Chapter 192 - Stepbrother

Jay-Jay's POV

"We are both children born outside."

I-I'm an illegitimate child?

I didn't know that. Grandma never told me anything. None of them did, and it seems like they never planned to.

I tightened my grip on the pictures, wrinkling them slightly. I don't understand... how did I become an illegitimate child?

"Explain," I demanded.

He pulled another picture from the brown envelope and handed it to me. It was of an old man sitting in a wheelchair.

"That's your grandfather," he said.

My grandfather?

He took out another picture. I let go of the ones he had given me earlier. My hands trembled as I swallowed hard, staring at the image in front of me. It was Percy's mom and dad... dressed in wedding attire.

"W-what is this?" I asked, fear creeping into my voice.

He took the picture back and looked at it, his eyes filled with sadness.

"Your dad and my mom were victims of an arranged marriage," he said, forcing a weak smile. "...And your grandfather was the one who arranged it."

I stared at him, frozen in place, every word shaking me to my core. The truth he was revealing hit me like a slap.

"They were already married before we were born," he added, and that completely broke me.

Shit!

"I-I can't u-understand. W-what?" I stammered in disbelief.

Is that why we were both born outside of marriage? But if they were already married, how did they end up having separate families?

What a mess!

I told myself earlier that I was ready to learn the truth, but now that I'm hearing it, it's making me cry.

"I don't know why, but they both chose to build separate families while staying apart," he said, taking a deep breath. "...And we are the result of that choice."

His words were clear. Tagalog! But why do I still feel so confused? I don't want to accept what he's saying.

I have so many questions, but no matter how much I try, I can't seem to grasp the answers.

This is insane!

I looked down at my lap, where another picture I had dropped was resting. I picked up our family photo—Mom and Dad smiling. I know they were happy because I could see the joy in their eyes.

"B-but why? W-why did Papa leave us and never come back?" I could barely breathe.

My chest tightened as if someone was choking me. My throat felt blocked, and fresh tears spilled from my eyes.

Aren't you tired of falling?!

"Just like us," he said sadly. "...Mama left and never came back. Papa married someone else—Felix's mom."

"But why?"

He picked up the picture from my lap and showed me my grandfather's image again.

"Because of him... He found out the truth and threatened to kill us both if our parents didn't separate."

I looked closely at the face of the old man in the picture. He looked frail, but I could still see the power and authority in his expression. He seemed to scream, 'Even though I'm old, I'm rich!'

Three M's—Matanda, Mayaman, Masungit!

I turned back to him as he lowered the picture. His eyes were filled with pain, and I could tell he was just as hurt by what my grandfather had done. We were both born from our parents' choices, but those choices were never meant to be.

"But... where did Papa go?" I asked.

He said his mother had also left and never came back, but then why were they together?

Something doesn't add up!

"When the accident happened—the one where they thought I died—someone found me floating in the river. They took me to the hospital, but I was unconscious for several days, so no one could identify me," he explained, glancing at me with a small smile. "...Just when Mama was looking for my body, someone found me in that hospital."

A body right away?! Did it never occur to them that he could still be alive?

"B-but why did no one know you were alive?"

If only you knew what happened when you disappeared. Your friends went crazy. Almost everyone hated Aries because people blamed him.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly. "Mama... she let them believe I was dead." He smiled bitterly. "...And yet, I still had the nerve to sulk about why no one visited me. Of course, they wouldn't. To them, I was already dead."

I shook my head. "You were gone for four years... Why didn't you do anything?" My voice started to rise.

I wasn't even in his life when he disappeared. I wasn't affected back then because I didn't know him, but I couldn't stop myself from 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 talking about you, and it made me... fall in love with you." ❤️

Wait!

My eyes widened. Fall in love with me?! The weight of his words hit me hard. Shit! This is a big problem.

"As a sibling," he clarified with a chuckle. "Like how I felt when I first saw Felix." He laughed. "...Now it's your turn to react!"

