"Psst! You're awfully quiet," Dylan said as he stepped out of the apartment. He found Darius leaning against the SUV, silent, staring off into nothing.
"I've been watching you for a while now, bro. You haven't said a word."
Darius didn't respond immediately. His mind was still deep in thought. It took a few moments before he finally spoke.
"Uhm… I don't know how to start," he said softly, almost in a whisper. "When I found out about her from you, the first thing I thought was—I need to talk to her right away. But now…"
He sighed, still looking off into the distance, as if avoiding eye contact.
"Now that I'm here, everything feels different. All the things I wanted to say just vanished. I keep thinking about what happened in the alley—that moment we crossed paths. I know I hurt her back then…" He shook his head, and his voice carried the weight of regret.
Dylan didn't interrupt. He let Darius speak.
"I really wanted to talk to her, that's why I went to the hospital to ask Clark. But then you guys arrived… and I backed out. And now, after knowing the whole story, it's like I lost my right. I feel even more paralyzed."
He ran both hands over his face, then pushed his hair back.
"It's heavy… in my chest. But I don't know how to let it out. I know I'm part of the reason why she got hurt… maybe that's why she didn't tell me about our child. She couldn't trust me anymore."
Silence. In the distance, laughter echoed from inside, but between them, a different kind of quiet hung—deeper, heavier.
"I'm scared now, Dylan," he added, almost whispering. "I might say something again. I might do something wrong. And if that happens… I'll never forgive myself."
They sat in silence for a few moments before Dylan finally spoke.
"You know, no matter where you look in this world, nothing really comes easy. Pain always comes with it. It's up to us how we face it and carry on."
"Every mistake is a mirror. To teach us. To remind us some things are wrong and shouldn't be repeated. We're only human. Nobody's perfect. We all have regrets."
He looked at Darius.
"But if you really want to talk to her, now's your chance. Before you go back to Philippines."
Silence again. Only the wind moved. Under the streetlight, the tension in Darius's shoulders was visible.
"I just want to ask something," Dylan suddenly said. "Do you still have feelings for my cousin?"
Darius turned to him briefly but quickly looked away. He didn't answer right away. Dylan was about to leave when he finally heard Darius's quiet reply.
"I don't know," he said, soft but clear. "I'm not sure. Maybe it's just regret. Or jealousy. Especially when I saw how they were together. The way they looked at each other…" He bowed his head, resisting the urge to bury his face in his hands.
"Earlier while we were eating… I forced myself to swallow the food. Honestly, I had no appetite. Even one bite was hard to get down."
"So many 'what ifs' in my head. What if that didn't happen to her mom, and they never left? What if I had tried harder to look for her back then?" He started lightly kicking the pavement at his feet, over and over, like trying to crush a weight he couldn't lift.
Dylan sighed. He didn't say anything, but he felt everything.
***
Meanwhile, inside the apartment…
"We should probably head out soon. You need to rest," Lance said to Gel, who already looked exhausted.
He could tell his cousin wasn't ready to talk to Angela yet, and he didn't want to push it.
"Yeah. We'll head back to the hotel," Kitty added. "But we'll visit you again before we leave, if that's okay?"
She looked at Clark, who nodded and gave a small smile.
"Thanks. We've got something to take care of tomorrow," Kitty added.
"Thank you so much for having us. Sorry if we caused any trouble," she said as she approached Gel.
Kitty hugged her friend. Tightly.
"I really missed you. Take care of yourself, okay? Let's keep in touch."
"I missed you too, sis. Thank you. Yeah… from now on, we'll keep in touch," Gel replied, trying to hold back tears. They didn't want to part ways just yet. They knew time wasn't enough. But the moment they shared was enough to begin rebuilding the bridge between them.
Lance and Clark shook hands. A brief exchange—enough to show respect.
While Darius drowned in guilt outside, a quiet farewell unfolded inside the apartment…
Lance and Kitty finally stepped out. That's when they saw Darius and Dylan, silent, both leaning against the SUV Darius had rented.
"Oh, there you guys are," Lance said.
"I thought you ditched us," Kitty joked.
"We said goodbye so Gel can rest. I didn't realize you were just out here," Lance explained.
But Darius stayed quiet. Didn't say a word.
So, Dylan stepped in.
"Let's give him some space. Maybe he's not ready yet."
He said it simply, but it was enough for everyone to understand what he meant.
The couple exchanged a glance but didn't say anything more. They understood Dylan perfectly.
***
"What are we supposed to do now?" Kitty asked once they returned to their hotel room.
She had hoped Angela and Darius would finally talk things through before Elle's secret exploded—one that only she and Lance knew… for now.
"God, it feels like this trial will never end." She dropped herself onto the bed, sinking into the soft mattress.
"I don't know either, babe." Lance rubbed his face with both hands.
"My head's a mess right now. I don't know what to do. If we were back in the Philippines, I'd have people to ask for advice." He stood before the glass wall, gazing at the chilly sky outside, where clouds drifted slowly.