Gabie's POV
"Hep! Hold on!" I raised my hand, stopping them before anyone could speak. "Talk to me first—I have something important to say."
All eyes turned to me, and I scanned the small group gathered in our home, finally meeting Miggy's gaze. He was standing near the door, smiling at me, looking… proud.
"First of all," I began again, swallowing my nerves, "thank you. Thank you, everyone, for coming to this little party that Mama prepared." I turned around, already knowing Mama was just behind me. "And second—Ma!"
I grinned and raised my voice dramatically. "I passed my thesis defense earlier! I can finally graduate!"
The room erupted in applause and cheers as I jumped with joy. Mama pulled me into a tight hug, and Jhay quickly followed. Amid the noise, I noticed they had already set down the cake they brought in earlier.
"Wait, wait! I'm not done yet!" I laughed as the cheers quieted a little. "Also… Ma, I want to introduce someone to you."
I turned to Miggy and reached out for her hand. "This is Miguel. Miggy. My boyfriend."
I felt the room shift. Mama froze, and so did Miggy. For a second, they just stared at each other—something heavy hanging in the air between them.
"I—I'm sorry if…" Miggy began, but her voice trailed off when Mama stepped forward abruptly.
"The party is over," Mama said, her voice sharp and cold. "Everyone, you can go home now. And you—don't you dare come near my daughter again."
The room fell into stunned silence. Miggy's face paled. I turned to Mama in disbelief.
"Ma? What's going on?" I asked, trying to stay calm despite the embarrassment crawling up my spine. The neighbors were still here. "Can we please talk about this first?"
But Mama wasn't listening. Her eyes were locked on Miggy.
"Jhay, take Gabie away from here," she ordered.
Jhay looked frozen. He glanced between us, clearly unsure what to do.
"Ma'am," Miggy said quietly, her voice trembling. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I know my personal problems shouldn't affect anyone else. But I—" Her voice cracked. "I'm sorry."
"What are you even talking about?" I asked, panicking. "Miggy, what is going on?"
Miggy turned to me, tears brimming in her eyes. "Gabie… I didn't know how to face you. I was the reason your mom was hospitalized months ago. I wanted to tell you, but the night it happened, my dad died. Everything collapsed. I had to take care of my mom. I didn't have the strength to talk to anyone, even you…"
My chest tightened. I stared at her, uncomprehending.
"What?" I whispered.
It was true Mama had been in an accident—but she recovered quickly, and whoever was responsible had taken care of everything. Paid the bills. Even gave her money. I never asked questions because it all felt… handled.
"Ma…" I turned to Mama. "Is this true?"
She didn't speak. Her breath hitched. Then she nodded slowly.
"But that's not the reason I want you to break up!" she suddenly shouted, sobbing.
The words hung in the air.
"What?" Jhay, Miggy, and I said in unison.
Mama's hands trembled as she wiped her face. "Because…" She looked at me—then at Miggy—and the truth cracked out from her lips like thunder.
"Because you're siblings. You share the same father."
Silence.
"No," Miggy said immediately, shaking her head. "No. That's not possible. I already met my sister—Gabriella Therese. She's not Gabie."
"Ma, stop it," I said, half-laughing, half-shocked. "That's not funny. I know Miggy's sister. Jhay and I met her at the mall. She's real."
Mama's face contorted in confusion and pain.
"What? That's impossible…" she muttered. Then she turned to Miggy. "Your father's name—Gabriel Sansebastian, right?"
Miggy nodded cautiously.
"I went to your father's funeral," Mama said quietly. "I didn't go near. No one knew me. But years ago… I met him in a bar. One night. I didn't plan any of it. But I got pregnant. And I ran. I couldn't ruin a family. I gave up my career. I was ashamed."
The room spun.
Everything blurred.
The walls felt like they were caving in.
"No," I whispered, backing away. "No… this is just a joke. This is just some twisted story—"
"Gabie!" I heard someone call out, but I was already running. I couldn't hear them anymore. I couldn't breathe. I ran past the tables, past the shocked guests, past our neighbors' stares.
"Gabie! Gabie!" voices followed, but I couldn't stop.
Tears streamed down my face. My chest hurt. My legs burned. I didn't know where I was going—I just needed to run away.
Run from Mama.
From Miggy.
From everything.
"Siblings by the same father…"
The words echoed like gunfire in my mind.
Over and over.
"Same father… same father…"
Everything I knew—everything I believed about myself—was slipping.
"So, who lied to me?"
Mama told me Papa died before I was born. Miggy said her dad died recently. So, who's lying?