I wanted to punch him in the face. The weight of everything he said was already suffocating, and then he just casually dropped that? I don't even know how to respond anymore. This guy is making me lose my mind!

It's so hard to have a conversation with him!

"So..." he continued. "...That's my role in your life. Stepbrother." He smiled at me.

I shook my head. I was happy to finally know who he really was, but at the same time, I was overwhelmed with sadness. My life was so complicated. So complicated that no one even dared to tell me the truth.

"Does Mama know about this too?" I asked quietly.

He took a deep breath and looked away. "I'm not the one who should answer that."

I don't think I even need to ask. I already know the answer. I bit my lip to stop myself from crying, but my tears refused to stop.

"Argh!" I screamed, covering my face. "...Tangina!"

"Tsk! That's it? Don't curse," he scolded me, glancing in my direction.

I ignored him and continued crying.

They knew the truth. Mama knew. I was sure of it. They never told me because they didn't want me looking for Papa. Because they knew... he had a new family.

For a long time, I wanted to be with Papa like my big brother. If only they had told me the truth, I wouldn't have hoped for more. I wouldn't have looked forward to seeing him.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!" I screamed loudly.

So that's why Kuya Angelo always stopped me from seeing him. Because it was like that!

Is that all?!

Will everyone around me just keep lying to me? Have they kept me alive just to hide the truth? Is that why my other relatives never really accepted me?

Because Mama and I were only brought together by circumstances.

Why does my life have to be such a mess?! Why does everything have to be so complicated?! Why am I the one suffering from all of this?!

I pulled my knees up onto the chair and hugged them tightly. I felt like I was alone in this struggle.

Percy was right—I shouldn't have known everything so soon. I should have let go of my anger first. Maybe it really would have been better if I had just cried it all out instead of letting my problems pile up one after another.

I used to be brave enough to fight back, but what I've learned now has completely broken me. I'm not the type to cry, but now, I can't stop. I thought I was ready to face the truth, but I wasn't.

Because I'm weak.

I looked at Percy, who was watching me. His eyes were filled with pity, as if I were someone being tormented. I didn't want anyone to pity me, but what could I do? I was being tormented. The truth had crushed me, slapped me like a scene from a tele-novela, and tortured me until I broke down in tears.

A full-on tele-novela moment—just like an actress!

"Percy..." I called out to him, as if asking for help.

Suddenly, I hugged him. I clung to him tightly and sobbed uncontrollably against his chest.

"It's okay… Big brother is here," he murmured, kissing my head. "...Big brother will never leave you, no matter what happens."

But that's the problem…

He shouldn't be the one saying that. Aries should be here, hugging me like this.

I used to think that my brother and I would get along, even though we had different fathers. But now I know the truth—we never will.

I don't know how long we stayed like that. I only stopped crying when exhaustion took over. I was still holding onto him, staring blankly outside.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked softly.

I shook my head and pulled away from his embrace. "I don't want to go back there."

"You have to," he insisted.

"For what?" I cut him off. "...To keep pretending? To let them do whatever they want, like nothing happened?"

"If you're not going home, then where will you go?" he challenged me.

I looked down, playing with my fingers. "Your place."

"WHAT?!" he exclaimed in shock. "...Are you crazy?! You can't stay with me!"

His words annoyed me. "Why not?! You and Papa live together, so why can't I?!"

"Because your Papa isn't there! People might think I took advantage of you being alone!" he argued.

"Then when can I be with my Papa?!" I snapped.

He looked away. "I don't know yet."

"Why?!"

"It's complicated," he said gently, which only made me even more frustrated.

I grabbed his collar and shook him hard, nearly making his head snap back.

"O-ow! Stop—ouch!" he yelped, trying to pry my hands off.

"I'm not going home! I don't want to see them anymore!" I yelled.

"Jay!" he gasped.

