Percy POV
The flight back to Manila was supposed to be a celebration. I had spent months planning my return, rehearsing the exact words I would say when I walked through the door. I was alive. I had survived the coma, the long recovery, and the secrecy. I couldn't wait to see my sister,and my best friends Yuri , Aries and Keifer. I imagined the laughter, the shock, and the tight hugs.
Instead, the moment my phone connected to the local network after landing, a frantic message flashed on my screen: Jane is at the hospital. Come to the Manila Medical Center immediately.
My heart dropped into my stomach. The warm excitement of returning home evaporated, replaced by a cold, suffocating dread. I didn't even wait for my main luggage. I grabbed my carry-on, bolted out of the airport terminal, and hailed the fastest cab I could find.
When I reached the hospital corridors, the heavy scent of antiseptic did nothing to calm my racing pulse. I followed the room numbers, my boots clicking sharply against the linoleum floor. But before I even reached the door, the sound of a sharp, familiar, and venomous voice stopped me in my tracks.
It was Jeana. Their so-called mother.
She was standing in the middle of the hallway, her face contorted in anger, shouting at Jane. My sister stood there, looking incredibly pissed, absorbing the anger with her b with calmness and trembling shoulders.
"I am the one who gave birth to you! I am your mother!" the woman hissed, her voice dripping with disgust.
A white-hot rage, pure and blinding, erupted in my chest. This woman—this absolute stranger who dared to call herself a parent—was standing here acting like a role model. The hypocrisy made my blood boil.
I stepped out of the shadows, my voice cutting through the hallway like a blade.
No, you are not their mother."
The woman spun around, her eyes widening in absolute shock as she recognized my face.
"Percy? You're... you're alive?"
I didn't answer her question. I didn't owe her a single explanation about my life. I walked right past her, placing myself squarely between her and Jane, shielding my sister from her toxic presence. I glared down at the woman who had abandoned us.
She didn't even remember that she had a child. She literally left Jane in the trash to die.
And then there's Jay —she left her entirely alone when she was just a five-year-old kid, throwing her straight into a pack of wolves to fend for herself.
She never gave a single damn about her son Aries, either. And now she have the nerve to stand here and lecture my sisters. Just wow .
Stay away from them or you will know why I'm a Mariano ", I threatened, stepping closer so she could see the absolute lack of mercy in my eyes.
She gasped, looking around for support, but seeing none, she turned on her heel and hurried away down the corridor, her expensive heels clicking frantically.
The moment she was gone, Jane collapsed against me, breaking down into violent, heavy sobs. "Kuya.... Kuya you're back... but it's Jay... it's Jay..."
"She will be alright," I tried to console her, holding her tightly.
The moment Jay's truth, the truth came out like a crashing wave. Jay had been diagnosed with Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). That her heart was failing. The strong, energetic, unstoppable sister Jane knew was fighting a silent, deadly battle inside her own chest.
Hearing my sisters cry felt like a physical blow to my gut. The world seemed to spin on its axis.
I pushed open the door to the hospital room, and my breath caught in my throat. Lying on the stark white bed was Jay. My little sister, who had always been the clumsy, food-loving, stubborn life of the party, looked completely unrecognizable.
She was deathly pale. Her skin looked fragile, almost translucent under the harsh fluorescent lights. She looked so small beneath the heavy blankets, attached to machines that beeped in a rhythm that broke my heart.
Seeing her like that made me want to smash everything in the room. I wanted to scream, to cry, to let the walls crumble. But I couldn't.
I looked at Jane, who was still trembling and crying beside me. I had to control myself. I was their older brother. If I broke down now, they would completely fall apart. I had to be their anchor, their rock.
I took a deep, shaky breath, burying my own agony deep down inside, and gently wiped Jane's tears.
"I'm here now, Jane," I whispered, squeezing her hand. "I've got you both. I won't let anyone hurt you again."
But as I sat by Jay's bedside, watching her shallow breathing, a darker realization settled into my mind. The people responsible for this emotional stress, the people who had pushed my sisters to the brink of despair and caused all these tears, were my very own best friends. Yuri and Keifer. The betrayal stung worse than any physical wound. The guys I considered brothers had broken the most precious people in my life.
