Jane's POV
The sterile white walls of the hospital hallway felt like a personal prison. I pace back and forth, the clicking of my designer heels sounding like a death countdown against the polished tile floor.
A diva does not show panic, I remembered what Jay used to say me but inside my chest, my heart was a chaotic mess of racing thoughts, guilt, and pure terror. I look down at my silk outfit, now wrinkling under the pressure of my trembling hands.
I keep staring at the frosted glass of the operating room doors, my body shivering. The weight of what Cin had said about CVD—about how my beautiful sister had been carrying a broken, structurally sick heart for two whole years completely by herself—was suffocating me.
I felt like the worst sister in the entire universe. I had been so busy projecting my own flawless image, so busy trying to look untouchable, that I never noticed her fading from the inside out.
Suddenly, the heavy door swung open with a slow, automated hiss. The primary doctor walked out, pulling off his surgical cap with a long, exhausted sigh. His face was no longer tight with medical panic. He looked directly at me and Percy, giving us a reassuring, professional nod.
"She is fine," the doctor said, his voice dropping into a calm, steady tone.
I froze, my hand stopping mid-air as I adjusted the collar of my jacket out of pure habit. "What did you say, Doctor? Is she truly out of danger?"
"She is going to be completely okay," the doctor explained with a small, reassuring smile. "The situation went critical mostly because she skipped her daily heart medicine. The severe emotional stress combined with the missed dose caused her heart rate to fluctuate dangerously. But as for the physical injuries from the car accident, you can breathe easy. They are actually not deep at all. She has some minor bruising along her ribs, but the only major injury is the deep laceration on her hand. We have stitched it up and stabilized her."
I exhaled a massive, heavy breath that I felt like I had been holding for an entire century. My lungs felt clear for the first time in hours. I look around the hallway, and everyone somehow had a profoundly relieved expression on their faces.
Aries closed his eyes tightly, his broad shoulders dropping as he leaned against the wall, while Angelo wiped a stray tear from his cheek before hardening his facial features back into steel. Even Section E, standing in their guilty little corner, seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
"You can take her back in two hours," the doctor added, checking his clipboard one last time. "We are moving her to a private recovery room now so the local anesthesia can fully wear off. However, hospital policy strictly states that only two people are allowed to stay with her for the discharge process. The rest of you must leave the premises immediately to keep the corridors clear."
I turn around slowly, flipping my hair over my shoulder with a sharp, queen-like precision. My eyes bypass Section E entirely, treating them like a group of irrelevant background extras, and look directly at my family.
The anger I felt toward them was still burning, but my priority was my twin. I look at Angelo, whose eyes were heavy with fatigue.
"Kuya, you all go home," I said to Angelo, my voice quiet, smooth, and completely unyielding. "Me and Kuya Percy will stay here, watch over her, and bring Jay back to the mansion ourselves."
Before Angelo could even answer, Keifer stepped forward from the back of his group. His face was deathly pale, his jaw bruised and swelling from Angelo's earlier punch, and his eyes were completely bloodshot.
"We are not going," he said, his voice raw, desperate, and cracking. "I need to stay here. I need to make sure she wakes up with my own eyes."
I turn my head slowly, looking at him with an expression of pure, unadulterated ice. I lift my chin, channeling every ounce of untouchable dignity I had left."I am not asking you, Keifer," I said coldly, my voice cutting through the sterile air like a diamond blade. "I am telling you all. Get out of our sight. You have no right to be here."
Keifer flinched as if I had physically struck him across the face, stepping back into the shadow of his mother.
Angelo nodded slowly, putting a heavy, supportive hand on my shoulder. "Alright, Jane. We will go back and prepare the mansion. Call me the very second something happens or if she needs anything at all."
Tita Serina sighed heavily, turning her head toward Keifer and the rest of Section E. She gently touched Keifer's shaking arm, her voice soft but unyielding. "Come on, Keifer. Let's go. Let the family have their space."
Keifer looked at the closed recovery room doors one last time, his chest heaving with silent, painful breaths, and finally, he agreed.
He turned around slowly, his head hanging low, and walked toward the elevators with Section E following behind him like a line of broken ghosts.
