Jay's Pov
We were all in the living room. All of us. Marianos and Watsons. Like one big, chaotic, blended family.
Keiren was curled up on my lap, half asleep. Keigan was on his phone but kept glancing at me and Keifer with this tiny smile he was trying to hide. Victor and Papa were talking business. Tita Serina and Mama Reycee were looking at old photos and crying.
And Keifer? Keifer hadn't let go of my hand for four hours.
But I could feel it. The question hanging in the air. The one everyone wanted to ask.
Finally, Tita Serina leaned forward. "Jay, baby. How did you find out? The truth, I mean. About the plan."
The room went quiet.
I looked at Keifer. His jaw was tight. He knew. He'd figured it out hours ago.
"Mia called me," I said.
Everyone turned to Mia.
She was sitting next to Jare, holding his hand. Her face was pale but determined.
"I called her," Mia said. Voice steady. "After the gala. After watching Keifer fall apart for weeks. After watching Jay fall apart too. I called her and I told her everything."
Silence.
Then Tita Serina spoke. Softly. "Mia... we agreed—"
"I know what we agreed." Mia stood up. "I know you wanted to protect her. I know Keifer was trying to be noble. I know the plan was to wait until after the inheritance. But Keifer was DYING. He was drunk at 10 AM. He wasn't eating. He wasn't sleeping. He was just... disappearing."
Keifer looked away. His ears pink.
"And Jay was the same." Mia's voice cracked. "Jare told me. She wasn't eating. She was talking to a stuffed dinosaur at 3 AM. She was a ghost. Both of them were ghosts."
Mama Reycee's hand went to her mouth.
"So I made a choice." Mia lifted her chin. "I chose my brother's life. I chose my best friend's life. And I'd do it again."
The room was silent.
Then Victor stood up. Walked to Mia. Pulled her into a hug.
"You did the right thing," he said quietly.
Mia's shoulders shook. "You're not mad?"
"Mad? I'm proud." He pulled back, looked at her. "You saved them. Both of them."
Tita Serina stood too. "We were so focused on protecting Jay that we forgot to protect Keifer from himself. And you saw what we didn't." She hugged Mia. "Thank you."
Keifer stood up.
Walked to Mia.
Stopped in front of her.
"You're an idiot," he said.
Mia blinked. "What?"
"A beautiful, brave, reckless idiot." He pulled her into a hug. "Thank you."
Mia burst into tears. "I thought you'd be mad."
"I was mad at myself. Never at you."
They stood there, brother and sister, holding each other.
Jare was watching with a soft smile. I grabbed his hand. Squeezed.
"Your girlfriend saved us," I whispered.
"She's something, isn't she?"
"The best."
Percy, of course, had to ruin the moment.
"OKAY, THIS IS EMOTIONAL AND ALL, BUT CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW I'M THE ONE WHO MADE MIA BRAVE ENOUGH TO CALL?"
Everyone stared at him.
"What? My aura is INSPIRING."
"You weren't even there," I said.
"My aura transcends physical presence."
Jare threw a pillow at him. Percy caught it dramatically. "THIS PILLOW WILL BE IN A MUSEUM ONE DAY."
Keifer came back to me. Sat down. Pulled me into his side.
"Your family is insane," he whispered.
"OUR family."
"Our family is insane."
"The best kind."
Keiren woke up. Blinked at everyone. "Is Mia in trouble?"
"No, baby," Tita Serina said. "Mia's a hero."
"Oh." He thought about it. "Can I be a hero too?"
"You already are."
"Good." He snuggled back into my lap. "Ate Jay smells like kuya's jacket."
Keifer's ears went RED.
"KEIREN," I said.
"What? It's TRUE."
Percy wheezed. "THE CHILD HAS NO FILTER. I LOVE HIM."
Mia came back to the couch. Jare opened his arm. She curled into him.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah." She smiled up at him. "Now I am."
Tita Serina looked around the room. At her children. At the Marianos. At Jay, wrapped in Keifer's arms.
"This is what family should be," she said softly. "Together. No secrets. No sacrifices alone."
Mama Reycee nodded. "We should have told Jay sooner. About Keifer's father. About the threat."
"I should have trusted her," Keifer said. "Instead of deciding for her."
I looked at him. "You were trying to protect me."
"That doesn't make it right."
"No. But it makes you an idiot. A well-meaning idiot."
"Your idiot."
"My idiot."
Mama Reycee sighed dramatically. "They're going to be like this forever, aren't they?"
"Probably," Papa said.
"Definitely," Mia added.
"Unfortunately," Jare agreed.
Percy struck a pose. "I TAUGHT THEM EVERYTHING THEY KNOW."
"You taught them nothing."
"I taught them DRAMA."
"That's actually true," I admitted.
Victor poured everyone drinks. Even Keiren got juice in a fancy glass.
"To family," he said, raising his glass.
"To family," everyone echoed.
"And to Mia," Tita Serina added, "who reminded us that protecting people means trusting them too."
Mia's face went pink. "I just made a phone call."
"A phone call that saved two lives," Jare said quietly.
She looked at him. "You're biased."
"Very biased." He kissed her forehead. "Doesn't make it less true."
Keiren made gagging noises. "GROSS."
"You'll understand when you're older."
"I'm SEVEN. I understand EVERYTHING."
Later, on the Balcony
Keifer and I escaped. Just for a minute.
The night was warm. Stars were out. The garden below was quiet.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. You?"
"Better than I've been in weeks." He pulled me close. "I really thought I'd lost you."
"You almost did."
"I know."
"If Mia hadn't called—"
"I know." His voice cracked. "I know."
I turned to face him. Grabbed his face. "Listen to me. No more noble sacrifices. No more pushing me away to protect me. We're in this together. Whatever comes. Your father, the inheritance, the whole world. TOGETHER."
He stared at me. "You know about my father?"
"Mia told me everything. The inheritance. The threat. The whole thing."
"And you're not running?"
"Do I look like I'm running?"
He smiled. That real smile. "No. You look like you're about to fight."
"I am. Anyone who tries to take you from me is going to regret it."
He kissed me. Deep. Slow. Like he was memorizing the feeling.
"I love you," he whispered against my lips.
"I love you too, Gagong Baliw."
"Forever?"
"Forever."
Inside
Percy was at the window. Filming. "THEY'RE KISSING AGAIN! ON THE BALCONY! THIS IS CINEMA!"
Mama Reycee pulled him away from the window. "Percy, give them privacy."
"PRIVACY IS FOR THE WEAK. ROMANCE IS FOR THE WORLD TO SEE."
Keigan snorted. "He's not wrong."
"KEIGAN."
"What? It's TRUE."
Keiren was pressing his face against the glass. "Are they going to get married now?!"
"Soon," Tita Serina said. "Hopefully soon."
Mia and Jare exchanged looks. Smiles. "They're so dramatic," Mia said.
"Learned from the best," Jare replied, looking at Percy.
"I AM THE BEST!"