Chapter: "He's Still My Father"
Jay's POV
When I saw him…
I didn't feel anger first.
I felt relief.
And that scared me.
Because no matter what he did…
No matter how he left Mom alone when she was pregnant with me…
He was still my father.
"Jay…" he whispered.
That voice.
The same one that used to carry me when I was small.
The same one that used to call me "little star."
My legs moved before my brain did.
I took a step toward him.
But a hand grabbed my arm.
Aries.
"Don't," he said firmly.
I looked at him, confused.
"I want to talk to him."
"No," Aries replied instantly.
My father — Jasper Mariano — looked between us.
"Please," he said softly. "I just want to speak to her."
Aries' jaw tightened.
"You don't get to show up years later and say please."
I pulled my arm back gently.
"Kuya, let me."
His eyes softened when I called him that.
But he shook his head.
"You don't know what he did to your mother."
"I do!" I snapped.
Everyone froze.
Even Keif.
"I know he left when Mom was pregnant," I continued, my voice shaking. "I know she cried alone. I know you were the one who helped her."
Aries' eyes glistened.
"Then why do you still want to talk to him?" he asked quietly.
Because I love him.
The words sat heavy in my chest.
I turned to Jasper.
He looked older.
Tired.
Guilty.
But when he looked at me…
There was love.
Real love.
"I waited," I said softly. "I waited for you to come back."
His breathing broke.
"Jay…"
"I used to sit near the window thinking maybe you'll show up." My voice cracked. "Every birthday. Every school event."
Aries looked away, clenching his fists.
"You don't understand," Aries said through his teeth. "He made your mother go through pregnancy alone."
"I KNOW!" I cried.
Tears started falling.
"But that doesn't erase that he's my father!"
Silence.
Heavy.
Painful.
I stepped closer to Jasper.
Aries moved again to block me.
"Kuya please," I begged. "Just five minutes."
His face twisted.
He wasn't angry at me.
He was angry at the pain I went through.
"He doesn't deserve you," Aries whispered.
"That's not for you to decide," I replied softly.
That hit him.
Hard.
Keif finally stepped forward.
He placed a hand gently on Aries' shoulder.
"Let her choose," Keif said quietly.
Aries looked at him.
Then at me.
I was crying openly now.
Shaking.
"I don't want to lose him again without even talking to him," I whispered.
That broke something in Aries.
He closed his eyes.
Then slowly stepped aside.
"Five minutes," he said. "I'll be right there."
Keifer's POV
I've never seen Jay like that.
Not scared.
Not jealous.
Not chaotic.
Just… a little girl who missed her father.
Jasper looked like he didn't know whether to hug her or stay away.
Jay solved that.
She walked straight into him.
And hugged him.
Tight.
Like she was afraid he would disappear again.
The man broke down.
He held her carefully, like she was fragile.
"I'm sorry," he whispered again and again. "I was stupid. I was scared. I thought leaving would make things easier for everyone."
Jay pulled back slightly.
"It didn't."
Her voice wasn't angry.
It was honest.
"I know," he said. "I regret it every day."
Aries was watching from a distance, his jaw clenched.
I could see the conflict in him.
He protected Jeena.
He protected Jay.
He saw the pain up close.
So forgiving isn't easy for him.
Jay wiped her tears.
"Why didn't you come back?"
Jasper swallowed.
"I thought your mother hated me."
"She did," Aries muttered under his breath.
Jay shot him a look but didn't argue.
"But I didn't," she said softly.
That sentence shattered the man.
He touched her face gently.
"You grew up so much."
"You missed it," she replied quietly.
Silence again.
Raw.
Uncomfortable.
But necessary.
"I can't change the past," Jasper said. "But if you'll let me… I want to try now."
Aries stepped forward instantly.
"Try?" he repeated sharply.
Jay turned to him.
"Kuya…"
"If he hurts you again—"
"He won't," Jay said.
"You don't know that!"
"No," she admitted. "But I want to find out myself."
That shut everyone up.
Even me.
Because this wasn't about anger.
This was about a daughter who still loved her father.
Aries looked at Jay for a long moment.
Then at Jasper.
"If you disappear again," Aries said coldly, "I won't forgive you. And this time, I won't stay calm."
Jasper nodded immediately.
"I understand."
Jay looked between them.
Her two protectors.
One by blood.
One by choice.
She wiped her tears and took a shaky breath.
"I'm not choosing sides," she said softly. "I just want my father… and my family."
Aries' eyes softened.
He stepped closer and gently pulled her into a side hug.
"You're too soft," he murmured.
She smiled weakly.
"I learned from Mom."
That made everyone quiet.
Jasper looked down in shame.
Jay looked up at him again.
"I'm not promising I won't get hurt," she said honestly. "But I don't want to live wondering 'what if'."
And in that moment—
She wasn't a scared girl.
She was brave.
Choosing love even when it once broke her.