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Jays POV
Slowly, with an immense physical effort that made my eyelids feel like heavy blocks of lead, I opened my eyes.The bright, artificial fluorescent light blinded me for a second. I blinked several times, my vision slowly clearing from the medical haze, and the first thing I saw was a strange, white hospital rooftop.
The sterile, metallic smell of antiseptic immediately hit my nose, and a dull, throbbing ache pulsed through my entire body. My right hand was wrapped tightly in thick, heavy white bandages, a sharp pain radiating from the palm.
Then, the memories rushed back into my brain like a violent, crushing tidal wave. The truth about the plan. The blinding, dangerous anger I had felt. The hospital room. And Jane's protective, devastating lie that had driven me to run out into the dark night like a fool.
Before I could even process the emotional pain reawakening in my chest, the heavy wooden door of the recovery room clicked open with a sharp rattle.Jane rushed into the room, her eyes swollen and red from hours of crying, but she still carried herself with that sharp, dramatic elegance.
The moment her eyes locked onto mine, she let out a loud, breathless gasp and threw herself onto the side of my bed, wrapping her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly.
"Are you okay, Jay?" Jane sobbed into my shoulder, her grip so fierce it almost hurt, but I didn't care. "I am so sorry! I am so, so sorry, Jay! I should have never lied to you in that room! I am the worst sister in the entire world! I wanted to protect you, but I ended up destroying you! Please forgive me!"
Hearing her familiar, frantic voice completely broke down the icy wall around my heart. The misunderstanding was gone, but the raw heartbreak from Keifer's betrayal was still burning inside me like hot coals.
I raised my uninjured arm and hugged her back with everything I had left.At that moment, I completely broke down like a small, helpless child in her arms.
The girl who always stood up to everyone, the girl who fought the entire world to keep her family safe, completely dissolved. The tears poured freely from my eyes, soaking her silk jacket as I started crying hysterically, letting out all the agonizing pain I had been suppressing.
"I really loved him, Ate..." I choked out through my violent, gasping sobs, using the old respectful title I rarely used unless I was completely vulnerable and broken. "I really, genuinely thought he loved me back. I felt so safe with him. And then... and then I get to know about their disgusting plan... their stupid bet... Why nobody loves me, Ate? Why? Am I that bad? Am I so unlovable that people only see me as a game?"
Jane held me tighter, her own tears mixing with mine as she rocked me back and forth."No! No, Jay, look at me!"
Jane pulled back slightly, her hands framing my face, her rings catching the hospital light. Even while crying, she looked like a protective queen. "You are the best person I know. You are fierce, you are loyal, and you are beautiful. Don't you dare let those toxic, broken boys make you doubt your worth. You are loved, Jay. I love you more than life itself."
I sniffled, my breathing ragged as I looked up at her perfect, tear-stained face. Jane's eyes suddenly filled with a different kind of pain, a deep hurt that made her lips tremble.
"Why didn't you tell me about your illness, Jay?" Jane whispered, her voice cracking as she touched my chest, right over my erratic heart. "Why didn't you tell me about the CVD? Two years... you've been suffering for two years alone."
I managed a small, tired smile, my lips curving up weakly as I looked at my twin. "I didn't want to scare you, Jane. You always worry about everything, and you try so hard to look perfect for the world. I didn't want to add another burden to your shoulders."
Jane hugged me tightly again, her grip unyielding. "I won't let anything happen to you and you are not a burden to me," she vowed fiercely against my ear, her voice vibrating with a elder sis absolute authority. "You will be fine, Jay. I swear to you, I will protect you from now on. We are going to fix this heart of yours."
We were holding each other, drowning in our shared tears, when suddenly, the door clicked open again with a slow, deliberate creak.A tall figure stepped into the room, his hands casually shoved into his dark utility jacket pockets.
He leaned against the doorframe, a small, incredibly familiar, cocky smirk playing on his lips."Do you two miss my incredibly handsome face, baby sistahs?"
My heart stopped beating for a fraction of a second. I pulled back from Jane, my eyes widening to the size of saucers as I stared at the young man standing there.
"Kuya... Percy?" I stammered, my voice trapped in my throat. Then, out of pure survival instinct and my classic defensive baddie mechanism, I forcefully rolled my eyes through my tears, letting out a watery laugh. "Not at all, Mr. Ugly Monster. Your face is still a nightmare."
