Chapter 63– The Letter to Angelo and Tita Gemma
The room had already cried itself empty.
Or at least that's what everyone thought.
Until Angelo finally reached for his letter.
---
The envelope was simple.
No doodles.
No chaos.
Just:
"Kuya Angelo & Tita Gemma."
Written carefully.
Neatly.
Like JJ wanted this one to be perfect.
---
Tita Gemma immediately started crying again just seeing her handwriting.
Because JJ always wrote her name with a tiny heart near the corner.
And even now—
there it was.
Small.
Messy.
Still JJ.
---
Angelo sat silently for a moment before opening it.
Expression unreadable.
Cold as always.
But everyone in that room knew him enough now to understand:
He was barely holding himself together.
---
Inside the envelope—
there was another photograph.
This one newer.
Taken secretly during dinner weeks ago.
Angelo sitting at the head of the table looking annoyed.
Tita Gemma laughing.
JJ stealing food from his plate while Percy exposed the crime dramatically.
---
Angelo stared at it longer than expected.
Then quietly unfolded the letter.
---
"To the people who gave me a home when I thought I didn't deserve one,"
Silence immediately filled the room again.
---
Tita Gemma covered her mouth instantly.
Eyes filling again.
---
Angelo kept reading quietly.
---
"Tita Gemma,"
"Thank you for loving me like I was easy to love."
She broke immediately.
Because she knew.
JJ always struggled believing people could love her without conditions.
---
"You fed me when I forgot to eat."
"You waited for me during late nights."
"You tucked blankets over me when you thought I was asleep."
---
Tita Gemma cried harder hearing that.
Because she never thought JJ noticed those small things.
But JJ noticed everything.
Always.
---
"You treated me like your daughter even when I arrived carrying too much damage."
"Thank you for making me feel wanted."
---
Tita Gemma buried her face into her hands completely then.
Soft broken sobs escaping her.
---
Angelo's grip tightened slightly on the paper before continuing.
---
"Kuya Angelo,"
Silence shifted instantly.
Everyone looked toward him.
---
"You are terrifying."
A tiny broken laugh escaped the room.
Even Angelo's mouth twitched faintly.
Because yes.
That was absolutely JJ.
---
"The first time I met you, I genuinely thought you murdered people for stress relief."
Cin snorted loudly through tears.
"REAL."
---
Then the next line came.
And suddenly the humor disappeared again.
---
"But behind all that scary silence… you loved us harder than anyone else."
Angelo's eyes lowered immediately.
---
"You protected us without asking for credit."
"Without asking for thanks."
"Without even knowing how to say love properly."
---
His jaw tightened painfully.
Because JJ understood him too well.
Far too well.
---
"You stepped into responsibilities that never belonged to you."
"And somehow became the safest adult figure in my life anyway."
---
The room stayed silent.
Nobody interrupted.
Nobody moved.
Because Angelo Fernandez almost never received softness from anyone.
And JJ knew that.
---
"I know you'll blame yourself after this."
His expression changed slightly there.
Tiny crack.
---
"So let me say this clearly before you start acting emotionally constipated again:"
Even Percy laughed weakly at that.
---
"My sickness was never your failure."
"And neither was my choice to leave."
---
Angelo finally closed his eyes briefly.
Like those words physically hurt.
Because deep down—
he had blamed himself already.
Every day since she disappeared.
---
"You gave me safety during the happiest part of my life."
"You gave me family."
"You gave me peace I never thought I'd reach."
---
Then quietly:
---
"Thank you for treating me like I was worth protecting."
---
A tear finally slipped down Angelo's face.
Silent.
Quickly wiped away.
But everyone saw it.
And nobody said a word.
Because seeing Angelo cry felt almost unreal.
---
The last part of the letter looked shakier.
More emotional.
---
"Please take care of Percy and Aries after me."
"They act strong but they break loudly and quietly in different ways."
That made both brothers cry again immediately.
---
"And please take care of yourself too."
"You deserve happiness more than you think."
---
Then one final paragraph.
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"Tita Gemma… thank you for loving me like a mother should've."
Silence.
Sharp.
Painful.
Because everyone knew who she meant.
Jeena.
The woman who abandoned her.
---
Tita Gemma cried openly now.
Actually sobbing.
Because JJ rarely spoke about motherly love directly.
---
Then the final lines came.
---
"If there's another life after this one…"
"I hope I still find this family somehow."
"Even if fate gives me a different name."
---
And finally—
one last sentence written smaller than the rest.
Almost hidden.
---
"Thank you for making my last home feel warm."
---
Silence swallowed the room completely afterward.
No jokes.
No movement.
Only grief.
---
Angelo slowly folded the letter again carefully.
Too carefully.
Like it was fragile enough to break apart.
Like JJ herself.