In frustration, I threw a small rock at him, and it hit his head against the car window. He winced in pain.

Oops… That was a bit much.

"Owww… Are you trying to kill me?!" he complained, rubbing the sore spot.

Guilt washed over me. I didn't mean to hurt him. He was still clutching his head, groaning in pain.

"It's not an option!" he said firmly. "...You have to face them and hear their explanation."

I lowered my head. He was right. I had to face my family eventually, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to listen.

"Alright, let's do this," he sighed. "When your Papa arrives, I'll come pick you up so you can meet him."

But when will that be? Will I even last that long?

I pouted but eventually nodded. To be honest, I was scared. I had run away the first time we met because I was afraid he wouldn't accept me—or worse, that he wouldn't recognize me at all.

"I'll take you home," Percy said, picking up the scattered photos around us.

He stuffed them back into the brown envelope and tossed it onto the back seat. Then, he turned on the car and started driving. I stared out the window, lost in thought.

Empty.

No thoughts. No plans. Just emptiness.

The only thing on my mind was leaving Aunt Gema's house. I felt like a lifeless vegetable, unwilling to live. My eyes burned, and even without looking, I knew my nose was red from crying.

I think I used up all of Percy's tissues in the car. He had handed me a full box earlier, and now, it was empty.

Well, he's rich. He can buy more.

The sky was painted in hues of yellow and orange when we reached the city. I hadn't realized how far we had driven.

Suddenly, the car pulled into a drive-thru. That's when it hit me—we hadn't eaten lunch yet.

I glanced at Percy, suddenly feeling guilty. He must be starving.

"Ten Happy Meals," he told the McDonald's crew. "...Minion wrap—just the burger. And for the drinks, Honey Banana Floats."

Honey Banana Float?!

I stared at him in disbelief.

Ten Happy Meals?! Is he addicted to McDonald's?!

He handed the crew the payment, then drove forward to pick up the order. We had to wait because there was another car ahead of us.

"Ten Happy Meals?!" I repeated in shock.

He grinned. "Yeah… The toys are yours. The food is mine."

Wait… I get the toys?!

The crew handed over our order—ten Happy Meal boxes, two bags full of yellow-wrapped burgers, and three plastic bags filled with drinks.

Before I could react, Percy stacked all the boxes and bags on top of me, burying me in them.

We drove off and soon stopped in a wide parking lot.

"Eat now!" he ordered, grabbing a burger.

He took huge bites, stuffing his mouth so fast that he almost choked. I laughed at the sight—it reminded me of someone eating like they hadn't seen food in days.

Like a starving man.

I closed my eyes and tried to block out the memories. Those greedy snakes… They would always rush to the front of the line just to eat first.

And the worst part?

It hurt to remember them. Because the memories of us being together still lingered but they weren't real.

Don't cry!

"Eat... I know you're hungry," Percy said, causing me to look at him again.

He was now holding two burgers, both with bites taken out of them. Actually, I was hungry too. After crying non-stop, with only a bottle of water to restore some of my energy, I was starving.

I placed all the toys in the back seat and started eating. The moment I took a bite of the burger, my hunger intensified—it felt like I hadn't eaten in days.

"I like drinks," Percy said, prompting me to hand him a plastic bag full of them.

I took bite after bite, as if I were competing in a fast-food challenge. I glanced at Percy, who was finishing off two drinks while still holding a burger.

I almost choked from swallowing too fast. Occasionally, I had to stop chewing, but I quickly grabbed a drink and gulped it down.

Shit! Brain freeze…

A sharp pain shot through my head from the icy drink. I couldn't even clutch my forehead because one hand held a burger and the other a drink.

"Hahahaha… You're so greedy," Percy laughed, his mouth still full.

Disgusting!

"I'm ashamed of you," I muttered in annoyance.

I resumed eating, ignoring him. He had already downed three drinks while I had only finished two. Only one burger remained in front of us.

