The next morning, Elian barely touched his breakfast.
He sat at the table, staring at the untouched food in front of him.
Mrs. Anna watched him quietly.
"Elian, you need to eat."
"I'm not hungry."
"You've barely eaten since yesterday."
He didn't respond.
His phone sat beside his hand.
Cherry's name was still at the top of his messages.
He opened their conversation.
Their last exchange was painfully ordinary.
Goodnight, Elian.
He stared at those words for a long time.
Then he typed.
Elian: Please talk to me.
He looked at the message.
His thumb hovered over send.
After a moment, he sent it.
No response.
He waited.
Nothing.
Across Manila, Cherry was sitting quietly in her room.
Her phone buzzed.
She looked at the screen.
Elian.
She read his message.
Her eyes became heavy with emotion.
But she didn't reply.
She placed the phone face down and walked toward the window.
She had cried enough.
Now she needed to learn how to live without him.
Meanwhile, Elian continued staring at his phone.
Mrs. Anna watched him from across the room.
She knew he was finally beginning to understand the weight of what he had done.
But understanding it wouldn't bring Cherry back.
Not unless Cherry chose to return.
Meanwhile, at the Haynes house, Nicklaus was in his room.
He stood by the window, looking out at the morning sky with a satisfied smile.
Elian was finally out of Cherry's life.
The thought alone made him happy.
He remembered the look on Elian's face when he had been forced to leave.
Nicklaus smiled to himself.
"Finally."
He sat on the edge of his bed, leaning back comfortably.
"For once, he won't be around her."
His feelings for Cherry had never disappeared.
If anything, they had only grown stronger.
Now that Elian was no longer her boyfriend, Nicklaus saw an opportunity.
He knew Cherry was hurting, and he wasn't going to rush her.
He wanted her to heal first.
But sooner or later, he intended to make her see that he had always been there.
A knock sounded on his door.
"Come in."
Cherry's voice came from outside.
"Nicklaus?"
His smile immediately widened.
"Yes?"
The door opened.
Cherry stood there quietly.
Nicklaus's expression softened.
"Are you okay?"
Cherry nodded.
"I'm fine."
Nicklaus knew she wasn't.
But he didn't push.
Instead, he simply smiled.
"Come in. Sit with me."
Cherry walked inside.
Nicklaus watched her carefully, his happiness hidden behind a gentle expression.
Elian was gone.
And for the first time, Nicklaus believed he might actually have a chance with Cherry.
Cherry sat quietly beside Nicklaus.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Nicklaus looked at her and noticed how tired she seemed. Without saying anything, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her gently against him.
"Hey," he said softly. "You don't have to pretend you're okay with me."
Cherry remained silent.
Nicklaus rubbed her arm.
"I know you're hurting."
Cherry lowered her eyes.
"I'll be fine eventually."
"I know you will."
He paused before continuing.
"But you need to remember something, Cherry. What happened wasn't your fault."
She looked at him.
Nicklaus's expression was sympathetic, but there was something calculated beneath it.
"You loved him honestly. You trusted him. You stood by him when he had nothing."
Cherry's eyes dropped again.
"And what did he do with that trust?"
She didn't answer.
"He went back to Cindy."
Nicklaus sighed.
"Maybe that's who he always wanted."
Cherry's expression tightened.
Nicklaus continued carefully.
"Think about it. If Cindy hadn't meant something to him anymore, why would he have gone to her?"
"Nicklaus..."
"I'm not trying to hurt you."
His voice became gentler.
"I'm trying to make you see that you deserve better."
Cherry pulled away slightly.
Nicklaus looked at her.
"Elian knew how much you loved him. He knew what you'd done for him. He knew you were waiting for him that night."
Cherry's eyes became distant.
"And he still chose Cindy."
She swallowed hard.
Nicklaus reached for her hand.
"Don't keep blaming yourself for his choices."
Cherry stared at their joined hands.
"I just don't understand why."
Nicklaus gave her a sad smile.
"Maybe because you were never the problem."
He squeezed her hand.
"Maybe you simply loved the wrong man."
Cherry didn't respond.
Nicklaus leaned back, giving her space while continuing softly.
"One day, you'll look back and wonder why you ever begged someone to choose you when there was someone else who would have chosen you without hesitation."
