Frank was in his room now, lying down, planning to treat the busted lip he got later.
Damn this! You're supposed to be happy, right, Frank? he asked himself in frustration.
He couldn't understand why he felt so overwhelmed with guilt. Every time he remembered Mariely's tear-streaked face and how she had begged him, he wanted so badly to hold her.
But his ego always won. He kept telling himself that there were no real feelings involved—even though he had tried to suppress his emotions with the other women he had flings with, his heart always longed for Mariely.
Goddamn it! No, no. Think about how that woman looks. Don't lower your standards, Frank. That's what his mind constantly reminded him. You're not supposed to feel anything like love. You're not looking for someone to marry. Frank, you're just playing games when it comes to love. That's what he kept telling himself.
He then heard a knock on his door.
"Frank, can I talk to you for a bit?" he heard his father ask.
He sighed heavily. He didn't respond, but the door opened anyway, and he saw his father enter, carrying a bottle of wine and a cold compress.
His father handed him the compress. Frank sighed again and pressed it against his injured lip.
Gino Rogelle Montero just looked at him, quietly studying him while sipping the wine he brought.
"What now, Dad?" Frank asked, shaking his head.
"Here, drink this. Maybe it'll calm your blood down a little," his father said, handing him a glass of wine. Frank took it in silence and drank it down.
"Are you really okay with that?" his father asked him.
"With what?" Frank replied.
"That woman you brought here. She's a very nice, gentle woman. I bet she's nurturing too, right?" his father asked.
He didn't answer—because he knew it was true.
"Is she the same girl you dated back in high school?" his father asked again.
Frank frowned. "How did you know?"
"Why wouldn't I? I saw you two all the time back then, you brat," his dad said, shaking his head.
"You really love her, don't you?" He asked again.
"What a silly question, Dad. We've been in a fake relationship since high school," Frank replied.
"Really? Fake relationship, huh? I can read you like a book, Frank. Well, whatever—you're just mentally messed up right now," his father muttered as he took another sip of wine.
Frank didn't reply to any of it.
"To refresh your mind and heart, I have an offer for you," his dad said.
Frank looked at him. "What offer?"
"But before that—can you really stand the thought of Mariely loving someone else?" his father asked him.
"Who cares? I don't really care," Frank answered.
His father just shook his head.
"A little advice, son: don't deceive your heart. Or you might regret every decision you've made when it's too late," he warned.
"A week from now, I'm sending you to our main branch in the U.S. You'll also visit our other branches there. Don't worry—our investors and partners are already informed. It's up to you if you want to stay longer or come back."
Frank remained silent.
"It's a good time to take a breather and figure out what you want in life. You can come back if you want to," his father said.
After saying his piece, his dad left the room, leaving Frank alone—thinking, surprised by what he had just heard.
He shook his head slowly.
XXX
Ouch. Veron groaned internally, clutching her aching head from a hangover. She and Mariely had spent the entire night crying and drinking.
She noticed how messy her condo was, but she figured she'd clean it later once she felt better. They had drunk themselves to sleep so Mariely could release the pain she had bottled up inside.
She vaguely remembered how much Mariely cried last night while drunk. Their bodies were both exhausted. They didn't have review classes that day anyway since the intensive review had ended last week. They were told to rest.
Their mock exams were over too, and it was now up to them how to prepare for the upcoming board exam.
She looked at the calendar—only five days left before the exam. She let out a long sigh.
She glanced over at Mariely, who was still sound asleep. Her head throbbed with pain from the hangover.
She needed hot water to soothe her headache. She decided to let Mariely sleep a bit longer and smiled softly at how she was sprawled out on the bed.
She went to the kitchen to check if there was anything left for them to drink.
"Veron?" She turned when someone called her.
"Faith," she said, seeing Mariely with disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes—clearly still out of it from last night's drinking.
Mariely went straight to the bathroom. Veron followed her and saw her vomiting from the hangover.
"I don't ever want to drink again. My body hurts all over," Mariely complained after throwing up.
Veron chuckled lightly. "Are you okay in there?" she asked.
Mariely nodded and soon joined her, sitting beside her.
"What do you want to drink?" Veron asked.
"Really hot water, please. My head is spinning—I still feel so dazed," she complained.
"It'll pass. Let's eat some vegetables or hot soup later," Veron said, handing her a cup of hot water.
"Thanks, Veron," she replied, giving a small smile.
Veron smiled back. They sat in silence, drinking the hot water. Mariely wasn't much of a coffee drinker, and Veron wasn't in the mood for coffee either.
"Are you okay now?" Veron asked, turning to her.
Mariely didn't answer right away. Veron heard her sigh.
"Even if I drink and drink, once I sober up, the pain's still there," she said.
"But I do feel a bit lighter now, though I don't even remember most of what I did. Just this headache," she added.
"It shows in your eyes—they're still swollen," Veron commented.
"I can't exactly say I'm okay, but… I need to accept that Zean just isn't the one for me." Mariely smiled, though her eyes still betrayed how deeply she loved Frank.
"Time will heal, Mariely. I know you'll find someone who will love you back," Veron told her.
"Yes, time will heal. But—" she sighed. "I'll just focus on passing the board exam. Five days to go." She chuckled. "I cried for almost a week, didn't I? It's time to get back to reviewing."
"Yeah, we need to. Don't worry. Let's have faith that we'll pass," Veron said.
Mariely nodded and sipped her hot water.
Veron knew she was trying her best to stay strong—not for herself, but to keep Veron from worrying. But she was glad that Mariely was now focusing on her priority.
One day, Faith, you'll be happy. Veron said silently in her heart.