The Next Morning
Morning came quietly over Manila.
Sunlight streamed through the windows of the Haynes house as everyone slowly began their day.
At the breakfast table, Mrs. Jennie was serving food while Mr. Nicholas read through some papers.
Nicklaus walked in, still looking sleepy.
"Good morning."
"Morning," Mrs. Jennie replied.
Cherry came downstairs a few minutes later.
"Good morning."
Mrs. Jennie immediately smiled.
"Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?"
Cherry nodded.
"Yes, Mom."
She sat down and began eating.
Nicklaus looked at her carefully.
"You seem quiet."
Cherry smiled.
"I'm just tired."
He studied her for a moment but didn't push.
Meanwhile, across Manila, Elian was already awake.
He had barely slept again.
He kept thinking about Cherry's behavior the previous evening.
Her questions.
Her distance.
The way she had left so quickly.
Elian picked up his phone and stared at her name.
He wanted to call her.
He wanted to ask if she was really okay.
But something stopped him.
Finally, he typed a message.
Elian: Good morning. Did you sleep well?
He stared at the screen after sending it.
At the Haynes house, Cherry's phone buzzed beside her plate.
She looked down.
She saw Elian's message.
For several seconds, she simply stared at it.
Then she turned the phone face down.
She continued eating as if nothing had happened.
Mrs. Jennie looked around the breakfast table before speaking.
"Everyone, I have something to tell you."
Nicklaus looked up from his breakfast.
"What is it?"
Mrs. Jennie smiled.
"Cindy will be staying here for a few days."
Nicklaus immediately frowned.
"What?"
"Just for a few days," Mrs. Jennie repeated. "Since the wedding arrangements are moving forward, we thought it would be good for you and Cindy to spend more time together and get along."
Nicklaus put his fork down.
"I'm not okay with that."
Mr. Nicholas looked at him sharply.
"Nicklaus."
"No, Dad. I can't stay around her for even a second, and now you're telling me she's going to live here?"
Mrs. Jennie's expression became slightly uncomfortable.
"It's temporary."
"I don't care if it's one day or one hour."
Mr. Nicholas frowned.
"Where are your manners?"
Nicklaus scoffed.
"My manners? You want me to pretend I'm happy about marrying someone I don't even like?"
"That's enough," Mr. Nicholas said firmly.
Nicklaus leaned back in his chair, clearly irritated.
Cherry remained completely silent.
She continued eating, but she heard every word.
Her eyes stayed lowered.
Mrs. Jennie glanced toward her.
"Cherry?"
Cherry looked up.
"I'm fine."
She gave a small smile before returning to her breakfast.
Nicklaus noticed the expression on her face.
He knew that smile.
She was hiding something.
And he couldn't help wondering if it had anything to do with Elian.
9:00 AM
At around nine in the morning, Cherry arrived at Elian's house.
She stepped out of her car and walked toward the front door.
She hadn't come to see Elian.
She knew he was already at work.
Today, she needed to speak with Mrs. Anna personally.
The maid opened the door.
"Good morning, Miss Cherry."
"Good morning. Is Mrs. Anna home?"
"Yes, ma'am. She's in the living room."
"Thank you."
Cherry walked inside.
Mrs. Anna looked up from her seat when she saw her.
"Cherry?"
Cherry gave her a small smile.
"Good morning, Lola."
"Good morning, apo."
Mrs. Anna noticed immediately that Cherry looked unusually serious.
"Come, sit beside me."
Cherry sat down.
Mrs. Anna studied her face.
"Is everything alright?"
Cherry took a slow breath.
"I came because I wanted to talk to you about something."
Mrs. Anna's expression became concerned.
"About what?"
Cherry looked down at her hands.
"It's about Elian."
Mrs. Anna's heart sank slightly.
She knew this conversation was coming sooner or later.
"What happened?" she asked gently.
Cherry lifted her eyes to her.
"I need you to be honest with me, Lola."
Cherry sat quietly for a moment, gathering the courage to ask what had been weighing on her mind.
Then she looked directly at Mrs. Anna.
"Lola... do you know what's been going on between Elian and Cindy?"
Mrs. Anna's heart sank.
For a moment, she almost denied it.
"I don't know what you're—"
"Please, Lola."
Cherry's voice was calm, but there was pain underneath it.
"I need you to be honest with me."
Mrs. Anna fell silent.
Cherry took a slow breath.
"Don't protect me from the truth."
She looked down at her hands.
"Ever since my parents died, you've been one of the few people I've had left. You took care of me. You treated me like family when you didn't have to."
Her eyes began to glisten.
"I've always considered you my family too."
Mrs. Anna's expression softened.
Cherry continued.
"So if you really see me as your daughter... please tell me the truth."
She looked back into Mrs. Anna's eyes.
"Even if it's going to hurt me."
Mrs. Anna couldn't speak.