Cherry slowly looked at him.
Nicklaus held her gaze.
"I'll never ask you to compete with another woman for my heart."
His words lingered in the quiet room.
Cherry said nothing.
But Nicklaus could see that his words had reached her.
And that was exactly what he wanted.
Cherry remained beside Nicklaus, staring down at the floor.
His words kept replaying in her mind.
Maybe you simply loved the wrong man.
She didn't want to believe that.
But every time she tried to defend Elian in her mind, the image of that night returned.
Nicklaus noticed her silence.
"You don't have to answer me," he said gently. "Just give yourself time."
Cherry nodded.
"I think that's what I need."
Nicklaus smiled.
"Then take all the time you need."
He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before letting his arm fall away.
Cherry stood.
"I'm going downstairs."
"Okay."
She walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, she stopped.
"Thank you, Nicklaus."
He looked at her.
"For what?"
"For listening."
Nicklaus smiled warmly.
"Anytime."
Cherry left the room.
The moment the door closed, Nicklaus's expression changed.
He leaned back against the headboard, quietly satisfied.
He wasn't going to force Cherry to love him.
He would simply be there while Elian continued making himself look like the wrong choice.
And sooner or later, he believed Cherry would choose him herself.
Meanwhile, at Elian's house...
Elian sat alone in the living room, his phone resting in his hand.
He had tried calling Cherry several times.
She hadn't answered once.
He opened their messages again, staring at the last message he had sent.
Please talk to me.
Still nothing.
Mrs. Anna came downstairs and found him in the same position.
"You haven't gone to work?"
Elian shook his head.
"I can't concentrate."
She sat across from him.
"Elian, avoiding everything won't change what happened."
"I know."
He looked down.
"I just don't know how to face her."
Mrs. Anna sighed.
"You need to accept that Cherry has every right to be angry with you."
"I know that too."
Elian's voice became quieter.
"But I don't want her to disappear from my life."
Mrs. Anna looked at him sadly.
"Then don't chase her with promises. Show her that you're willing to take responsibility for what you did."
Elian remained silent.
After a moment, he looked toward the stairs.
"Lola..."
"Hmm?"
"Do you think she can ever forgive me?"
Mrs. Anna took a breath.
"Forgiveness is her choice."
Elian nodded slowly.
"And whether she comes back to you is also her choice."
He lowered his head.
For once, Elian had nothing to say.
His phone suddenly vibrated.
His heart jumped.
He immediately looked at the screen.
It wasn't Cherry.
It was a message from Cindy.
Cindy: Can we meet? I need to talk to you.
Elian stared at the message.
His expression hardened.
After everything that had happened, he wasn't sure he could face her anymore.
Later that afternoon, Elian drove to the beach.
Cindy was already waiting near the shore.
She turned when she heard his footsteps.
"Elian."
He stopped a few feet away from her.
"What did you want to talk about?"
Cindy studied his face.
"You look terrible."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not."
Elian looked toward the ocean.
"I don't have much time, Cindy."
She stepped closer.
"I heard about what happened between you and Cherry."
His jaw tightened.
"Who told you?"
"It doesn't matter."
Cindy reached for his arm, but Elian gently moved away.
"Don't."
She looked hurt.
"You're angry with me."
"I'm angry with myself."
That answer caught her off guard.
Elian stared out at the water.
"I knew I had someone who trusted me completely."
His voice was heavy.
"And I betrayed her."
Cindy lowered her gaze.
"You still have feelings for me."
Elian didn't answer immediately.
"Maybe I did."
He finally looked at her.
"But that doesn't make what I did right."
Cindy's expression changed.
"So you regret being with me?"
"I regret hurting Cherry."
Silence settled between them.
Cindy swallowed.
"Then why did you come?"
Elian looked at her for a long moment.
"Because you asked me to."
He stepped back.
"But I need you to understand something."
Cindy waited.
"I can't keep doing this."
Her eyes widened.
"Elian..."
"I'm done hiding."
He turned toward the ocean again.
"I don't know what happens between Cherry and me from here."
His voice cracked slightly.
"But I'm not going to hurt her again just because I'm confused about my own feelings."
Cindy stared at him, realizing that for the first time, he wasn't looking at her the way he used to.
And that frightened her.