Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 2) English

Jay-Jay's POV

I'm alone again. That familiar feeling is back—the feeling that I'm not wanted. This time, it's not my classmates rejecting me, but the family that once took care of me.

"The patient's vitals are stable. You don't have to worry about the tissue damage in his lungs. He responded well to the medication we gave him," the doctor told Aunt Gema.

Tito Julz and Kuya Angelo immediately breathed a sigh of relief. I should have felt the same, but guilt overwhelmed me. Because no matter how you look at it—this all started because of me.

"I suggest the patient gets plenty of rest. Some light exercise would also be beneficial," the doctor continued.

They asked Tita Gema a few more things that I didn't quite understand. I looked at Ella, who was tightly holding Aries' hand, her eyes never leaving him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as I watched them.

Everyone was busy talking to the doctor, so I took the opportunity to slip out of the room. I wiped the tears from my eyes as I stepped into the hallway.

"Jay-jay."

Percy called my name, leaning against the wall beside the door. I knew he had been here for a while. He hadn't left, not even when Tita arrived.

"W-why haven't you gone home yet?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

I had been holding back my tears for a while now, but I felt like I was growing weaker. Like I had no fight left in me.

"What did Angelo say to you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing. He hasn't said a word to me since we got back from school."

I had wanted to go straight home, but Kuya took me to the hospital instead.

Percy smiled and ruffled my hair. "You're too stressed. Let's eat first."

I didn't say anything and simply followed him. After everything that had happened, I suddenly felt hungry. I was also afraid to go back to school because of what Kuya had told our Guidance Counselor.

Percy and I went to a fast-food restaurant near the hospital. He ordered food for both of us. Even while eating, I remained deep in thought.

I really don't know what to do anymore.

I want to reach out to Yuri's family, but it feels impossible. After the way I answered back to their Headmaster, and how I ignored Yuri's mom when she tried to talk to me—what face do I even have left to show them?

Maybe I should just show them the author's face instead?

I'm starting to regret my decision not to go through with the marriage. But even if I had, I know I wouldn't have been happy. And Yuri probably wouldn't have been, either.

"So, your engagement with Yuri isn't really over, huh?" Percy suddenly said, pulling me from my thoughts.

"O-oh… Yuri and I have an agreement. He agreed to cancel the engagement in exchange for us… starting over," I explained hesitantly.

"Hmm… No wonder Angelo's been acting that way."

I frowned slightly. "Acting… how?"

"Like he's the most miserable guy on the planet. His eyes… they looked just like they did the first time I met him."

I lowered my head. The guilt washed over me again. If only I could find another way… If only I could help someone without marriage being involved.

"Where's the necklace I gave you?"

I looked up at him. He was staring at me seriously, waiting for my answer. I reached for my bag, unzipped the secret pocket inside, and took out the necklace.

Before I could even hand it to him completely, he snatched it from my hand. I was shocked, but what surprised me even more was when he removed the ring that Yuri had given him.

He handed the necklace back to me. "Put it on."

The truth is, I had stopped wearing it because I felt guilty. The day I called David to send a message to Percy, I had taken it off. He waited for me to wear it again before speaking.

"I'm giving it back to him."

"W-why?"

"I just want it, and if possible, stay away from him."

My eyebrows furrowed. I couldn't understand what he meant. Without hesitation, I took the ring from his hand.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?" I asked, irritated.

I looked at him seriously.

"Because I don't want Yuri for you," he said.

"Why?"

He looked away. "She was mine first."

I nearly cringed at his words. Did he really think I wouldn't notice that he was hiding something from me? It was obvious there were things he didn't want to tell me. And here I was, looking like a fool, waiting for him to speak.

Frustrated, I quickly stood up and walked out of the restaurant. He immediately followed me.

"Jay-jay," he called.

I didn't stop walking. "Go home, Percy. Maybe Felix is looking for you."

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice laced with irritation.

I spun around and glared at him. I didn't care if pedestrians were staring.

"You're the problem! I hate you because you won't tell me the truth!"

"Because you don't need to know everything right away," he shot back.

His words stunned me. He was right. Who was I to demand all the answers from him?

"Not everything is about you, Jay," he continued. "And there are things we need to sort out before others can know."

With that, he turned and walked past me.

I bit my lower lip in frustration, watching him disappear into the crowd. Instead of following, I returned to the hospital and went straight to Aries' room.

