Jay's POV
For a moment, no one knew what to do with the truth hanging in the air.
Mom swallowed hard. Her lips parted, then pressed together again. Her eyes flicked to Tita, then to the floor—anywhere but me.
"Who put that idea in your head?" she asked finally, her voice sharp but shaking at the edges.
I didn't answer right away.
I looked past her.
Across the room, someone shifted.
Percy.
He stood near the doorway, shoulders tense, like he was ready to step in if I so much as tilted the wrong way. When our eyes met, his expression softened—concern, anger, helplessness all tangled together. It grounded me for half a second.
Enough to keep standing.
"I didn't ask who told me," I said quietly. "I asked if it's true."
The silence stretched.
That was when someone laughed.
Not mine.
Keifer pushed himself off the wall, eyes locked on me, cold and merciless.
"So this is it?" he said. "Playing the victim now?"
I could feel my chest tighten. My hands curled into fists.
"So I was nothing to you?" I asked, my voice steady despite the rage inside.
He smirked. "You were a filthy piece of shit I needed for a plan. That's all."
The words hit me like a punch. Heat rushed to my face. I wanted to scream. I wanted to hit him. I wanted to vanish.
Mom gasped, her hands flying up. Tita's voice was sharp, shaking with anger: "Stop, Keifer! How can you say that to her?"
"Jay!" Mom cried, rushing forward. "Don't let him—"
I didn't listen. My hands clenched tighter. I took a step forward. "Was I ever worth anything to you?"
"You weren't," he said coldly. "Just a tool. Nothing more."
Something inside me shattered. My knees threatened to buckle, but I stayed upright. I stared at him, furious.
"You hear that?" I shouted. "I was just a tool? Just a mistake?"
Keifer raised an eyebrow. "Exactly."
I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. "Then why did you make me feel like I mattered? Why lie? Why use me like that?"
He didn't answer. His silence was louder than any excuse.
Percy stepped closer, his hand gently touching my shoulder. "Jay… I've got you. You don't have to face this alone."
I looked at him, and for the first time that night, I felt a shred of safety.
"Get out," I spat, voice low but burning with rage. "Before I lose my patience and regret keeping you in this house for even a second longer."
Keifer's jaw tightened. He opened his mouth, then thought better of it.
The room held its breath as the door slammed behind him. The tension didn't fade, but for the first time that night, I didn't feel alone.
Percy squeezed my shoulder gently, a silent promise that I wasn't going anywhere alone, while Keifer's cold gaze lingered from the corner before he finally turned away, defeated.
The house was tense, heavy with unsaid words, but I knew one thing: tonight, the truth stayed, and I stayed with it.