And for the first time since she disappeared—
he allowed himself to fully understand the truth:
The girl he quietly protected through his rage had left believing she was protecting all of them by dying alone.
---
The Letters to Keigan and Keiren
Nobody expected the smallest letters to hurt this much.
They were tiny compared to the others.
Folded carefully.
One with messy blue stars around the edges.
The other covered in badly drawn dinosaurs.
Very obviously made for children.
Very obviously made by JJ.
---
Keigan sat quietly beside Keiren on the couch.
Both unusually silent since JJ disappeared.
Especially Keiren.
The eight-year-old had stopped sleeping properly without her bedtime stories.
---
"Read it," Keiren whispered softly.
His voice already trembling.
---
Keigan picked up the envelopes slowly.
One said:
"To my tiny Watson menace Keiren."
The other:
"To my emotionally smart baby Keigan."
Keigan immediately looked away trying not to cry already.
Because that was exactly how JJ treated them.
Like they weren't burdens.
Like they were hers too.
---
He carefully opened Keiren's first.
Inside—
a tiny candy wrapper was taped badly to the paper.
Keiren instantly gasped.
"That's from the airport…"
Everyone looked at him softly.
---
"She bought me candy there because I cried during turbulence…"
And suddenly he started crying again.
---
Keigan swallowed hard.
Then began reading quietly.
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"Keiren,"
"First of all stop crying dramatically because your nose gets ugly when you do it."
Keiren cried harder immediately.
"ATE JAYJAY!"
The room laughed through tears again.
---
"Second of all, thank you for making me feel needed every time you asked me stupid questions at 2AM."
Keiren sniffled loudly.
"She never answered properly though…"
"Because honestly half your questions were terrifying."
Even Keifer laughed weakly hearing that.
---
"But I liked listening anyway."
"I liked when you held my hand crossing roads."
"I liked when you forced me to watch dinosaur documentaries."
"And I especially liked when you called me your ate proudly in front of everyone."
---
Keiren completely broke down then.
Small hands clutching the paper tightly.
Because he really did call her that proudly.
Everywhere.
---
"You made me feel like I had a little brother properly for the first time."
Silence hit softly again.
---
"So please grow up healthy and loud and annoying, okay?"
"And protect Keigan when he gets too quiet."
Keigan looked down immediately.
---
Then the final line.
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"Also don't let Keifer become emotionally dramatic after me because he already acts insane naturally."
Even through tears—
the room smiled painfully.
---
Keigan wiped his eyes quickly before opening his own letter.
Hands trembling badly now.
---
Inside his envelope—
there was a folded sticky note.
On it:
"You're stronger than you know."
---
Keigan stared at it silently for several seconds before unfolding the actual letter.
---
"Keigan,"
"You pretend you're older than you are sometimes."
His breathing hitched instantly.
Because JJ always noticed that.
---
"You carry too many thoughts quietly for a twelve-year-old."
"And I'm sorry adults made you grow up too fast."
---
Keigan bit his lip hard trying not to cry.
Failing completely.
---
"But I need you to understand something important:"
"None of what happened in your family was ever your fault."
---
Keifer looked down immediately hearing that.
Pain flashing across his face.
Because both his younger brothers carried fear their entire childhood because of Kaizer.
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"You deserve safety."
"You deserve kindness."
"And you deserve a future where you don't have to stay scared all the time."
---
Keigan quietly wiped his face.
Reading through blurred vision now.
---
"Thank you for trusting me enough to fall asleep near me."
"I know you only do that around people who make you feel safe."
That sentence shattered Keigan completely.
Because it was true.
He rarely slept peacefully around anyone.
Except JJ.
---
Then softer:
---
"You and Keiren became part of my heart very fast."
"So if I disappear… please don't think I stopped loving you."
---
Keigan covered his mouth immediately.
Trying not to sob loudly beside his little brother.
---
"Sometimes people leave because they're scared."
"Not because they want to."
---
The room stayed painfully silent.
Because that line clearly wasn't meant only for children.
It was meant for everyone there.
---
Then the final part came.
Messy handwriting again.
Probably crying there too.
---
"Take care of your kuya Keifer for me."
"He acts strong but he loves too deeply."
Keifer's jaw tightened instantly.
---
"And please remember this forever:"
"Meeting both of you was one of the happiest things in my life."
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Then one final sentence.
Tiny.
Small enough almost to miss.
---
"In another life, let me stay long enough to watch you both grow up properly."
---
Keiren started sobbing loudly then.
Actually crawling into Keifer's lap immediately while crying:
"I want Ate Jayjay back…"
And that—
that almost destroyed Keifer completely.
Because suddenly he realized JJ hadn't only left him behind.
She left behind children who genuinely loved her like family already.
---
Keifer wrapped both brothers into his arms silently.
Holding them tightly while the letters rested open nearby—
filled with love from a girl who disappeared believing she was saving everyone by leaving alone.