Chapter 49a

Maximus

Three months after reading those files, I returned to the Philippines, and the police investigation still hasn't yielded any results, even after a year and a half. I should have lost all my hopes, but the loneliness made me not to. I didn't want to feel empty forever, and I thought that would always be how I felt if I didn't hold on to the hope that my wife would return.

It's been two years since I last saw my wife, and the pain is still fresh. My older brother and friends call me frequently, probably to cheer me up, but it doesn't help. Six months ago, Mariano visited me, and we spent an entire day together. He talked to me seriously and said it was unlikely that Sarina would be found. I was furious because I knew he had a point.

Then, the hope I had been holding onto to stay strong had completely vanished. My brother stayed with me, and I saw the worry on my grandmother's face. I even saw her cry out of fear for my condition because I had attempted to take my own life. I coul