Percy let out a deep, booming laugh—the exact same laugh that used to fill our house with warmth before everything fell into darkness. He took three long strides toward the hospital bed and opened his arms wide.
The sight of him, here and real, completely broke the last of my emotional restraint. I leaned forward, throwing my arms around his neck, and started crying hard, my chest heaving with a mixture of profound shock and intense relief. He just held me firmly, his strong arms acting like an unbreakable fortress around my fragile body.
Jane didn't hesitate either; she leaned in from the other side, also starting to cry hard as she hugged Percy's waist, our collective grief pouring out into the quiet room.
Percy was consoling us quietly, rocking us back and forth as we stained his jacket with our endless tears. He leaned down, his lips pressed gently against Jane's forehead first, and then he quietly kissed my forehead, his touch lingering with a deep, ancient brotherly love.
"Let them hurt you," Percy said softly, his voice dropping into a low, fiercely protective tone that sent a wave of absolute safety through my veins. "Let them fool you. Let them confuse you for a little while. Because after all of that... I will always come back to you. I will sympathize with you, I will accompany you through the darkest valleys, and I will make sure you feel that you are absolutely never alone in this world. Your Kuya is back now, princess."
We stayed like that for a long time, the three of us anchored together in the quiet hospital room, rebuilding the bond that time and lies had tried to destroy.
After a while, when our tears finally began to dry up, Percy pulled back with a theatrical sigh, running a hand through his messy hair."Seriously though," Percy joked, cracking a wide grin to break the heavy tension. "My handsomeness is actually a medical hazard. I'm pretty sure the nurses outside are fainting because of me."
I let out a loud, genuine laugh, spark returning to my eyes as I wiped my cheeks with the back of my unbandaged hand.
"Keep dreaming, Ugly Monster. The nurses are probably just trying to figure out how a zombie walked into their ward. Your face is still a solid two out of ten."
Percy laughed, poking my nose gently. "That's my baby sistah. The attitude is back. Now, let's get you out of this place. It's time to go home."
The drive back to the Fernandes Mansion was completely silent, but the warmth of having Percy beside me kept the cold dread away. However, the moment the car pulled up outside the massive estate, my peaceful mood vanished into thin air.
There were many luxury cars parked all along the driveway. The sleek, expensive models were instantly recognizable.I let out a cold, bitter breath.
I understood immediately. Section E, the girls, and everyone else were already inside, waiting for our arrival like a regular welcoming committee.
I didn't want to see a single soul, but I was Jasper Jean. I wasn't going to hide in the car like a coward, and I wasn't going to let them see me break.Jane and I got out of the vehicle, walking side-by-side up the stone steps.
Jane walked with her head held high, looking every bit the untouchable diva, while I masked my exhaustion behind a cold, unbothered expression.
Percy walked right behind us like a dark, lethal shadow. The moment I pushed the grand double doors open and stepped into the living room, a body immediately blurred toward me.
Tita Gemma hugged me tightly the very second she saw me, her arms squeezing my sore ribs. "Oh my god, Jay! Are you okay, baby? Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"I am fine, Tita," I replied quietly, my voice steady as I gave her a small, reassuring pat on the back before gently untangling myself from her grip.
Next was Tita Serina, who stepped forward with tears glistening in her eyes. She immediately tangled me in a tight, warm hug, burying her face in my neck. "You scared me half to death, sweetheart," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Don't you ever run out into the street like that again."
I quietly smiled against her shoulder, feeling a genuine appreciation for her real, unfiltered care. "I won't, Tita. I'm sorry for making you worry."
"Jay."The sharp, dramatic voice cut through the quiet murmurs of the room like broken glass.My quiet smile disappeared instantly, replaced by a hard, expressionless mask.
I turned my head slowly toward the staircase and saw her standing there. Jeana Fernandes. My so-called biological mother.
She was dressed in an elegant, expensive silk dress, her face carefully made up to look like a grieving, worried mother.She started coming towards me with her arms extended, her high heels clicking loudly against the marble floor.
But I didn't give her the satisfaction of a single interaction. I completely ignored her presence, walking straight past her as if she were made of thin air, and sat down quietly on the large velvet couch in the center of the room.
Jane followed my lead immediately, sitting right beside me, crossing her legs elegantly like a queen on her throne.
