Mariely took a deep breath as she stood face-to-face with Frank, the man she used to call by his second name, Zean. She had to gather her strength first; her fingers clutched the hem of her dress. She knew her emotions were going to take over again.
"What now?" he asked impatiently, clearly bored of waiting for her to speak.
"F—Frank, do you really love me?" she asked him.
He frowned and stared at her.
"P—Please answer me properly this time," she added.
Her hands trembled.
"What kind of question is that? Is that all you called me here for?" he shot back.
"Zean, tell me the truth. Do you really love me?" She asked again.
He let out a deep sigh and stared at her.
"What if I say I love you? Will that be enough?" he asked.
She nodded slowly, swallowing hard.
"Zean, please, don't lie to me. Say it to my face," she pleaded.
"You know what? You need to rest. Don't you have a review to attend to?" he said instead.
"If you love me, then who is this woman you're with?" she asked right away, showing him the photo she had taken.
Frank looked at the picture.
"It's edited," he said casually.
"I saw it with my own eyes—you kissed her. Zean, please, don't lie to me," her voice cracked. She could no longer hide the emotion in her voice.
"Fine, fine, we're together. You really want the truth? You know, I wasn't going to break up with you yet—I was trying to be considerate because you still have your board exam," he confessed.
She only nodded.
"If I didn't have the exam, you would've broken up with me right away, wouldn't you?" she asked.
Tears began to stream down Mariely's cheeks.
"Tell me, where did I fall short, Zean? I admit I'm not as pretty as the woman in that photo, but—" She broke down completely.
"But I—I just wanted to be a part of your life. But I guess that wasn't easy."
"Yeah. I don't love you. You're not the kind of woman I see myself with. Just look at yourself—you're plain. I was just playing with you," he said seriously, as if his eyes stripped her bare, all the way to her soul.
She couldn't speak. Something heavy pressed on her chest—it hurt so much. Her tears fell freely now. The truth was excruciating to hear, especially coming from someone who had meant so much to her.
"Zean, I loved you, didn't I? I know I wasn't the perfect girlfriend, and I didn't meet your standards, but Zean—I loved you so much," she said.
"Stop it. You heard me already, didn't you? You're creeping me out. Let's just stop this, Miss Celestial."
She forced a bitter smile.
"I came here to try and fix our relationship. I was hoping you'd come back to me," she said with a small laugh, tears still falling.
"I—If I said I wanted to fix things, would you still say no?" she asked.
"Stop it. Let's break up. You're free to do whatever you want. It was just a fake relationship," he said flatly.
"My love for you wasn't fake, Zean," she whispered. "I'll respect your decision—because I love you." She cried harder, trying to control the sobs.
He was about to return to his car when she handed him something.
"You're invited to a wedding—my brother's. You're one of the guests."
"You really haven't changed since high school," she said with a sad smile, then turned and walked away.
She walked and ran away, desperate to distance herself from him. She glanced back—he was already gone. Meanwhile, she was drowning in her tears.
She called her brother, asking to be picked up.
"Brother," she sobbed, "can you come pick me up?"
He didn't say anything.
"Just wait there."
She wiped her tears, but they kept falling. Soon, she heard the sound of a car horn.
A woman got out quickly and ran to her, embracing her tightly.
"Nadia," she said through her sobs, crying even harder as she felt the warmth of her hug.
Nadia didn't say anything—just held her close, trying to comfort her.
"Shh, shh. Please don't cry. Don't cry," she whispered, wiping her tears.
Mariely could only shake her head. Everything felt unbearably heavy. Then her brother wrapped his arms around her without saying a word.
"Brother, it hurts—it hurts so much," she sobbed in his embrace.
***
Nadia didn't leave until Mariely finally calmed down. She was still crying, and they needed to help her settle. Even without details, Nadia already understood what had happened.
Mariely's sobs still echoed as Nathan held his sister tightly. Fortunately, Nadia had brought some bottled water.
"El, drink some water," she said gently, rubbing her back. Mariely nodded, tears still streaming. Nadia wiped them from her cheeks.
"Thanks," Nathan said softly. She only nodded in reply. Mariely continued to sob in his arms, but slowly, she began to calm.
"Let's go now?" Nathan asked Mariely quietly. She nodded but lost her balance—he caught her just in time. She sat silently in the backseat, and Nadia worried she might break down again.
"Hon, I'll sit with El," Nadia told Nathan as she noticed how puffy her sister's eyes were.
Nathan nodded. Nadia joined Mariely in the backseat, and without a word, Mariely wrapped her arms around her and clung to her.
No words—just more tears falling. The car began to move. The ride was silent. Eventually, Mariely cried herself to sleep, resting her head in Nadia's arms—still holding her.
Nadia gently fixed her hair, her heart aching at the sight of her Mariely like this. She remembered Mariely's first heartbreak.
"Where's El?" she had once asked Nathan, worry written all over his face.
He hadn't answered. She knew he was searching every corner of the school for their youngest. That's when they learned Mariely had been in a relationship with Frank.
"Where's Frank?" she had asked Nathan.
"I don't know—maybe with my sister," he replied calmly, though she could hear the anger beneath.
"Are you looking for Frank? I saw him earlier, walking alone," one of their classmates said.
"Where did you see him come from?" Nathan asked immediately.
The classmate was confused by Nathan's urgency but still answered. "From the old library," they said.
Without a word, Nathan left. She followed him. They searched for Mariely until they heard faint sobbing and followed the sound.
She gasped when she saw Mariely sitting on the floor.
"El," they both rushed to her.
"Nadia, brother Nathan," Mariely sobbed their names.
"W—Why are you crying?" Nadia asked, her voice full of worry.
"He broke up with me," she replied—and with that, her tears flowed again.
"El, look at me. Look at me, sis," Nathan said softly.
"Brother, it hurts—my heart hurts so much."
Nadia couldn't help crying too, seeing Mariely like this.
"There was never a real relationship between you two," Nathan said.
Mariely didn't respond—she just kept crying. They let her cry it all out.
After that, they brought her home. Nathan seemed determined to erase every memory Mariely had with Frank—and eventually, she began to forget.
Nadia snapped out of her thoughts when she realized they were close to Nathan's house.
If we succeeded once in helping her heal, can we do it again? She wondered, glancing at the sleeping Mariely beside her.
When they arrived, Nathan carried her and brought her to the room.
"Hon, I'll just change El's clothes," Nadia said.
Nathan nodded and went to his room. Their wedding was nearing, and yet this had happened.
She changed Mariely into comfortable clothes. The girl was fast asleep. Nadia gently stroked her forehead and kissed it.
Give me all your pain now, Faith, she thought. Even in her dreams, Mariely whimpered.
"Zean… I love you so much," she mumbled in her sleep.
Nadia sighed heavily. She left the room, letting Mariely rest for now.