He saw Mariely sitting on the steps outside the mall. He immediately walked toward her. When she saw him, she suddenly stood up and walked—almost ran—toward him.
Nathan met his sister halfway. She suddenly threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
"Brother, let's go home." That was all he heard while she clung to him.
"What happened, Ely? Why are your eyes swollen?" He looked closely at his sister, confused by her state.
She didn't speak. She was clearly holding back her tears, just shaking her head at him. Without another word, he hugged her tightly again, and that was when she finally cried.
He looked at her, gently wiping her tears.
"Let's go. Let's go home," he said, fixing her hair a little.
She nodded. Nathan put an arm around her shoulders. His mind already told him why she was crying again.
That bastard! he thought angrily. Good thing he hadn't gotten home yet when she called.
"Have you eaten?" he asked as they got inside the car.
She gave him a faint nod. She seemed out of it. He decided not to press her about what she had seen or discovered—whatever it was that broke her. She was clearly trying hard to hold herself together.
He ruffled her hair a bit. Then he started the car. He drove silently. Through the side mirror, he glanced at his sister, who was just quietly staring out at the traffic. He could hear her sighs, lost deep in thought.
"Mariely, if you need someone to talk to, your brother's always here, okay?" he reminded her softly.
She gave him a small smile and nodded. "Thank you." She held back another wave of tears.
He gently cupped her cheek. "Just calm down a little bit," he said.
She bit her lower lip, trying to stop the tears from falling. "Y–Yes," she answered.
"S—Sorry for the trouble," she added quietly.
"It's not a problem, Ely. Remember that I'm always here for you, alright? No matter how many times you fall, I'll always be here to support you."
She took another deep breath and nodded. The rest of the drive was quiet. He noticed she had fallen asleep in the car seat, so he let her rest.
Then his phone rang—Nadia was calling. He answered right away.
"Where are you, hon?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, I'll be late. El called me to pick her up at the mall, so we're on our way home," he told her.
"Okay. I'll wait for you at your house," she replied.
"Okay, bye. I love you."
"I love you. Please be careful on your way home."
"Got it."
He ended the call. Mariely was still sound asleep. Nathan sighed deeply.
They finally arrived home. He gently tapped her arm, and she immediately woke up.
"We're here, Mariely," he said.
She nodded, unbuckled her seatbelt, and stepped out of the car. He followed behind her.
Nadia greeted them. She immediately noticed Mariely's condition and her tear-streaked face. Nadia's eyes silently asked Nathan what had happened.
Nadia let out a sigh.
"Ely, come here," she said.
Mariely walked up to her and embraced her tightly, without saying a word, tears silently falling again as Nadia tried to comfort her.
Even their parents were surprised when they saw Mariely crying and wondered what had happened.
"Hon, I'll take her to her room," Nadia said. Nathan just nodded in reply.
He clenched his fists. His conscience was now eating at him.
***
Frank's phone vibrated again. He sighed. He was on another bed—again. He looked at the screen to see who was calling but let the phone continue to vibrate.
He was about to leave now. He quickly got dressed. His head ached from the alcohol, but he needed to go home and take a shower—he could smell the stink of perfume from the woman he had just slept with.
His phone vibrated again.
Tsk. Annoyed, he grabbed it and turned it off again. He walked toward the parking lot when his phone vibrated once more.
It was a text message. He wondered why she was still awake.
Maybe she's reviewing, he thought, shaking his head. He didn't read the message right away. Once he reached his car, that's when he opened it.
His phone vibrated again. He sighed and answered the call.
"What now?" He said right away, unable to hide the irritation in his voice.
"Sorry to disturb you, Zean. Can we talk in person sometime when you're not busy?" Her voice was still gentle and apologetic.
"What? Just say it now. I might not have time to see you in person."
"Please? Just text me when you're free. I really need to talk to you—and after that, I... I won't bother you anymore," she said.
"Please, Zean," she pleaded.
He let out a sigh. "Fine, fine. I'll set a time and send it to you," he said.
"Thank you, Zean," she replied.
Zean? She never called me that. He thought to himself.
"Do you want something else? I'm hanging up," he said.
"That's all. Thank you, and take care. I will always love you, Zean." After that, she hung up.
Weird, he thought. He brushed off the strange way she spoke and the way she called him by that name.
Maybe I've been drinking too much. Maybe the hangover hasn't worn off, he told himself.
Suddenly, memories of his relationship with Mariely flashed in his mind.
Zean—that's what she used to call me. The thought struck him.
He frowned.
Did she just remember something? he wondered.
"No, probably just a coincidence," he tried to reason with himself.
He shook his head as he drove home. When he arrived at their mansion, he went upstairs right away. His mother saw him and raised her eyebrow at his current state.
He ignored her and went straight to his room, changed, and went back to sleep. He texted Mariely again, asking when they could meet and talk—whatever it was she wanted to say.
He fell into deep sleep—exhausted physically and mentally.
The day finally came when he and Mariely would talk—at the place where they had their first date, where it all began. He planned to arrive late—and he did. Very late.
When he saw her, she was still waiting, even if she was all alone. He got out of his car and approached her.
She gave him a small smile, but he could see the sadness in her eyes. They were alone. She didn't speak right away, which irritated him again.
"So, what are we going to talk about? Are we just going to stare at each other here, Faith?" he asked her.
"I'm sorry… I just wanted to look at you. This might be the last time I'll ever see you."
He sighed. "Say what you need to say directly, Faith. I have other things to do—we're running out of time."
She nodded and let out a breath, bracing herself as she tried to gather the strength to say what was on her mind.