DYLAN I’m currently in Kiel’s office because we need to have a meeting about the woman he’s been searching for a long time. He entrusted me to find her. On the day of our wedding, he had a one-night stand with a woman, and according to him, they were supposed to have a child. That’s what he said, but I don’t believe it. If they were really having a child, the woman should have come forward to hold him accountable. But months have passed, and she’s still nowhere to be found. "Why can't you all find her?! It's just a simple task!" I winced at Kiel’s outburst—this is how he always reacts whenever we fail to locate the woman. Ever since she disappeared, he’s become even more hot-tempered, colder, and harsher toward everyone around him—even toward me, his friend. "We need to find her! We have to see her!" He said this in frustration, even pulling at his hair. This was the first time I’ve seen him in such a state—going crazy over someone he doesn’t even know. I stayed quie
"HELLO?""Love, are you okay?! Did something happen to you and my child?!" I immediately asked, but the person on the other end just laughed."What’s wrong with you, love? We’re fine—you’re such an overthinker. By the way, why did you call?"I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders upon hearing that, but why was Claire outside? And what was she doing at Gray’s Company?I took a deep breath before telling her the truth. I didn’t want her to know because I was afraid something might happen to her and our child, but I knew how important Claire was to her.I saw the joy on Bea’s face when she found out Claire was pregnant. On our wedding day, she had cried endlessly because of what a friend had said."Love, please don’t be shocked—it might affect you and our baby.""Okay, sure. What is it?""But before that, why is Claire outside? What is she doing at Gray’s Company?"Silence fell on the other end."Love?""H-ha? Uh, well—wait, how did you know she’s there?""I had a meeting with Kiel, l
CLAIRE I woke up crying and immediately held my stomach. "My baby! My baby!" "Claire! Shh... Claire, calm down. The twins are okay now! They're fine!" I looked at Bea because of what she said and grabbed her arm. "Bea, my children! My children!" Bea hugged me to calm me down. "Shh, the twins are okay, Claire. Don’t worry anymore." Because of her words, I looked at her, seeking reassurance. "Yes, they're fine now. That’s what your doctor said. He told me your babies are strong—they fought hard." I burst into tears again at her words and touched my swollen belly. "Forgive Mommy for what I did, my babies. It won’t happen again! We’ll never show ourselves to your father again—he almost killed you!" "What? What do you mean, killed?!" I looked at Bea at her question, seeing the confusion in her eyes. "Z-Zekiel, Bea. Zekiel did this to me. He pushed a woman onto me, making me hit the floor and fall. H-he said we deserved it for being attention-seekers." I cried
“WHY were you at Gray Company, Claire? And of all the places you could stop, it had to be right in front of Kiel? I already told you, that guy has a short temper—and it’s gotten worse now.” I couldn’t answer Dylan’s question. Mom and Nanay were already here. They said they were so worried about me that they even went to my house to get my clothes while I was asleep. I glanced at Bea, who also seemed uneasy about Dylan’s question. I scrambled for an excuse to get out of this. He might suspect something about why I was really there. “Uhh, well… I was supposed to meet a friend—mine and Bea’s friend. She works at Zekiel’s company. But then my stomach started hurting a little, so I had to stop right in front of Zekiel… and then, well, that happened.” Dylan nodded, but I doubted he believed me. He must have seen the CCTV footage—and I definitely didn’t look like I was in pain. The pain I felt was… different. “Oh, Kiel said he’s really sorry. He didn’t mean to do it. He wanted to a
THREE MONTHS LATER “Keep pushing, hija! Don’t stop now!” I didn’t think I could take the pain any longer—my body felt like it was breaking apart. I didn’t have the strength to push anymore. “Ahhh!!!” I forced myself anyway until, finally, my first child was born. The cries of my newborn filled the room as I collapsed onto the bed, gasping for air. “It’s a boy! Your firstborn is a boy, Claire!” Dr. Anderson—Dylan’s mother—announced excitedly. On the day the twins were in danger, I learned that Dylan had taken me to his mother—my own doctor. We were shocked at the coincidence. I’d never even met his mother before. “Claire! Claire, wake up! There’s still another baby inside you!” Her voice echoed in my ears, but my eyelids were too heavy to lift. “Claire, you have to wake up! If you don’t, your baby will d!e!” I tried. I needed to save my child—but the pain was unbearable. I felt like I was dying. “I… I can’t, Auntie ,” I choked out, sending the room into chaos.