Jeana's arms dropped to her sides, her pride visibly stung in front of the entire room. But she didn't stop. She marched over to the couch, standing right in front of us, putting on a sweet, pleading expression.
"Jay, look at me, baby. Ma is back," Jeana said, her voice dripping with a fake, suffocating sweetness. "Don't worry, we will treat your illness. I am here to take you back with me. We don't have to stay in this broken place. We will go to Germany. It's going to be perfect—you, me, Jane, your dad, and your brother Thomas. We can start over as a real family."
I tilted my head back, looking up at her face with a cold, mocking smirk that made her flinch. The Maraino in me took full control, my voice dripping with pure, unadulterated sarcasm."I didn't know my dad was currently living in Germany and that his name was James Luca," I said, my words sharp and calculated. "Because I remember clearly, from the very day I was born, that my last name is Mariano. I am a Mariano, Ms. Jeana. Not a Luca."
Jeana's expression hardened slightly, her voice turning defensive. "Jay, please don't be difficult. I married James, so by law, he is your dad now. He has the money and the power to give you a life you can't even dream of here."
Jane let go of my hand, standing up from the couch, her diva aura radiating absolute dominance. She adjusted her sleeve with a slow, deliberate movement before looking down her nose at Jeana. "You should call him your husband, Ms. Jeana, not our dad. Our father is in new york, and no amount of your German money is ever going to buy you a replacement for him."
Jeana's patience completely evaporated. Her face twisted into an expression of pure, elitist rage, and she snapped at Jane, stepping forward aggressively as she raised her hand high in the air.
"This is absolutely not how you talk to me! I am your mother, Jane!"
She swung her hand down violently, aiming a sharp, furious slap straight at Jane's face.
Before her palm could even come close to Jane's skin, I shot up from the couch like a viper. My left hand caught Jeana's wrist in mid-air, my grip tightening around her bones with a brutal strength that made her gasp out loud in shock.
I leaned in close to her face, my dark eyes boring straight into her soul. "I dare you to touch her," I whispered, my voice dropping into a dangerous, low vibrato that made the entire room freeze. "Touch her and see exactly what happens to you."
Jeana physically flinched at my tone, her face turning pale as she tried to pull her wrist back from my grip. I let go of her roughly, pushing her back a step with pure contempt.
"Jane is completely right," I continued, stepping in front of my twin sister. "You married that man. He is your wealthy husband, and Thomas is his son. They are absolutely nothing to us. They are strangers walking through our lives. And secondly, let's clear up one major delusion: you are not our mother. We were just incredibly unlucky to be born from your womb. And don't worry about my illness. My health is none of your business. My brothers and my sister will take care of me. We don't need a single cent of your bloody money."
From the corner of the room, our grandmother, Lola, stood up from her chair, her voice soft "Jay! Watch your tongue! No matter what she did, Jeana is still your mother! You must respect the woman who gave you life!"
I turned my head toward Lola, my eyes flashing with a dangerous, unchecked fire. I was completely done playing nice. "Not today, Lola," I snapped, my voice cutting off her lecture instantly. "I am talking to the woman who left me in that house twelve long years ago with those savage wolves! The woman whose decision consciousness marks I am still carrying on my body today! The woman who completely destroyed my childhood! The woman who took my Kuya Aries away from me! The woman who literally left my twin sister in a trash can just after birth!"
Jeana's eyes welled up with tears, though I couldn't tell if they were from guilt or wounded pride. "You don't understand, Jay..." she whimpered, looking down at her expensive shoes. "You didn't know my condition at that time. I was desperate. I had no money, no options—"
"Condition?!" I let out a loud, bitter, hysterical laugh that echoed off the high ceilings of the mansion. I
stepped closer, staring at her like the absolute Mariano. I was, refusing to let her hide behind her lies.
"Tell me, Ms. Jeana, in what shocking condition does a biological mother sell her own children like common household things?! In what desperate condition does a mother completely ignore her small child's screams and pleas for help as she walks out the door?! Explain it to me right now! Answer me!"
Jeana looked down completely, her lips trembling, unable to form a single sentence to defend her past crimes.
The pure, concentrated rage inside me peaked. I lost all my control. I raised my leg and kicked the heavy mahogany coffee table in front of me with all my might. The force of the kick shattered the wooden legs, causing the expensive porcelain vase sitting on top of it to slide off and smash into a thousand sharp pieces against the marble floor.
