57: I thought you were dead…

Serina decided to stay in the hotel where Khana and Kharl stayed. Serina decided to stay the night at the hotel with Khana and Kharl. It felt reassuring to Khana to have her friend close, even though her world had been turned upside down.

Khana, on the other hand, asked her friend if she could watch over the baby since she had to go to the pharmacy near the church.

“I shouldn’t be long. Just make sure this little guy doesn’t miss me too much.” She tried to sound lighthearted, but her words were tinged with concern.

"Be sure to get back here before this little guy starts looking for his mother," Serina replied.

Khana nodded, though the hesitation lingered in her steps as she left the hotel room. She moved quickly through the streets, the pharmacy near the church being her destination. The day had worn on, and the evening was beginning to settle in. The sky was a soft wash of purples and oranges as the sun dipped toward the horizon, casting long shadows across the buildings.

Khana hurriedly went to the pharmacy, but on her way to the hotel, she saw a lot of people leaving the church. She recalled what the sister in the church had told her, She had said there would be a mass later that evening, and as Khana passed by the church on her way back, she noticed a large group of people exiting. The sound of murmured conversations and the shuffle of feet filled the air.

She paused for a moment, the impulse to go inside tugging at her. But she shook her head. Not tonight, she thought. Kharl was waiting for her, and so was Serina. There would be time later—she hoped—to seek answers. For now, she needed to return. She had no time to see it for herself. She has to go home quickly.

Khana sighed and went back home. Unexpectedly, she witnessed Serina struggling to change Kharl's diaper.

When she opened the door to their room, a sight greeted her that made her stifle a laugh. Serina was in the middle of an epic struggle with Kharl, attempting to change his diaper with minimal success. Kharl, for his part, was wriggling and kicking, making the task even harder.

"Consider this a tutorial," says Khana as she changes her son's diaper. "Believe me I didn't know I could do this until I found myself changing the baby's diaper," says Khana while laughing with her friend.

Khana noticed Serina's sudden change of mood, the latter became silent and was awkward. Her friend had grown unusually quiet, and an awkward tension seemed to hang in the air. Khana began asking, "Is there something bothering you?"

Serina bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before she spoke, "I'm just wondering, you mentioned you had lost feelings towards Richard and realized you still love Henry, even though he's already a priest. Yet, you were forced to marry Richard out of guilt as you mentioned, they tricked you..."

"Indeed, but what are you trying to say, Seri?"

"You still slept with Richard even though you don't love him?"

Khana was frozen upon recalling how Kharl must have been made, it was not consensual, but she'd chosen to let go of that memory.

"Can you keep this as confidential as well? You see... I can't undo the things I've done before, nor my bad decisions in life."

"It's okay if you don't want to discuss it, Khana. I'm always here for you, just tell me when you're ready."

"He was an accident baby. I was so drunk, only to find out I spent the night with him. I can't blame him though, I wasn't careful enough, so careless that I allowed him to take advantage of my state," Khana explained.

She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before speaking. “Serina… There are some things I wish I could undo, things I regret. But I can’t change what’s already been done," she added.

"I didn't know... I thought Richard was the right one for you," Serina replied and embraced Khana. She stayed the night there, but left the next morning, promised to stay connected with her.

"Speaking of that priest..."

Khana cut her friend off, and uttered, "He's dead. His car collided and fell off a cliff and burnt to ashes."

"I once saw on the headline that a priest was incarcerated in a car as it fell on a cliff, but the news was removed in the stream. Is it real?! How'd you know it, there was no mention of the name before the news vanished from media outlets," Serina asked.

"Richard hired someone to tail him and this person confirmed it was Henry. Then, Richard blocked all the news outlets."

"Too bad. what a tragic end," Serina added.

Khana held onto her friend, feeling the warmth of Serina’s support wrap around her like a shield against the darkness of her past. For a moment, they stayed like that, two friends connected by shared sorrow and strength.

Eventually, Serina pulled back, her expression resolute. “I’m going to help you, Khana. Whatever you need, whenever you need it—I’m here.”

Khana nodded, her heart swelling with gratitude. “Thank you, Serina. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Serina stayed the night, but in the morning, she had to leave. She promised to stay in touch, checking in on Khana and Kharl whenever she could

On the next day, Khana went to the church to pray and god must have its way to surprise 

her. The guy who everybody assumed dead had shown up in an unexpected way.

When she entered the church, it was quiet, the air thick with the scent of incense and the soft glow of candlelight. She made her way to the altar, kneeling to pray. Her eyes closed as she whispered her thoughts to God, hoping for some sign, some guidance. And then, as if in answer to her unspoken prayer, she heard a voice—a voice she hadn’t heard in years.

“Khana?”

Her eyes flew open, her heart skipping a beat. She turned, her breath catching in her throat.

Standing there, just a few feet away, was Henry.

For a moment, the world seemed to tilt on its axis. Khana’s mind struggled to process what she was seeing.

"Henry?" Khana let a name out.

Henry's eyes drifted to the baby in her arms, his expression shifted from surprise to something softer, something almost unreadable.