Pak!
A resounding slap landed on Elle's cheek. Her hands trembled as she tried to muster what little courage she had left. She had finally told the truth—the truth she had long been agonizing over, unsure how to reveal it to her parents.
Everything happened so fast that Elle's mother couldn't stop her husband in time.
"What were you thinking, deceiving your husband like that?!" her father shouted, furious.
Elle's mother broke into sobs. "You're a disgrace! We didn't raise you to be like this!"
Elle remained silent. She had no strength to speak. She accepted it—everything was her fault. They wouldn't be this angry if it weren't for the decision she herself insisted on. She was the one who agreed to marry despite her uncertain feelings. She was the one who stayed silent for too long, while the heart of someone who didn't deserve to be hurt slowly shattered.
Only her muffled sobs could be heard.
Her father collapsed onto the sofa, clearly drained, his hand clutching his temple as he shook his head repeatedly. Her mother kept crying, her voice trembling, nearly voiceless from the pain.
"I don't even know what to say to Darius' family," her father blurted. "Even now, I don't know how I'll face them. With every mistake you make, we're judged too—they'll say we didn't raise you right."
He clutched at his hair in frustration. "My God, Elle… what kind of madness possessed you? How could you toy with the feelings of someone who loved you sincerely—especially someone innocent?"
Elle couldn't answer. She wanted to scream, to apologize, to explain. But she knew that no explanation could undo the pain. It was over. The damage had been done.
"If you weren't even sure about Darius, why did you marry him?" her mother asked, voice shaking. "You shouldn't have given him false hope. Did you not think about how much this would hurt him? His family? And the person who never did anything wrong to you? All of us?"
"We looked at you as the pride of this family—and what did you do? Instead of bringing us joy, you brought us shame. And what you did, my child, isn't just a disgrace. Marriage is sacred. It's not something you play with! And as if that wasn't enough, you even treated pregnancy like some kind of experiment! Don't you fear God anymore?"
Elle stayed quiet, bowing her head even lower when she heard a familiar voice outside the room.
"We let you pursue your dream of becoming a model even though it wasn't the profession meant for you! Because we wanted nothing but your happiness! And this is what you do in return?" the voice continued.
"What's going on here? Why can I hear shouting from outside?"
It was Elle's grandfather's voice.
"Dad…" was all her mother managed to say as she quickly wiped her tears.
If she couldn't face her parents earlier, now she especially couldn't look at her grandfather. She knew he'd be the most disappointed of all. She knew he'd place the blame on the parents for their child's mistake. And this time, it would likely fall on her mother.
But the truth was, she had been raised well. She was the one who strayed. And now, she felt the full weight of her actions—not just on her own life, but on her family who got dragged into it, on the man who loved her sincerely, and on one innocent person—Angela.
***
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world...
After the joyful celebration of Clark and Angela's engagement, marking a new chapter in their lives, Clark's parents decided to hold the formal pamamanhikan (Filipino traditional marriage proposal) while everyone was still in San Francisco.
If not for Angela's delicate condition, they would've held it at her Uncle Daniel's home in Orange County. In the end, they settled on a bright, cozy restaurant—a luncheon to honor the Filipino tradition.
Lance and Kitty's family was also present with their only child. Everyone knew how important Kitty was in Angela's life—more than a friend, she was already a sister.
In the middle of discussions about the wedding date, the venue, and future plans, Angela's Uncle Daniel joyfully said:
"I'm so grateful to God for answering my prayers—that you'd find true happiness, my child."
Since the tragedy that devastated Angela's family, Uncle Daniel had seen how hard her journey had been. And now, he could feel the joy in his heart as he looked at the couple—his niece, who seemed to have come back to life, and the man who never gave up on her despite everything.
It was proof of pure and genuine love.
But amidst the happiness, there was still one truth they couldn't bring themselves to reveal—especially not to Darius. Kitty and Lance, no matter how much they tried, still didn't know how to break the news to their cousin.
They hadn't expected things to turn out this way when they arrived.
Kitty had decided to stay temporarily in San Francisco to support Elle, though she still didn't know the full extent of what Elle had done. They hadn't been able to contact her either—they didn't know she had already returned to the Philippines to face her parents. And from there, she planned to face Darius' family, with or without her own parents by her side.
After that, it would be Angela she would have to face. There was no point in prolonging it any further. Each day that passed only added to everyone's pain.
This was the end result of a decision she alone made.
She didn't want Aries dragged into this either. She knew the responsibility was hers alone. In fact, that had been the root of their argument—Aries had been against her plan from the beginning.
But because of Elle's persistence… she had started it all.
And now, there was no turning back.