As soon as the doctors stabilized Jay enough for a temporary discharge, I didn't waste a single second. I knew the medical facilities in Manila wouldn't be enough for the advanced treatment and surgery Jay desperately needed.
Without telling anyone else, I booked emergency tickets and flew back to New York. I needed to personally consult with the top cardiologists and specialists who had helped me during my own recovery. I spent hours in intense meetings, handing over Jay's medical records, mapping out a strict treatment plan, and scheduling her vital heart surgery.
The moment the medical logistics were locked in, I boarded a flight straight back to Manila. I couldn't leave my sisters alone for too long.
The next day, the moment my plane touched down in Manila for the second time, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Kian: Today is Zoe's birthday. We're having a gathering at King's Ground. Jay insisted on coming, and she's here right now.
A heavy knot formed in my stomach. King's Ground. It was a place of loud music, heavy drinking, and unpredictable crowds—the absolute worst environment for someone with a failing heart and deep emotional trauma. I desperately wanted to see Jay, to check on her after my brief trip, so I didn't hesitate. I threw my bags into a vehicle and sped directly toward the club.
When I arrived at King's Ground, the booming bass and flashing lights felt suffocating. I pushed through the sea of dancing bodies, my eyes scanning the VIP sections and the bar. Finally, my gaze locked onto a booth in the corner, and the scene before me made my heart shatter all over again.
Jane was holding Jay tightly, weeping openly as if her heart was being ripped out. Zoe was sitting on the other side, tears in her eyes, doing her best to offer comfort. Kian was sitting right beside them, his expression heavy with sorrow, holding Jay's limp hand.
Jay looked completely broken, an emotional wreck who had finally collapsed under the weight of her pain.
I didn't care about the party. I didn't care about the people watching. I walked straight over to the booth, my presence immediately drawing Kian's attention. He looked up, his eyes widening as he saw me standing there.
"Percy..." Kian breathed, his voice filled with relief and shock.
I looked down at my shattered sisters, my chest tightening. I looked back at Kian and spoke in a tone that left no room for argument. "I am taking Jay and Jane back to the Fernandes Mansion right now. We need to leave and get them home before Jaxx finds out about any of this. It's not safe for them here."
Kian looked at the crying girls, understanding the gravity of the situation completely. He gave me a firm, silent nod. "Go. Take care of them. I'll handle things here."
Together, we managed to lift Jay, who had cried herself to sleep from sheer exhaustion. Her head rolled against my shoulder, shockingly light and fragile. I carried her out of the throbbing noise of the club, Jane clinging tightly to my arm, while Zoe followed closely behind to help us navigate the exit.
We loaded them into a secure car and drove straight back to the quiet sanctuary of the Fernandes Mansion.
Once we arrived, the mansion felt vast and empty. I gently carried Jay up the grand staircase and laid her down on her bed. She was fast asleep, her face still stained with dried tears, her breathing uneven. I pulled the comforter over her shoulders.
Turned around to Jane, intending to tell her to get some rest in her own room, but the stubborn girl fiercely shook her head. She pulled up a chair right next to Jay's mattress and grabbed her sister's hand, refusing to leave her side even for a second. She was terrified that if she closed her eyes, Jay might slip away.
Seeing her determination, I didn't force her. I stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind me.
Downstairs in the main living area, the rest of the inner circle and the older batchmates had gathered. The atmosphere was thick with tension. No one spoke. Everyone chose to stay quiet for now, knowing that the storm had arrived and I was at the center of it.
Needing a moment to breathe and clear the heavy thoughts suffocating my mind, I decided to walk out into the mansion's courtyard. But as I passed the dimly lit corridor near the side veranda, a faint, heartbreaking sound caught my attention. It was a low, muffled sobbing.
I paused, turning my head toward the shadows near the edge of the terrace. I stepped closer, my eyes adapting to the darkness, and saw a figure sitting quietly on the stone steps.
It was Keifer.
His head was buried in his hands, his broad shoulders shaking violently as he wept in absolute isolation. The sight of the fierce, unyielding Keifer breaking down in the dark would have shocked anyone else.
