" my mother snapped. "We have legal rights!"
Percy didn't blink. "Actually, you don't. We do."
I stood there, stunned.
The room was spinning.
I could feel everyone's eyes on me—Section E, my family, the ghosts of everything I'd been through.
But Percy was here.
Alive.
Fierce.
Unshaken.
And for the first time, I felt like I had a way out.
"Any questions?" Percy asked, arms crossed like he was leading a press conference. "Good. Because take a good look at this handsome face—might be the last time you see it."
I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" he asked, mock offended.
"Nothing," I said between giggles. "Just… you called yourself handsome."
Percy smirked. "Jay, I think your mood swings are kicking in earlier than expected."
I stopped laughing just long enough to kick him in the leg.
"Ow! Rude!" he yelped, hopping back. "I'm trying to be supportive and charming!"
"You're trying to be dramatic," I said, wiping tears from my eyes.
"Same thing," he shrugged.
"Let's go," Percy said, already heading for the door.
I turned back one last time. "Bye, Tita," I said softly. She was the only one who had truly been there for me. The only one who didn't lie, didn't yell, didn't abandon.
Tita Gemma smiled, eyes misty. "Take care, Jay," she said. "You deserve better."
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.
And then I walked out.
Not just from the house.
But from everything that tried to break me.
Just as I was about to step out, a voice cracked through the silence.
"Jay, wait!" Ci-N called.
I turned. He was crying. "Please don't leave. Section E isn't the same without you."
"Yeah, you can't leave us," Drew said, voice thick.
"After everything we've been through," Calix added.
"Please, Jay. Think," David said gently.
"Jay—" Yuri started.
"Just shut up," I snapped, cutting him off. "You don't have the right to stop me."
They all froze.
"You lost your chance a long time ago," I said. "Now you remember everything we've been through? Where was that when you started the plan?"
"Jay… we thought the plan ended," Eman said quietly.
"I don't want to hear it."
I turned toward the door—but someone grabbed my wrist.
"You can't go," Keifer said.
I looked at him. "Wow. Good to know you can speak."
"I'm leaving," I said, voice shaking. "And nobody is stopping me."
"I have to… or else you guys might hurt—" I stopped mid-sentence. The words caught in my throat.
Keifer's eyes narrowed. "Hurt who?"
"That's none of your business," I said, pulling my hand away.
But the damage was done. The silence behind me wasn't just shock anymore. It was suspicion.
And I knew—sooner or later, the truth would come out.
We got into the car and headed straight for the airport.
Percy had already booked the tickets—of course he had.
"Ready?" he asked, glancing at me.
"Yeah," I said, though my voice barely made it past the lump in my throat.
He waited for a beat. "Your dad already knows you're pregnant."
Of course.
Of course the second time I meet my father, I have to show up like this—carrying a secret that's no longer a secret.
"It's fine," Percy said. "He's not mad at you."
I stared out the window.
The city blurred past.
My thoughts didn't.
"Besides," he added, "we'll figure it out."
I nodded. Because what else could I do?
And as much as I appreciated Percy—his loyalty, his fire, his timing—he wasn't the one who was supposed to say that.
It should've been Aries.
He should've been the one to say, I'm here for you.
He should've been the one beside me now.
But he wasn't.
And Percy was.
And maybe that said everything.
We reached the airport. Somehow, my passport had been processed in two hours.
Rich people, man.
I'm telling you—money really does bend time.
Percy wheeled our bags toward the check-in counter like he owned the place. "First time?" he asked.
"For…?" I blinked, confused.
"Flying in a plane," he said, glancing at me.
I nodded.
He didn't tease me.
Didn't make it weird.
Just gave a small smile and handed me my boarding pass.
And for a moment, I let myself breathe.
Because maybe—just maybe—this flight wasn't just about leaving.
It was about starting over
We made it through security. I was still trying to breathe normally, still trying to process everything—my mom, the engagement, Keifer, the baby, the flight, my dad.
Percy, on the other hand, was on a mission.
"Alright," he said, clapping his hands. "We've got two hours before boarding. That's two hours of airport chaos, overpriced snacks, and me being your emotional support gremlin."
I blinked. "What?"
He grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward a convenience store. "Rule one of emotional trauma: carbs. Rule two: sugar. Rule three: don't argue with me, I'm grieving the loss of my peaceful bachelor life."
He started tossing things into a basket—chocolate bars, sour gummies, a suspiciously large bag of cheese puffs, and a tiny stuffed turtle.
"What's the turtle for?" I asked.
"For you. Emotional support turtle. His name is Pancake."
I stared at him. "You named a turtle Pancake?"
"Don't judge me. Pancake has feelings."
I laughed, despite myself. It came out broken, but it was real.
Percy grinned. "There she is. I knew you were still in there."
And just like that, the weight in my chest lifted—just a little.
We were in the air. New York bound. The hum of the plane filled the silence between us.
Percy had already claimed the window seat and was now aggressively poking at the in-flight screen. "Jay," he whispered. "They have five Fast & Furious movies. Five. That's a threat."
I smiled faintly, head resting against the seat.
My stomach churned—not from turbulence, but from everything else.
"Want snacks?" Percy asked, already pulling out the stash he'd hoarded earlier. He handed me Pancake the turtle first. Then a chocolate bar. Then sour gummies. Then a juice box.
"You're acting like I'm five," I muttered.
"You're acting like you haven't slept in three days," he said. "So yeah. Juice box."
I took it. Because he wasn't wrong.
The seatbelt light blinked off. Percy leaned back, arms crossed. "You nervous?"
I nodded.
"About Dad?"
I nodded again.
"About the baby?"
I hesitated. Then nodded.
He didn't say anything for a while.
Just reached over and held my hand.
And for the first time since everything exploded, I let myself close my eyes.
Because maybe, just maybe, I was finally flying toward something better.