The water and flower petals scattered everywhere across the pristine floor.
"Answer me, damn it!" I roared, the veins in my neck standing out as the entire room trembled in fear.
Nobody spoke.
The silence was absolute. I took a deep, shaky breath, looking at her pathetic, silent form with an expression of pure disgust.
"The only thing I genuinely regret in my entire existence... is taking birth from a woman like you."
Jeana lifted her head, trying to use her final card of authority to save face in front of Section E.
"Jay! You need me! You can't be independent forever! You can't just rely on them forever!"
I stopped in my tracks, turning around slowly to look at her. A cold, cynical smile spread across my lips.
"Do you really think I am still that helpless, five-year-old child who used to cry at the door for you?" I asked her, my voice dropping into a quiet, terrifying calm. "You are completely wrong, Ms. Jeana. That little, innocent girl died on the very day you walked out on us. From the ashes of that day, a completely new girl took birth. A girl who does not care if you live or die. Leave this house right now... because if you stay here for one more minute, I don't know if I will be able to control myself from hurting you physically."
I turned around to leave the living room and head upstairs, wanting nothing more than to wash the hospital smell off my skin and lock myself away from the hypocrisy.
But as I lifted my chin, my eyes fell on the opposite corner of the grand living room.There they were. Keifer, Yuri, Cin, and the rest of Section E were standing near the grand window, watching the entire family meltdown with wide, terrified eyes.
The fire that had just burned through Jeana instantly redirected itself toward them. The baddie in me rose to the surface, completely masking the physical exhaustion and the dull ache in my heart.
I took three slow, heavy steps toward their group, my hands clenching into fists at my sides, my wrapped bandage tight against my palm.
"What the hell are you all doing here?" I asked, my voice flat, cold, and completely devoid of any human emotion. "Just leave. Get the fuck out of my house. I don't want to see a single one of your faces ever again. Looking at you literally makes me feel physically disgusting."
The boys flinched as if I had thrown boiling water at them. Yuri looked down at his shoes, his face pale and his nose bandaged from punch earlier. Keifer looked straight at me, his eyes filled with a desperate pleading that made me want to punch him.
Cin took a small, hesitant step forward, his hands raised slightly, his voice cracking with emotion. "Jay... please, just listen to us for a second. We didn't know it would go this far—"
"Jay?" I cut him off instantly, my voice sharp as a razor blade. "You lost that right, Cin. Every single one of you fucking lost the right to call me by that name the moment you decided to treat my life and my feelings like a game for your amusement."
Cin froze, his mouth opening and closing, completely silenced by the raw hatred in my tone. He stepped back into the group, looking thoroughly defeated.
Finally, I turned my gaze slowly toward Keifer. He was staring at me, a single tear escaping his eye and tracking down his bruised jawline. He looked completely broken, but his brokenness meant absolutely nothing to me anymore.
The boy who had made me feel safe, the boy who had promised me the world while counting the days until he could destroy me for a grudge, was dead to me.
"You are truly a Watson, Keifer," I said, my voice dropping into a quiet, venomous whisper that seemed to steal the final bit of air from his lungs. "A lying, deceitful, heartless piece of trash. Just like the rest of your bloodline."
Keifer's chest heaved, a quiet, choked gasp leaving his throat as those words struck him right in the center of his chest. He looked like he wanted to fall to his knees and beg, but I didn't give him the chance.
I turned around on my heel, ignoring the entire room, and marched up the grand staircase with an unyielding, powerful posture.
Jane didn't say a single word to Section E either. She just cast them one final, disgusted look, flipping her long hair with a diva's flawless, dismissive grace, and followed right behind me, leaving the living room below to drown in the absolute ruin of their own choices.
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A/n
Hey my cuties 🥰!!
Sorry for not uploadkng chapter yesterday. I was busy with school work. Here is a new chapter for you all. Let me know your thoughts.
And last few days I am not able to reply each of your comments. For some I did. I am sorry for that. I read your comments but for replying I am skippig it for now. I will continue replying soon. I promise 🤞
And yeah target for next chapter : 50+ comments 🎯
See you soon ❤️
Bye ✨