That Afternoon
By the afternoon, Elian could no longer sit around wondering what was happening.
He drove straight to the Haynes house.
When he reached the front door, he knocked firmly.
A moment later, Nicklaus opened it.
The moment he saw Elian, his expression hardened.
Elian didn't acknowledge him.
He stepped inside and immediately called out loudly.
"Cherry!"
Nicklaus's eyes narrowed.
He glared at Elian, clearly irritated by the way he had walked in without even greeting him.
But he said nothing.
Elian called again.
"Cherry!"
A few seconds later, footsteps could be heard coming from upstairs.
Cherry appeared at the top of the staircase.
She stopped when she saw Elian standing in the foyer.
Their eyes met.
Elian's expression immediately softened.
"Cherry..."
She slowly walked downstairs.
Nicklaus remained by the door, watching the two of them closely.
Cherry reached the bottom of the stairs.
"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly.
Elian stared at her.
"We need to talk."
Cherry's expression remained unreadable.
"About what?"
Elian stepped closer.
"About yesterday. About this morning. About whatever is going on with you."
Cherry didn't answer.
Nicklaus's jaw tightened as he watched them.
The tension in the room was immediate.
Elian stepped closer, his voice filled with frustration and concern.
"Why did you go to my house this morning?"
Cherry remained silent.
Elian continued.
"Why was my grandmother crying when I got home? What did you say to her?"
Cherry looked at him calmly.
"What I wanted to say, I already said to Mrs. Anna."
Elian frowned.
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"What did you say?"
Cherry shook her head.
"You should ask her."
Elian stared at her.
"Cherry, I'm asking you."
"And I'm telling you, Elian. I've already said what I needed to say."
Her voice wasn't angry.
That calmness made him even more uneasy.
Elian looked at her for a moment.
"You've been acting differently since yesterday."
Cherry's expression barely changed.
"Maybe I have."
"Why?"
She looked away.
"Because sometimes people change when they finally understand something."
Elian's brows furrowed.
"Understand what?"
Cherry didn't answer.
Nicklaus remained nearby, silently watching them.
Elian took another step toward her.
"Please, Cherry. Just tell me what happened."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"You really want me to tell you?"
Elian nodded.
"Yes."
Cherry held his gaze for a long moment.
Then she quietly said,
"Ask yourself why my trust in you suddenly became something you can no longer feel."
Elian stared at her, completely confused.
"What are you talking about?"
Cherry held his gaze.
"You really don't understand?"
"No."
His voice softened.
"Cherry, please. Just tell me."
She took a slow breath.
There was no anger in her voice.
No tears.
Just a quiet calmness that made the words even heavier.
"That night, at Mrs. Anna's birthday..."
Elian's expression changed slightly.
Cherry continued.
"I went upstairs looking for you because I hadn't seen you all evening."
Elian said nothing.
"I had a gift for you. I wanted to surprise you, so when I heard someone coming into your room, I hid under the bed."
Elian's face slowly lost its color.
Cherry watched him.
"It was you."
He stopped breathing for a moment.
"And Cindy."
Silence.
Elian's eyes widened.
Cherry continued calmly.
"I heard you tell her that it wasn't a good time. You said Cherry and Anna were waiting for you downstairs."
Elian couldn't move.
"But she asked you to stay."
His lips parted, but no words came out.
"And you agreed."
Elian's heart dropped.
Cherry looked straight into his eyes.
"I saw everything."
Elian froze.
Completely speechless.
The color drained from his face as the reality finally hit him.
She had been there.
She had heard him.
She had seen everything.
Cherry continued, her voice remarkably steady.
"I stayed under that bed until you and Cindy left."
Elian swallowed hard.
"Cherry..."
She shook her head gently.
"You don't need to explain."
He stared at her.
"I don't want an explanation," she said. "I already know what happened."
Elian opened his mouth again, but nothing came out.
For the first time, he had no excuse.
No lie.
No way to hide what he had done.
Cherry simply stood before him, calm and composed.
And somehow, her lack of tears hurt him more than if she had screamed at him.
Cherry looked at Elian for a long moment.
Her expression remained calm, but there was a deep sadness in her eyes.
"I think we should end this."
Elian's face went pale.
"What?"
"Our relationship."
He shook his head immediately.
"No, Cherry."
She continued before he could say anything else.