Cherry's voice trembled slightly.
"I don't want another lie. I don't want anyone making decisions for me because they think they know what's best for me."
She swallowed hard.
"I just want to know what I'm dealing with."
Mrs. Anna lowered her gaze.
Cherry reached for her hand.
"Lola, please."
Her fingers gently tightened around Mrs. Anna's.
"If you truly consider me your daughter, then don't hide this from me."
Mrs. Anna's eyes filled with tears.
She had tried to protect Cherry.
But sitting there, looking at the young woman she had loved like her own child, she realized that keeping the truth from her was only causing more pain.
"Cherry..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I'm sorry."
Cherry's heart dropped.
She already knew.
She had only needed Mrs. Anna to confirm it.
Mrs. Anna hesitated for a long moment.
She looked down at their hands, struggling to find the right words.
"Cherry... I didn't know how to tell you."
Cherry's expression tightened.
"Tell me what?"
Mrs. Anna took a slow breath.
"I knew Elian and Cindy had become close again."
Cherry's eyes hardened.
"How close?"
Mrs. Anna couldn't answer immediately.
Cherry already knew what that hesitation meant.
"You knew," she whispered.
Mrs. Anna nodded slowly.
"I knew there were still feelings between them."
Cherry pulled her hand away.
"And you didn't tell me?"
"I was trying to protect you."
"Protect me?"
Cherry's voice rose, the hurt quickly turning into anger.
"You knew the man I love was seeing another woman, and you decided I didn't deserve to know?"
"Cherry—"
"No, Lola."
She stood up.
"You had every chance to tell me."
Mrs. Anna stood as well.
"I was afraid of what it would do to you."
"You should have been afraid of what the truth would do to me when I found out on my own!"
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I trusted you."
Mrs. Anna's face crumpled with guilt.
"I know."
"No, you don't."
Cherry wiped her tears angrily.
"You've always told me I'm your daughter. You've always told me you would protect me."
She shook her head.
"But protecting me doesn't mean lying to me."
Mrs. Anna reached for her.
Cherry stepped back.
"I already knew something was wrong."
Her voice became quieter.
"I just needed to know whether you knew too."
Mrs. Anna lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Cherry laughed bitterly.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
She turned away, trying to steady herself.
"I don't need apologies, Lola. I needed the truth."
Mrs. Anna's eyes filled with tears.
"I was wrong."
Cherry remained silent.
After everything she had already endured, discovering that even Mrs. Anna had kept the truth from her hurt almost as much as Elian's betrayal.
Elian stepped fully inside and closed the door behind him.
He looked toward the stairs, then back at his grandmother.
"Lola, what happened?"
Mrs. Anna didn't answer.
Elian walked closer.
"Why did Cherry leave like that? She wouldn't even look at me."
Mrs. Anna remained silent for a moment.
Then she looked at him.
"Are you happy, Elian?"
He frowned.
"What?"
She held his gaze.
"Are you happy?"
Elian didn't know how to answer.
Mrs. Anna's expression was filled with disappointment.
"Is this what you wanted?"
"Lola, I don't understand—"
She shook her head.
"Maybe you will someday."
Without saying anything else, Mrs. Anna turned and walked upstairs.
"Lola, wait."
She didn't stop.
Elian stood there alone, watching her disappear up the stairs.
His chest tightened.
He had no idea what had happened between his grandmother and Cherry.
But the question Mrs. Anna had left him with wouldn't leave his mind.
Are you happy?
Is this what you wanted?
Elian stood in the middle of the living room, still trying to understand Mrs. Anna's words.
He looked toward the staircase.
"Lola..."
No answer came.
He pulled out his phone and stared at Cherry's name.
He wanted to call her.
He wanted to know why she'd come to his house, what she'd spoken to his grandmother about, and why she'd left without saying a single word to him.
His thumb hovered over the call button.
Then he stopped.
Something told him she wouldn't answer.
Still, he pressed call.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
No answer.
Elian lowered the phone.
"What's going on?"
Meanwhile, Cherry was already driving.
Her eyes remained fixed on the road, but tears kept falling silently down her cheeks.
She didn't wipe them away.
She was tired of pretending she was fine.
Tired of smiling.
Tired of protecting everyone else's feelings while hers were being destroyed.
Mrs. Anna had confirmed what she already knew.
Elian and Cindy were together.
And she'd been the last person to know.
Her phone began ringing.
Elian.
Cherry glanced at the screen.
Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
She let it ring.
Then the call ended.
A few seconds later, another call came through.
She didn't answer that one either.
"Not now, Elian," she whispered.
Her voice broke.
"I can't hear your voice right now."
She continued driving toward home.
Back at the house, Elian stared at his phone.
The unanswered call left him increasingly uneasy.
He had never seen Cherry look at him that way before.
And for the first time, he was afraid that whatever distance had been growing between them was no longer something he could simply ignore.