CLAIRE couldn’t stop her tears when the baby boy was placed in her arms first, followed by the baby girl. She cradled one in each arm, and the moment she held them close, they suddenly quieted down. “T-twins… I’m your mommy,” Claire whispered. As soon as she spoke, both babies opened their eyes—revealing two pairs of striking gray eyes that made her cry even harder. “You got my eyes!” she said joyfully as they instinctively nuzzled closer. “Our grandchildren are so beautiful! Though it seems they only got your eyes, Claire. They must take after their father,” Lucing remarked. “Well, he must be handsome too—look how gorgeous they are!” Erin chimed in happily, making Claire glance at her through her tears. “Mom… I’m so happy,” Claire murmured as Erin gently wiped her tears away. Meanwhile, Dylan, who had been helping Bea walk toward the twins, froze the moment he saw them from a distance. Bea tensed up, her eyes darting to her husband—especially since the twins looked
CLAIRE A few days later, our lives returned to normal, but now it’s even happier because we have Zayne and Zoey. When I gave birth, Mom and Nanay were overjoyed, and even now, they’re still so happy taking care of the twins. Sometimes, they even fall asleep on my bed, so I just let them stay there while I sleep on the couch. I can’t contain the overwhelming happiness I’ve felt since the moment I saw the twins. I remember how Zoey’s and my life were almost in danger—I didn’t even know I had a heart condition. From what I know, that kind of illness is hereditary, but how? Has it ever been in our family? Maybe from Papa, since I’ve never met him. Thankfully, it was caught early, because otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to bear losing one of the twins. There are two of them, and as much as possible, I want them to always stay together. As for Bea, from what I know, she’ll be giving birth any day now, but the thing is, they’re all in another country. They chose to have
“TELL me, nurse, my mom is okay, right?! She’s okay, isn’t she?!” I frantically asked, my voice trembling, making the nurse sigh heavily. “I’m sorry, miss. Your mother is gone. She was dead on arrival earlier and is now in the morgue.” I staggered back at her words, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face. Clutching my mouth, I immediately ran toward the morgue. “Miss! Miss, wait!” I kept running, my vision blurred by tears. I couldn’t accept the truth—I just couldn’t! When I reached the morgue, I peeked through the door and saw a lone figure lying inside, covered entirely by a white sheet. Hands shaking, I turned the doorknob and stepped in, gently closing the door behind me. I faced the body, praying it wasn’t her. Slowly, I lifted the sheet—and my knees buckled the moment I saw my mother’s lifeless face. I sobbed into my hands, collapsing to the floor. I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t bear losing her. What will happen to me now? What will happen to us? She w
“WOW, Mommy! It really is beautiful!” A house greeted them, adorned with flowers in every corner. The arrangement of items inside felt familiar, reminiscent of Mommy Lucing’s touch. “It’s just like before,” Claire smiled at her mother’s words. “I made sure of it, Nay. I wanted it to feel exactly like our home when we left,” she said. Claire glanced around, feeling a weight lift off her chest. The joy she and her mother shared was immeasurable. After touring the house, they settled into their respective rooms, while Claire and Zoey shared the same room she once had. “Mommy, was this your room before? It’s so pretty!” Zoey grinned, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking around. Claire smiled and sat beside her daughter, taking in the familiar space. “You know what, my daughter? I have so many memories here—happy ones, and of course, sad ones too. I grew up here, from childhood until Grandma… until your lola passed. I don’t regret buying this house back.” “If I were
Quinn was in her second year of college when Claire was just a first-year student, but Claire took an exam that allowed her to skip ahead to the second year. When she passed the exam with a perfect score and no mistakes, all the professors began to take notice of her. She became the go-to person for many whenever there were major events or last-minute dress designs needed. In short, even before she graduated, her professors were already hiring her. Their dean fully supported this, and to her surprise, Quinn’s parents owned the school. Quinn then offered to help Claire with her studies since her family owned the institution. While studying, it was no secret that Claire already had a child because she sometimes brought Zoey to school. Zoey grew up beautiful and intelligent, just like her mother. Many said she would follow in her mother’s footsteps, and Claire believed it—she had seen Zoey’s potential since she was a baby and was proud of it. Now, their lives had returned to th
“Dear Bea, First of all, I want to apologize for not being by your side when you needed me—when you gave birth and when you returned to the Philippines. Trust me, I didn’t want that, but it just happened. Second, I want you to know the reason why. Only a few days had passed after I gave birth before you left, and then Mom died. That day was so painful for me. I didn’t know what to do—whether I could endure it or if I’d ever move on. And then, when Mom’s burial was still fresh in my mind, another blow hit our lives. Bank representatives came and told us we were bankrupt, and all our properties would be used to pay off our debts. We had no choice but to leave the house. We started over, even if it meant renting, and I found a job—until another unexpected thing happened. Zayne got sick; he had dengue. During that time, I began questioning everything happening to us, especially when my eldest almost died. We survived that crisis, and my son lived, but at the cost of the little m
CLAIRE was stunned once again by Bea’s words. She couldn’t believe her friend would judge her so quickly. “You don’t know anything, Bea! Why are you meddling?” Bea let out a bitter laugh at Claire’s words, her eyes visibly pained. Claire herself was shocked by what she had said and wished she could take it back—but it was too late. “You’re right, who am I to interfere? Who even am I?! Hahaha! Are you ending our friendship, Claire?” “I didn’t say that, Bea,” Claire replied calmly. “But that’s what you meant! I hate you! You disappeared like smoke, gave away your own child, and now this is how you treat me?! I hate you!” With that, Bea stormed off before Claire could even react. Claire felt as if a thousand needles had pierced her heart from Bea’s harsh words. Tears streamed down Claire’s face uncontrollably. She had longed to see Bea—her closest friend—but she never expected things to turn out this way. Earlier, when Bea arrived at her workplace, she had wished time w
WHEN they opened the door, they saw Kiel sitting while playing with his child in the crib. They were amazed at how the room was arranged—it was undeniably masculine and so well-decorated that you could immediately tell it was made with love. Given how big Kiel’s house was, he certainly wouldn’t lack the money to design his child’s room. The couple exchanged glances at what they had just witnessed. Both father and child were laughing, which surprised them. It was the first time they had ever seen Kiel laugh like that. Dylan cleared his throat, grabbing their attention. Zekiel also cleared his throat and immediately stood up. “You’re both here,” Zekiel emphasized the word both, but the couple ignored it, especially Bea, who immediately spotted Zayne. “Zayne!!!” Bea immediately ran toward Zayne as soon as she saw him. Zayne was startled by the sudden call, but he didn’t cry—he recognized the young woman’s voice. “Zayne! Auntie-Ninang is here! OMG! You’ve grown so big!