I looked at him and smiled mischievously. "This one's mine… You ate a lot."

He reached for the burger, but I quickly smacked his hand away.

"It's in my bag, which means it's mine! You've already had five!" I snapped and grabbed the burger.

Before I could unwrap it, he suddenly pushed my face away with one hand.

"Aaah!" I yelped.

"You're greedy! It's mine!" he shouted, snatching the burger from me.

Unbelievable!

I felt betrayed, yet I still played along. He let go of me and immediately bit into the burger—even though it was still wrapped.

Wow! So, he can be greedy, but I can't?!

As soon as he took a bite, I snatched the burger back. He tried to grab it again, but I swiftly smacked his head.

"YAY!" he yelped, clearly annoyed.

I ripped off the wrapper and took a big bite. He raised an eyebrow at me.

Then, suddenly, he pointed to the window beside me. Instinctively, I turned to look. In that split second, he snatched the burger from my hand.

He tricked me!

"Hey!" I shouted.

I thought he was just going to take a bite, but then… he licked the entire bun.

With a smug grin, he held it out to me.

"There you go! Stab it right into your lungs!" he said, laughing.

I stared at him in pure disgust. He looked like an absolute fool. Is this guy really rich?!

"You're disgusting…" I mumbled.

But he heard me—because he burst into laughter.

He happily devoured the burger while making sure I watched every bite. Creepy! He even bounced in excitement like a child.

Can I request a more sane companion, please?!

Yet, despite everything, I couldn't help but smile. For a moment, I forgot my troubles because of his ridiculous antics. But I couldn't let my guard down—this had happened before. I got too comfortable, only to realize too late that they were deceiving me.

"Do you have any more drinks?" he asked, peering into the plastic bag.

I sighed and handed him the remaining drinks. I took one for myself and let him have the rest.

The audacity of this guy. He acted like he was eating McDonald's for the first time.

After finishing, he turned his attention to the toys.

"Banana! Banana!" he shouted, playing with one.

I burst out laughing. He looked like a little kid. And then—shit! The laughter stopped. The moment reminded me of them. The painful memories stabbed through me like a knife.

I quickly looked away and started cleaning up. I gathered the wrappers into a plastic bag and stepped out of the car to throw them into a nearby trash can.

When I returned, all the toys were unwrapped, and he was playing with them.

Pffft… Seriously? He's like a child.

"I changed my mind. These toys are mine now," he announced.

"They're yours," I replied, uninterested.

He gazed at the sky for a moment before putting the toys away. He stacked them neatly in the back seat.

"Time to go home."

My stomach twisted. A huge part of me did not want to go home. I didn't want to see those people.

As the car moved closer and closer, my heart pounded. A desperate thought crossed my mind—should I open the door and jump out?

No, that would hurt… Don't.

As we turned onto my street, the car slowed. I spotted several parked vehicles outside my house. A group of people stood waiting.

Queen! What are they doing here?!

The anxiety from earlier intensified, now laced with anger and pain. I wanted to go home even less. Why do those snakes have to be here?

The car stopped a few houses away. I glanced at Percy when I heard him sigh.

"I don't want to face them. That's why…" He looked at me and smiled. "...you need to go home."

"Maybe I can come back tomorrow? Maybe because—"

"No. We've already discussed this, Jay," he said firmly. I fell silent.

My emotions tangled into a chaotic mess as he restarted the car. The Vipers turned their gaze toward us. Yuri and Keifer were gone, but it didn't make things any easier.

The car pulled up right in front of the Ulupongs. They all took their places, visibly tense at the sight of our unexpected visitor. Percy turned off the engine, but neither of us moved.

I took several deep breaths, swallowing back the rising tears.

Percy reached for my hand and gave me a reassuring smile. He nodded at me as if saying, "It's okay. You can do this."

I had no choice. I opened the door and stepped out, forcing my expression to remain blank.

It's too hard… Hiding my pain in front of the very people who caused it.