"I've thought about it since that night. I tried to understand. I tried to convince myself that maybe there was something I didn't know."
She took a breath.
"But I saw enough."
Elian stepped toward her.
"Cherry, please. Let me explain."
"I don't need an explanation."
"You do."
"No, Elian."
Her voice remained gentle.
"You made your choice."
He stared at her.
"I love you."
Cherry gave a small, painful smile.
"Maybe you do."
She looked down for a moment.
"But loving someone isn't enough when you can't be faithful to them."
Elian's eyes filled with regret.
"I'm sorry."
"I know."
Cherry looked back at him.
"And I forgive you."
That surprised him.
"You... forgive me?"
"Yes."
She nodded.
"But forgiveness doesn't mean I have to stay."
Elian's breathing became unsteady.
"Cherry..."
"I'm not going to fight Cindy for you."
She shook her head.
"I'm not going to compete for someone's heart."
Elian reached for her hand.
She gently moved away.
"I loved you honestly, Elian. I gave you everything I could. But I won't stay in a relationship where I have to wonder whether I'm the only woman you love."
He couldn't speak.
Cherry took one final breath.
"So I'm letting you go."
Elian stared at her, devastated.
"You can't just leave me."
"I can."
Her voice was soft.
"And I have to."
She turned away from him.
Behind them, Nicklaus remained silent, watching everything unfold.
Cherry walked toward the stairs without looking back.
Elian stood frozen in the middle of the room.
For the first time, he understood that he had actually lost her.
Elian immediately turned and rushed after Cherry.
"Cherry, wait!"
He barely made it two steps toward the staircase before Nicklaus stepped in front of him.
"Don't."
Elian glared at him.
"Move."
"No."
"Nicklaus, this has nothing to do with you."
"It has everything to do with me when you're standing in this house after breaking her heart."
Elian tried to step around him.
Nicklaus grabbed his arm.
"I said leave."
"Let go of me."
Elian pulled his arm free.
Nicklaus's anger finally boiled over.
He punched Elian across the face.
Elian stumbled backward, stunned for a second.
Nicklaus pointed toward the door.
"Get out."
Elian wiped the corner of his mouth and looked at him.
"You think you're going to stop me from talking to her?"
Nicklaus stepped forward.
"She already told you it's over."
"I don't care!"
Elian shoved him back.
Nicklaus immediately swung again, but Elian blocked the punch and struck him in return.
The two men grappled, knocking against a nearby table.
"Stop!" Mrs. Jennie shouted from the other room.
Neither of them listened.
Nicklaus shoved Elian hard.
"You had her!"
His voice was filled with rage.
"She trusted you!"
Elian grabbed his shirt.
"You don't know anything about us!"
"I know enough!"
Nicklaus pushed him away again.
"You cheated on her and now you're chasing after her like you have the right to demand anything from her!"
Elian froze for a moment.
The words hit him hard.
Nicklaus pointed toward the door.
"Leave her alone."
Elian stared at him, breathing heavily.
Then his eyes moved toward the staircase.
"Cherry..."
Nicklaus stepped in front of him again.
"No."
Elian's fists clenched.
But this time, he didn't fight back.
He stood there silently, realizing that no matter how badly he wanted to follow Cherry, she had already made her choice.
Later That Evening
Elian finally returned home.
The moment he stepped through the door, Mrs. Anna noticed the bruise forming along his cheek.
She immediately stood.
"Elian..."
He didn't answer.
He walked past her quietly and dropped onto the couch.
Mrs. Anna stared at him.
"What happened?"
Elian rubbed his face.
"Nicklaus."
Mrs. Anna's expression tightened.
"You fought him?"
"He stopped me from following Cherry."
She went silent.
Elian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"She really ended it, Lola."
His voice was low.
"She looked me in the eyes and told me she was letting me go."
Mrs. Anna sat beside him.
Elian stared at the floor.
"I thought I could fix everything."
He gave a bitter laugh.
"But I don't even know where to start."
Mrs. Anna gently touched his shoulder.
"You knew what you were risking."
Elian closed his eyes.
"I know."
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Elian whispered,
"I lost her."
Mrs. Anna looked at him sadly.
"You didn't lose her tonight, Elian."
He looked up.
"You started losing her the moment you chose to betray her trust."
Elian lowered his head again.
And this time, he couldn't argue with her.