“LOVE, we’ll find Claire eventually,” Dylan reassured his wife with comforting words. Three months had passed since they flew to another country for her to give birth, and three months had also gone by since they last saw Claire and her family. “But I wasn’t by her side. I don’t even know what happened to her. They’re no longer at their house—where did they go?” Bea spoke in confusion to her husband. “Don’t worry, the day will come when we’ll find them. Whatever happened, they must have had a reason for suddenly disappearing, right?” Bea fell silent after hearing her husband’s words. There wasn’t a single hour or day when she didn’t think about her friend, worrying for her. She never expected that upon their return, Claire and her family would be gone. They now had a two-month-old baby girl, Bianca, who slept in a crib in their room. As long as their child was still young, they didn’t want to separate her from them. In the midst of their silence, Dylan’s phone suddenly
ZEKIEL cradled the baby in his arms, their father-son gaze still locked in silent wonder. His breath caught in his throat as overwhelming joy flooded his heart for reasons he couldn’t explain. When he lifted little Zayne, his chest swelled with even greater happiness.“Z-Zayne…”The name slipped from Zekiel’s lips unbidden, and as if responding, the baby squirmed happily in his arms, tiny hands reaching toward his face.Zekiel couldn’t suppress his smile, especially when he noticed the household staff’s reactions to their uncanny resemblance – even their laughter was identical. The moment was perfectly captured by Manang Cecelia’s camera, its audible click making everyone turn toward her, Zekiel most of all.“I couldn’t let such a precious moment go undocumented!” she chirped, making Zekiel’s smile falter as he cleared his throat.“W-where is his mother?”Zekiel’s voice caught nervously at the thought of the woman being nearby.“Just the baby was left at our doorstep, Kiel,” Manang re
I just ignored the police because Quinn still hadn’t stopped crying. I let her be and stayed quiet. I thought of my child again, and tears fell from my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. I told Nanay I was leaving for Quinn’s birthday surprise, but she didn’t know I had taken Zayne with me. I glanced at the clock and saw it was almost midnight. “Quinn, stop crying. It’s not your fault, okay? Don’t blame yourself. It’s my fault for carelessly peeing in a place like that.” I also needed to go home quickly because Nanay might freak out if she didn’t see Zayne there. She didn’t know I had taken him—or worse, that I had given him to his father. Quinn pulled away from my hug and shook her head at me. “T-this wouldn’t have happened if—“ “Shhh, it’s over, Quinn. What matters is I’m okay now, right? So why should you feel guilty?” She fell silent at my words, so I forced a smile at her. I couldn’t genuinely smile because of everything that had happened. “It’s your birthday!
I was still crying when I reached the front of Quinn’s house. I couldn’t hold back my tears, but I couldn’t let Quinn see me like this. She would wonder why and might figure out that I was the one who left the baby at Zekiel’s doorstep. That only made me cry harder. Zayne is my son—I can’t bear to be separated from him, but if it’s for his own good, I’ll do it. I sat down by the gate, hugging my knees. The bag I had used to carry Zayne was still with me, but I had replaced its contents so that if anyone questioned me, they wouldn’t find any evidence. Zayne is my firstborn. The thought made me cry even more. Did I do the right thing? Was giving him up the right choice? "Claire, is that you?" I looked up in surprise and saw Quinn staring at me in confusion, but her expression quickly turned to concern when she saw me crying. "Claire, it’s you! Why are you crying?!" Her question made me sob even harder, my body trembling. She immediately rushed to me and held my shoulders.