“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
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!
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
“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
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
“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
CLAIRE I was half-asleep when I felt the urge to pee, so I stretched on the bed before getting up. But suddenly, I felt something brush against me—and it moved. Then, I felt a warm hand wrap around my waist. My mind snapped awake, and I turned to look beside me, but I winced as a sharp pain shot through my head. What happened? I tried to recall the events until everything came rushing back. "Oh my God!" I whispered under my breath and immediately glanced beside me. There he was—the guy I saw yesterday, shirtless, just like me. I fell back onto the bed, my heart pounding wildly. What do I do?! I just had a one-night stand with a stranger! My God, Claire, what have you done?! I took a deep breath to calm myself before gathering the courage to slowly remove his arm from my waist. I was careful, and thankfully, I succeeded. He stirred slightly, but I quickly slipped away, replacing my spot with a pillow. Then, I felt a dull ache between my thighs. My God! I was a virgin unti
As soon as I entered, I immediately saw Bea, but Dylan was no longer there. I quickly approached her. "Bea," She immediately looked at me, stood up, and hugged me. I felt her shoulders shaking again. She seemed troubled earlier while waiting for me. "C-Claire, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" "Shhh... It's okay, Bea. Don’t worry about it," I said while patting her back, letting her cry in my arms. After a few minutes, she finally calmed down. "Are you okay now?" I asked with a smile, and she nodded. Her eyes were swollen, and her nose was red. Bea was beautiful—she had long black hair with brown highlights, thick eyebrows, long lashes, and thin lips. In short, she was perfect. "Let’s sit down, Bea," I said, and we sat. "Wait, where’s Dylan? He was here earlier, right?" She looked at me curiously. "He left. He said he was going to wake up his friend, the best man, Kiel. You know, you and Kiel would make a great pair! Though he’s a bit grumpy, but with your beauty, I’m sure you co
“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.