But the moment he heard my footsteps, his posture instantly stiffened. In a fraction of a second, he wiped his face, threw his head back, and wore his cold, unreadable mask again. It was the defensive armor he always used to hide his vulnerabilities.
I walked up to him, leaning against the pillar, and looked down at him with a bitter, humorless smile. "You haven't changed yet, have you? Still hiding behind that pathetic mask." I let out a dry, forced chuckle to mask the ache in my own chest. "My handsomeness really can't take this depressing view, man."
Keifer's eyes snapped up to meet mine. The shock in his gaze was palpable, his cold mask cracking slightly at the sheer impossibility of who was standing before him.
Before he could speak, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Yuri, Aries, and several other members of Section E stepped out onto the veranda. They had followed me, and the moment they saw me standing in the moonlight, completely alive and whole, time seemed to freeze.
"Percy?" Yuri gasped, his voice trembling as he took a step forward, staring at me as if he were seeing a ghost. "Why... why didn't you tell us you were alive?"
"Didn't you trust us?" Yuri demanded, anger and deep hurt swirling in his eyes. "We spent every single day thinking we lost you! We mourned you, Percy!"
Aries stood a few feet back, his fists clenched tightly at his sides, his eyes wide and bloodshot. "We thought you were dead," he whispered.
I looked at the faces of the guys I had grown up with, the boys who were supposed to be my brothers. I sighed, the exhaustion of the past year weighing heavily on my shoulders.
"My mom got incredibly scared after the incident," I explained quietly, my voice carrying the weight of the truth. "She completely cut off my connection to the Philippines. She blocked everything. For a whole year, I wasn't hiding out of choice, guys. I was in a coma. I was fighting just to wake up and breathe on my own."
The anger in Yuri's face instantly melted into horrified realization. Keifer closed his eyes, a sharp intake of breath escaping his lips.
"When I finally woke up and started recovering," I continued, "I met Jay and Jane. They found out about me, and they understood what I was going through. They kept my secret and protected me while I rebuilt my strength. I wanted to meet you all so badly. We all thought it would be best to hide the truth until I could completely make it back on my feet, until I was truly healthy enough to return permanently."
My voice dropped, turning cold and sharp as I looked at each of them. "But I didn't hope for this. I never, in my worst nightmares, expected to come back and see my sisters completely broken into pieces."
I stepped forward, my gaze locking fiercely onto Yuri and Keifer. "Why did you do that to them? Why did you play with their feelings? And for fucking sake, tell me why you all hate Aries so much now?"
I then whipped around, pointing a finger directly at Aries, who flinched slightly. "And you, Aries! Why are you so damn harsh to Jay? She is your biological sister!"
The courtyard fell into a suffocating, dead silence. The cricket chirps in the distance seemed to fade away as the tension reached its peak. Aries lowered his head, his chest heaving as he struggled to find his voice. When he finally looked up, a solitary, painful tear escaped his eye and tracked down his pale cheek.
"I didn't want to hate her, Percy," Aries confessed, his voice breaking completely. "God knows I didn't want to. After seeing her cry tonight... seeing how destroyed she is... I swear to you, I really wanted to run over, hug her tightly, and tell her that her Kuya Ari is right here. I wanted to protect her."
"Then why didn't you?" I shouted, stepping closer. "Scared of what, Aries? What could possibly justify treating your own blood like trash?"
"Of her hurting me again!" Aries suddenly roared back, his voice thick with raw terror and suppressed trauma.
He trembled violently, the defensive walls he had built around himself finally crumbling down. "I didn't want to avoid her! But whenever I try to go close to her, whenever I look at her face, my mind flashes back to that night. I remember that she stabbed me with a knife! She is the exact reason I nearly lost my life, Percy! I am terrified to be around her because of what she's capable of doing!"
Everyone froze. Yuri, Keifer, and the rest of Section E stared at Aries in absolute, stunned silence. None of them had ever expected this to be the true reason behind his coldness. They had assumed it was pride, arrogance, or mutual hatred. They never realized it was deep-seated, paralyzing fear.
I stared at Aries, my anger not fading, but transforming into a deep, profound frustration.
