Prologue:

Athena has been repeatedly trying to call her boyfriend on his cellphone, but she cannot reach him. She has been standing outside the automobile shop where she works while continuously attempting to contact him. They had an agreement that he would pick her up after her work, and then they would have dinner together because it was their second anniversary as a couple.

"Oh, Athena, you're still here. I thought you had already gone home," Morgan approached Athena after a while, glancing around. "Where's Egon?" Morgan asked Athena. Athena and Morgan are close friends who both work at an automobile shop.

"Huh? Um... he's not here yet," Athena replied gently to Morgan, simultaneously expressing her disappointment as she gave up trying to call her boyfriend on the phone.

"Huh? Where is he supposed to be?"

"That's the thing. I've been calling him for a while now, but he's not answering, so... I don't know where he is."

"Is that so? How about you just ride with me on the way home? Then you can message Egon that I'll be the one to take you home," Morgan offered to Athena.

"Oh, no, it's okay. I'll just wait for him here. Besides, we have plans," Athena said, accompanied by a gentle smile that seemed to convey a sense of excitement.

"Oh, right!" Morgan exclaimed, gently tapping her own forehead. "You do have a dinner date because it's your 2nd anniversary today as a couple."

Athena bit her lower lip, feeling having butterflies in the stomach every time she thought about their 2nd anniversary with her boyfriend. Until now, she couldn't believe that their love for each other had endured for this long.

"Yes, it's our 2nd anniversary today," she said with a smile.

"But where is he?" Morgan asked her with concern.

"Huh?"

"Why isn't he here yet? Shouldn't he be here by now?"

The smile on her face slowly faded as thoughts played in her mind. Where is her boyfriend, and what’s causing his delay? Is he still busy with work, or could something have happened to him?

She tried calling her boyfriend's cellphone again, and when he still didn't answer, she decided to go to him.

"I have to go, Morgan, I'll leave you for now," she quickly said, bidding farewell to her friend.

"Huh? Why? Where are you going? Has he answered your call? Have you talked to him?" Morgan asked in rapid succession, but she paid no attention. Instead, she hailed a jeepney and boarded it, heading towards her boyfriend.

Her growing concern prompted her to head straight to the company where he worked, Xone Design Solutions, where he had been a sales manager for almost three years. She thought he might be held up at work again due to the constant demands from his boss. Her boyfriend often came home late because of the numerous tasks assigned to him by his boss.

She couldn't help but be amazed by the size and beauty of the Xone Design Solutions building. It wasn't her first time there, but she always marveled at it whenever she visited.

She promptly approached the receptionist to inquire if Egon was still inside. However, the woman mentioned that he had already clocked out a while ago. Worry and uncertainty immediately registered on her face. If that's the case, where could Egon be?

With a furrowed brow, she walked out of the building while attempting to call Egon on his cellphone again. Unfortunately, this time his phone was turned off, and she couldn't reach him.

"Where could he be?" she asked herself in a concerned tone until she accidentally bumped into someone due to not paying attention to the path. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir! I didn't mean to!" she hastily apologized as the man's iced coffee spilled on his clothes.

Quickly taking her handkerchief from her pocket, she started wiping the man's clothes until she looked up and froze when she heard his deep voice. "You?" She was taken aback as he raised his eyebrows, staring at her.

"H-Huh?" She suddenly stumbled, unsure of the reason. In an instant, her heart seemed to flutter due to the incredibly handsome man in front of her.

She noticed the slight movement of the man's Adam's apple as he took a step back. "Uhm, it's okay," he reassured her.

"I-I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to," she apologized again.

"No worries, it's okay," he replied calmly, then continued walking away from her.

For a moment, the man occupied her thoughts, but she quickly snapped back to reality, remembering her boyfriend whom she couldn't find or contact.

In the end, she decided to go to his condo unit. It was already past ten in the evening when she arrived. She felt both hungry and tired from a day of work and now from searching and worrying about her boyfriend.

Upon Athena's arrival in front of Egon's condo unit, she was taken aback to see that it wasn't locked. So, she slowly opened it and entered. About to call her boyfriend's name, she noticed his shoes there, next to a pair of women's sandals.

Her lips parted in astonishment. Egon was here, and it seemed he wasn't alone because there was someone with him. But who? Who owned these sandals?

She found it difficult to swallow as her heartbeat intensified with various thoughts flooding her mind. In the end, she silently continued entering until she saw some scattered clothes on the floor. A pink blazer belonging to a woman and her boyfriend's shirt were there. There were also discarded stockings, a belt, and a skirt. That's when her vision started to blur. Both corners of her eyes warmed with tears trying to escape. She didn't want to accept whatever was playing in her mind right now. However, after a few moments, she heard faint sounds coming from Egon's room.

She took a slow step closer. The door was slightly open, allowing her to glimpse inside. Her heart nearly shattered at what she witnessed. It seemed like her heart momentarily stopped beating, and her world crumbled with everything she saw.

Egon, her boyfriend, was currently intimate with another woman. She bit her lips, trying to hold back the sounds of her sobs. Witnessing her boyfriend betraying her on the very day of their anniversary was extremely difficult to endure.