My feet finally gave out beneath me, and I collapsed onto the pavement. My knees hit the concrete hard, but I didn't feel it. I just cried. I didn't care who saw. Let them stare.
And then—
A sound. A loud pop in the distance.
I looked up, startled.
Pain burst through my chest like fire.
I gasped.
My vision blurred.
I clutched at the burning spot, but my hands felt wet—hot.
Blood?
I didn't even scream.
My body crumpled fully to the ground, and all I could see was the dark sky above. The stars were far, too far.
Then a voice. Distant. Desperate.
"Gabie?! Gabie!"
Warm arms wrapped around me. I felt someone lift me—Miggy.
"No, no, stay with me. Please, stay with me. I'll get help. I promise."
Another voice. Jhay.
"Miggy? What happened?!"
"Call an ambulance!" Miggy shouted. "She's been shot! Someone—someone shot her!"
I tried to respond, but I couldn't speak. My body felt heavier with every second. The warmth from Miggy's arms faded. The only thing I could hear was their panicked voices—and the distant memory of Mama's voice, repeating again and again:
"Because you are siblings… That is the real reason…"
And then—darkness.
Miggy's POV
It was still early in the morning, but all of us were seated outside the operating room—silent, stunned. The doctor who had performed the surgery on Gabie hadn't come out yet. We were clearly exhausted, but no one wanted to go home. No one even tried to nap.
The shock of what happened still hung heavy in the air.
Earlier, right after Gabie was rushed into surgery, some policemen arrived to take our statements. After we told them everything that happened—why we were in that place—they left. Since then, only Meynard had been occasionally speaking to me, mostly to check if I needed anything.
He was probably the only one among the four of us still thinking clearly. The rest of us—me, Jhay, and Teresa—felt like we'd lost all sense. Meynard hadn't witnessed what happened. Maybe that made a difference.
As for me, I wasn't ready to speak to Teresa yet. I wasn't ready to ask the questions I couldn't make sense of myself.
"How was Gabie my father's daughter?"
"If Nimfa and Teresa were the same person, then who was Gabriella Therese Alonzo—the girl I thought was just my sister, the girl I had slowly come to care about more than I should? Why was her mother's name listed as Teresa Alonzo on her birth certificate? But that couldn't be—didn't Teresa Alonzo die in a car accident two years ago?"
Jhay said Gabie's father had been dead even before she was born. So how could it be my dad?
"Who was lying?"
"Who was telling the truth?"
I rubbed my hands over my face. I couldn't think straight. Everything hurt.
"Brother, eat something," Meynard said softly, handing me a plastic bag of food. "You need to regain your strength. You gave blood for Gabie. You have to rest—your body needs to recover. I bought this from a nearby 24/7 fast food. I didn't get soda; juice is better for you."
I nodded numbly and took the food.
At the far end of the hallway, Jhay and Teresa sat close together. Both of them looked wrecked. I saw Meynard walk over to hand them food as well.
A few minutes later, he returned to my side and crouched beside me.
"Bro, do you want me to call Gab to bring you clothes? The blood on yours has dried," he said, gently testing the waters.
"Don't go to the condo yet," I said quietly. "Rest there, then come back for me. But please, pass by the office first and file my leave. I'm not going in."
"How can you rest like this?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm okay. I'll rest after Gabie's out of surgery. I just want to make sure she's safe. I'll call you later. My car's still park in front at their house," I explained.
He nodded. "Okay."
"And please call Willie. I need to speak to him first thing tomorrow."
He gave me a quick nod, stood, and walked away.
I forced myself to eat the food he brought. I didn't have the appetite, but I needed to stay strong. When the doctors said they needed blood urgently, I didn't hesitate—Gabie and I shared the same blood type. They were short on blood bags, and the bank would take too long. They needed someone immediately. So, I volunteered.
Eventually, I lost track of time. We must have been waiting for hours when the door to the operating room finally opened.
A man in scrubs stepped out. The surgeon.
"Doc, how's my daughter?" Teresa stood up immediately, her voice trembling.
"She's stable," the doctor said calmly, "but still under observation. The bullet grazed her lung, but we were able to remove it. She'll be moved to the ICU shortly so we can monitor her closely. While her vitals are stable, we can't let our guard down. There's still a risk of complications, which is why we're limiting visitors."
Relief mixed with lingering dread washed over me.
I stayed where I was, watching from a distance as Teresa broke down in tears. Jhay helped her back to her seat, holding her as she sobbed. The doctor gave a short nod and walked away.
I didn't follow him. Instead, I stood and walked straight to the nurses' station.