Annoying!

I was about to enter when the door suddenly opened. Ella and Kuya Angelo stepped out.

"Come with us. We're going home," Kuya said lifelessly.

I lowered my head. "I'll just let Auntie know."

He nodded, allowing me inside. Aunt Gema was sitting beside Aries' bed, while Tito Julz was on the phone, speaking to someone.

I approached Aries. His face was partially covered with a bandage, and bruises darkened parts of his skin. Seeing him like that was heartbreaking.

"Jay-jay..." Aunt Gema called, forcing a smile. "...Go home with your brother Angelo."

"Aun..." My voice wavered. "...I-I'm sorry. It's my fault Aries got hurt by his classmates."

She gently held my hand. "Don't blame yourself. Don't ever think that."

"Your aunt is right," Tito Julz added. "They chose to do this to Aries. It's not your fault."

"But if the marriage hadn't been stopped, none of this would have happened. Aries would still be respected," I whispered, my words barely audible.

Aunt Gema squeezed my hand tighter, smiling as if to say, Everything will be okay.

I forced a smile in return. We talked for a while before I was finally allowed to leave. Ella was waiting for me outside the room. We walked to the parking lot in silence.

I thought Kuya Angelo was already in the car, but when we arrived, he was nowhere to be seen. I glanced around and spotted him in a corner—smoking.

It was the first time I had seen him smoke.

"I'll go to Kuya," I told Ella, not waiting for her response.

Kuya noticed me approaching and quickly tossed the cigarette away.

"Don't tell anyone you saw me like this," he muttered.

"Why are you smoking?"

"Just to relieve stress," he replied flatly. "...Let's go. We need to drop Ella off."

We walked back to the car together. He opened the door and slid into the driver's seat, while I took the passenger seat. Ella sat in the back. No one spoke. The silence was suffocating, filling my mind with restless thoughts.

We eventually stopped in front of a bungalow—a simple, unpretentious house. Ella got out and thanked Kuya before heading inside.

At that moment, I realized what people had been saying was true. Ella wasn't rich. Her life was simple—yet complicated in its own way.

When we reached home, Kuya collapsed onto the sofa and shut his eyes. The house was quiet, and with no one to greet us, I assumed the maids were already asleep.

"Get some rest," he said without looking at me.

But I didn't move. I looked at him, carefully composing in my mind what to say.

"B-brother—"

"Don't continue," he cut me off. "...I just want to rest."

Shame washed over me. Without another word, I turned and walked to my room. As soon as I shut the door, the tears I had been holding back came pouring out.

I sank to the floor, hugging my knees. I'm so weak! No matter what I do, I always end up hurting the people around me. I guess I'm just unlucky.

First Lola, now Tita Gema and Kuya Angelo. Who's next? Who else will suffer because of me?

My phone rang, pulling me out of my thoughts. I grabbed it from my bag and saw a message.

📩

From: Gagang Baliw

Message: Missing you now. 😘

I wiped my tears away and quickly called his number. It rang four times before he finally answered.

"Don't say anything," I began the moment he picked up. "...Just listen, please. Just listen to what I have to say. That's all I need."

Silence. He didn't respond, so I continued.

"My brother... he's gone because of me." I took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. "Because I refused the arranged marriage they had planned for me. But that decision... it changed everything." My voice wavered. "The family that helped me is now suffering. They look down on my cousin, and my brother, too."

I couldn't stop it anymore. I broke down, sobbing like a child. My tears mixed with my running nose as I cried. I didn't want him to hear me like this, so I ended the call.

Seconds later, a message popped up.

📩

From: GagongCrazy

Message: Please continue. Tell me everything.

I ignored it, but then my phone started ringing again. He was calling. I didn't answer, but he kept trying. Again and again, until finally, I gave in.

"S-sorry if I'm bothering you," I murmured through my tears. "I-I have no one to talk to..." My voice broke. "...I feel so weak. Everything I do is wrong. Everything important to me... it's all falling apart because of me. Even if they don't say it, I know they blame me."

For reasons I couldn't understand, my crying gradually subsided. As if, without meaning to, he had calmed me down just by listening.

"I feel so alone. Like I have no one to lean on. I've been used to being alone, but this time… it's different. Maybe because..."

Because he's not here.

How stupid. But no matter how foolish it was, a part of me still longed for him.