"She was not in her right sense, Aries!" I shouted, my voice echoing off the mansion walls. "You know that! You fucking know about her blood trauma! You know that the moment she sees blood, she transforms into someone else. She loses control of her own mind and actions! She would have never, ever hurt you if she was in her proper senses!"
Aries looked away, but I stepped into his line of sight, forcing him to look at me. "But why did you choose to actively hate her instead of helping her heal? Let's call it what it really is, Aries. It is not the reason that you are scared of her. It's your fucking ego, Aries! Your goddamn ego couldn't handle the fact that your little sister caused you harm, so you chose to punish her for something she couldn't control!"
Aries choked on a sob, burying his face in his hands, unable to deny the harsh truth of my words.
I didn't give him time to recover. I turned my wrath back toward Yuri and Keifer, my eyes burning with a promise of violence. "And you two bastards. You played with my sisters' feelings. You dragged them into your dark world and shattered them. Why?"
Yuri stepped forward, his head bowed in deep shame, his hands trembling at his sides. "We were blinded by the anger, Percy," he admitted softly, the remorse evident in every syllable. "We couldn't handle the crushing weight and pressure of believing you were dead. We didn't know how to process the grief, so we put all the blame on Aries. We started hating him because it was easier than facing the reality that you were gone."
"Why did you blame him?!" I yelled, my blood boiling. "It wasn't his fault! It was never his fault! It was me who pushed him away that night to protect him! He wanted to stay with me, he wanted to fight by my side! I was the one who made the choice to force him away! It was me!"
Keifer finally stepped into the light, his cold mask completely shattered, leaving behind a man filled with absolute regret and desperation.
"We know we messed up, Percy," Keifer said, his voice deep, raw, and completely earnest. "We know we ruined everything. But I need a chance. I can't live without Jay. Not even for a single second. I will do whatever it takes to earn her back. I will prove to her, to you, and to everyone else that I am not like my father. I am not a monster who abandons the person he loves."
Yuri looked up, determination burning through his tears. "I will fight for my life to make things right with Jane. I will show her every single day that I truly, deeply love her, and that I'm willing to crawl through hell to earn her forgiveness."
Aries slowly lowered his hands from his face, his expression hardening as he looked at the two boys who had caused so much misery. "I don't care what the two of you plan to do," Aries said coldly, stepping up beside me. "But stay away from my sisters for now. They've suffered enough because of you."
I looked at Yuri and Keifer, my expression deadpan and lethal. "Do whatever the hell you want to do. Try to win them back, change your lives, I don't care. But if you hurt my sisters even one more time... if you cause a single tear to fall from their eyes again, you will see a side of me that you will never wish to see. I will personally destroy you both. Do I make myself clear?"
Both Yuri and Keifer gave firm, unhesitating nods. They knew I meant every word.
I let out a long, exhausted breath, rubbing the bridge of my nose as the overwhelming tension in the courtyard began to slowly dissipate. "So... now everything is okay?" I asked, the sarcasm heavy in my voice.
Aries let out a bitter, tired sigh. "Not everything can be mended at once, Percy. The damage is too deep."
Yuri looked toward the upstairs window where Jane and Jay were resting. "We don't want to fix everything tonight. We know it's impossible to erase months of pain in a few minutes."
Keifer took a deep breath, his eyes locked onto mine with unbreakable resolve. "Tonight, we just make the first attempt. And we won't stop trying until they are whole again."
I looked at them one last time, turned around, and walked back inside the mansion to guard my sisters, knowing that the long road to healing had only just begun.
------------------------------
A/n
Hey everyone! 👋I am finally back! 😭❤️ from long sudden disappearance, but I had to take a complete break to focus on my exams. Thank you so much for being so patient with me and for waiting for this update. Your support means everything to me! And thank you for wishing me a luck 🤞 It means a lot me !
Let me know what you think about Percy's return and the big confrontation in the comments below! What do you think will happen next?
Love you guys, and thank you for sticking around! ✨
See you soon ❤️
Bye 👋
Don't forget to drop comment
And yeah I forgot !!
I just started a new book " Hell University II : Legacy of Secrets".
Well I got an idea and I wanted to use it before it vanishes so I started it. Don't forget to check it out 💗