"Oh, fuck! Keep going. Ahh!" Egon groaned with closed eyes, seemingly indulging in pleasure with the woman atop him, rhythmically moving up and down.

"Oh, shit! Ahh!" the woman moaned in response.

In those moments, it felt like Athena's feet were nailed to the ground. She wanted to move away from that place, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Suddenly, it seemed like strength abandoned her, replaced by weakness.

When Egon opened his eyes and caught her gaze, he immediately froze and swiftly halted the woman on top of him. Egon swallowed nervously, staring at her in shock. "B-Babe..." he softly uttered to her.

The woman lying beside Egon quickly turned to her, her eyes widening in surprise as she recognized who it was. "A-Athena..." the woman exclaimed in astonishment.

"Y-You?" she said bitterly and teary-eyed to the woman. She couldn't believe that the woman now with her boyfriend was none other than her stepsister, whom she treated like a true sibling. "T-Tierney?"

"Shit!" Tierney cursed as she quickly got off Egon. She swiftly grabbed the comforter from the bed to cover her naked body.

Egon immediately reached for his boxers, quickly putting them on and taking a cautious step towards Athena. "Don't come near! Stay there!" she quickly instructed him while tears streaming down her face.

"B-Babe..."

"So that's why I couldn't contact you. That's why you didn't pick me up from work. That's why you forgot what today is. Because you're busy engaging in intimacy with someone else!" she cried out in anger.

"I'm sorry," he apologized to her.

"Sorry? You're an animal. All of you! Pigs! Disgusting! And it had to be Tierney, huh?" she said, crying and filled with anger.

"Athena—”

"And you!" she quickly interrupted her sister. "What kind of sibling are you? Tierney, he's my boyfriend!" she said bitterly and hurt while her tears continued to fall.

"Yes, he's your boyfriend. But he doesn't love you," Tierney replied.

"What?" she exclaimed.

"Just because he's your boyfriend doesn't mean he's all yours. Athena, wake up! You're so boring. Do you really think Egon will last with you? You've only reached two years because I'm here." She couldn't believe what Tierney was saying.

"What are you saying? So... does that mean you've been deceiving me for a long time? Huh? You've been fooling me for a long time?" Instead of answering, Tierney just smirked at her, further fueling her anger.

"Athena—" Egon tried to speak and approach her, but she immediately rushed at him, delivering furious blows.

"You beast! You're all beasts! Pigs! Disgusting!" she cried while striking him.

"Athena, that's enough," Egon said, trying to shield himself from her blows and anger.

Eventually, she approached Tierney too and didn't waste any time. She quickly grabbed her hair.

"Ouch! You, bitch!" Tierney angrily shouted at her and retaliated with a hair pull. But she didn't back down; instead, she slapped the woman hard, nearly making her deaf and stunned.

"Athena, don't hurt her!" Egon angrily yelled at her, pushing her away. She ended up sitting on the floor, hitting her bottom. She couldn't feel the pain, as the ache in her heart overshadowed everything.

She tearfully stood up, wiping away her tears in anger. "Don't hurt her? Egon, it's me you're hurting now!"

"Leave," Egon sternly told her.

"What?"

"Leave, and don't bother us anymore."

"I'm the one causing trouble here now?" she bitterly questioned the man. "Egon, why? How can you do this to me? I loved you, right? Did I fall short for you? Egon, haven't I done and given everything to you?"

Tierney chimed in. "If you've done and given him everything, he wouldn't be looking for someone else."

"Shut up! Bitch!" she angrily retorted to Tierney.

"Why, Athena? Have you ever satisfied Egon in bed? Huh? Have you ever made him moan in pleasure? Not yet, right?"

"Why, Tierney? Is that now the measure of love? Do you think he loves you more than me just because you spread your legs in front of him and moaned like a crazy woman?"

Tierney seemed deeply offended by what she said, prompting her to quickly approach and deliver a strong slap.

"Tierney, that's enough," Egon gently scolded the woman.

"Let me tell you, you're worthless. You're not only a useless daughter but also a worthless girlfriend. That's why you're easily replaced," Tierney stated.

She recalled her father who always favored Tierney since she entered their lives.

"Athena, leave," Egon reiterated.

Feeling like her heart was gradually being sliced due to the overwhelming pain of being betrayed by the man she loved and her stepsister, she continued shedding tears. Finally, she turned away from them and started taking steps away. She didn't know what she had done to deserve this kind of treatment. In the end, she bitterly wiped away her tears and left that place for good.

As she exited the condominium building, she stopped in her tracks. She felt lost, unsure of where to go or what to do. Her cellphone rang, and it was a call from their household helper, Manang Lucia. She hesitated to answer but was surprised to see missed calls from her father earlier.

"Hello—"

"Oh, my God! Thank God you finally answered!"

"Manang Lucia, why—"

"Ma'am Athena, it's your dad."

"Huh? Why? What happened to Daddy?"

"We rushed him to the hospital, ma'am, but..." She heard sobs from the other end.

"Hello? Manang Lucia? Why? What happened to Daddy? Which hospital are you in?" she asked frantically.

"Ma'am Athena... your dad is gone. He's gone," their nanny tearfully announced.