"...Keifer," I whispered. 🥺

And then the line went dead.

I didn't understand why. Exhausted, I crawled onto my bed and lay down. I didn't even change my clothes before sleep claimed me.

The next morning, I woke up feeling terrible. My body ached, and my throat felt like it had something heavy lodged inside.

Forcing myself to get up, I stumbled to the bathroom. I have to go to school. At the very least, this was something I could do for Aunt Gema.

I took a quick shower, got dressed, and ignored the pounding in my head.

When I went to the dining room, no one was there. A plate of food had been left for me. I forced myself to eat and asked one of Tita's maids for medicine.

Great. I'm really sick now.

As I stepped outside, I noticed someone standing by the gate. I squinted, taking a few more steps forward until I finally recognized him.

Yuri.

"W-what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I thought we could go together," he said. His eyes studied me. "...Are you okay? You look pale."

I didn't want to argue. My head felt heavy, and my mind was blank. Without saying a word, I walked over to his car, opened the passenger door, and got in.

He quickly slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. Even though I wasn't looking at him, I could feel him stealing glances at me.

Then—

SCREECH!

The car in front of us had stopped, and Yuri barely hit the brakes in time. My body lurched forward, nearly sending me flying. My bag tumbled to the floor, and its contents spilled everywhere.

Great. Just great. Of course, my bag's zipper had to give out now.

I sighed and started picking up my scattered belongings. Among the mess were empty snack wrappers.

"Sorry," Yuri said and tried to help me, but I stopped him.

"Just drive," I said, continuing to clean up the mess.

I even reached under my seat and accidentally touched something that felt like plastic and paper. Thinking it was from my bag, I picked it up, only to raise an eyebrow when I saw that it was a cigarette case.

Yuri glanced at me. "That's Keifer's," he said quickly, but it seemed like he immediately regretted mentioning the name.

I stared at the box, noticing a few cigarettes inside. A thought crossed my mind—how many did he smoke in a day?

What do cigarettes taste like? Is this the brand he prefers?

I took one and bit down on it, though I had no intention of lighting it. Yuri looked surprised for a moment but relaxed when he realized what I was doing.

I just wanted to know what it felt like for him when he had a cigarette.

"Tell me…" The words slipped out before I could stop them. "...W-when is Keifer coming back?"

Because maybe what Blaster said was true—maybe he was never coming back.

"I don't know," Yuri replied lifelessly.

Maybe Keifer hadn't told anyone about his departure. Maybe he hadn't even said goodbye to his best friend. Maybe he truly had no plans of returning.

Maybe I was the one who wouldn't go back.

A strange ache pulsed in my chest. I put the cigarette back in the case and slipped it into my bag.

"Didn't you talk to him before he left?" I asked while staring outside.

"No. We never got the chance."

"Can you contact him?"

"He's not responding."

I closed my eyes. Besides the pain in my heart, my head was throbbing too. Every small movement sent waves of discomfort through my body.

It was unbearable. Did pain really need time?

I tried to steady myself, but a few tears slipped from my closed eyes.

It hurt so much. My body ached, my mind was exhausted. What more did I have to endure? Did I need to fight? I wasn't crying because of Keifer—I was crying because I just felt terrible.

"Jay… Are you in pain?!" Yuri asked, his voice filled with concern.

A lot! I'm in so much pain!

I felt the car stop. Suddenly, he reached over and touched my neck, his eyes widening in shock.

"Shit! You're burning up!" he exclaimed, quickly restarting the car.

I wondered what he was going to do, but before I could react, he pulled up in front of a hospital.

"W-what the—" I couldn't finish my sentence because, in the next second, he picked me up in a bridal style.

I could see the worry on his face as he hurried inside, calling for a nurse. Moments later, I was placed on a bed in the emergency room.

"We'll take care of it," a nurse assured him.

Yuri stepped back slightly, watching the nurses work. Meanwhile, I couldn't take my eyes off him. Why are you like this, Yuri? You frustrate me.

You frustrate me because you're smart. You frustrate me because you still love me. You frustrate me because you know you have no chance, yet you're still here.

You frustrate me because when I look at you, I see a reflection of myself—just as foolish in love.

Why does love have to be so complicated? Why can't people just date, become friends, and then fall in love? Why do we have to suffer like this?

We're partners in stupidity. Maybe I should start a club for the two of us.

SLC—Shunga Lovers Club.