Veron noticed the deep sighs Mariely had been letting out that day. Andrew had called her, asking if she could personally accompany Faith to the hospital—without Edward knowing.
"Besh," she called softly.
Mariely didn't answer. She just looked at her, as if forcing herself to hide whatever burden she was carrying. She managed a small, polite smile.
"How's baby Kaye?" Veron asked gently.
Mariely's lips curved into a bittersweet smile. "She's there… My brother is still looking for money to pay the down payment," she said sadly.
"Edward hasn't paid you yet?" Veron asked.
Mariely shook her head weakly. "M—Maybe tomorrow he'll give me the money."
Suddenly, her phone rang, startling her. She quickly checked the caller ID.
She sighed before answering—it was Nathan.
"Brother," she greeted.
Her eyes widened as she listened, glancing nervously at Veron, who was standing nearby. She scratched her head awkwardly.
"Y—Yes, brother… I—I'll be the one to pay that now… y–yes, I already have the money that he borrowed from you."
Veron frowned at what she was hearing. Mariely looked like she was on the verge of tears after ending the call. That's when Veron noticed a mark on her friend's neck.
"Besh… What happened to your neck?" Veron asked carefully, hoping she would tell her the truth.
Mariely was caught off guard and quickly covered it.
"A–Ah, t–this? Just a scratch," she replied with a forced smile.
Veron didn't want to push her, so she simply nodded.
"Besh, you're going to the hospital this afternoon, right?" she asked.
Mariely nodded. Veron smiled. "I'm coming with you—I want to see baby Kaye." She slipped an arm around Faith's shoulders.
"S–Sure," she replied softly.
Veron patted her back. She could tell her friend wasn't herself today—Mariely might have wanted to break down right then, but she was holding it all in.
As planned, Veron went with her. They headed to the hospital where Nathan's third child had been admitted due to lung complications. Mariely grew restless as they neared the child's private room.
"Faith, didn't you say you wanted to borrow money from me?" Veron asked.
Mariely nodded. "B—But I understand… it's a huge amount."
"Let's go to the cashier. We'll pay for Kaye's operation now," Veron said with a smile.
Mariely looked at her in surprise, confusion in her eyes.
"But Veron—" she began, her voice trembling.
"Let's go. And we'll tell Nathan that everything's settled and all that's left is to wait for Kaye's schedule," Veron insisted.
Mariely suddenly hugged her, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest. Veron patted her back.
"Let's go," she said again.
Mariely nodded, and together they went to the cashier. They approached the teller to pay the full amount for the operation—so that the only expenses left after surgery would be the room and other post-op needs.
"V–Veron, i–it's fine to just pay half first," Faith said in shock.
"Faith, it's okay," Veron reassured her. It wasn't her money, though—it was Frank's. But she couldn't say that now.
"V–Veron, i–it will take me a long time to pay you back," Faith murmured.
"No, it's fine," Veron said with a smile. Then, leaning closer so no one else would hear, she whispered,
"You don't have to pay me back—someone else paid for you."
"Thank you," she said, tearing up as the operation was paid in full. "I'll pay you back little by little."
"What are you saying? Don't worry about it," Veron replied.
"Now wipe those tears."
Mariely nodded and laughed softly. After paying, they went to the private room.
******
Mariely wanted to break down. An angel had answered her prayers, and she was deeply grateful to her friend. Inside the room, Nathan immediately asked,
"Ely, did you pay it already?"
"Y–Yes, brother," she replied.
"Edward said he sent you one hundred thousand. Did you pay the full amount?"
She only nodded. The operation cost ninety-five thousand pesos, plus an additional ten thousand they had already paid before—making the total one hundred five thousand.
"I just added ten thousand so it wouldn't be too heavy for you," she explained.
She didn't tell him that she now owed her friend Veron a lot. Veron, standing nearby, only smiled.
Her sister-in-law Nadia hugged her tightly, knowing the pressure they were under because of their three-year-old's condition.
"Thank you so much, Ely," Nadia said.
She simply nodded, happy to help.
"How's baby Kaye?" She asked to change the subject.
"She's fine. I can finally breathe now, knowing she'll be operated on soon. She's just sleeping right now," Nathan said.
Mariely looked at her niece—fast asleep, as if nothing was wrong. She gently brushed the child's hair, smiling. She would do anything for her niece. She was lucky to have a friend like Veron, who had eased such a heavy burden. She would think about how to repay her later.
"Have you both eaten?" Nathan asked.
"Brother, we'll grab something outside later. How about you and Nadia?"
"We're fine. I just hope we can be discharged soon," Nathan said.
"Nadia, baby Kaye is such a brave girl. I know she'll be discharged earlier than expected after the surgery," Veron said warmly.
"Thank you so much," Nadia replied.
Suddenly, a visitor entered. Mariely froze when she saw him, fear crawling up her spine.
"Oh, Edward, you're here," Nathan greeted.
"Good evening, Hon. Have you paid already?" Edward asked in that sweet tone that masked his violent nature. Mariely swallowed hard. He shot her a secret look before turning back to Nathan.
"Yes, she paid. Thank you, Edward," Nathan said with a smile.
Edward's gaze lingered on her for a moment, heavy with meaning, before returning to Nathan.
"That's good to hear. Kaye will be fine. We'll just wait for the operation. I'm sure she'll recover quickly," he said, smiling as he looked at the sleeping child.
"Yeah," Nathan agreed with a sigh of relief.
"Brother, I'll go with Veron to buy food. Do you need anything?" Mariely asked.
"Yeah, thanks, Mariely," Nathan said.
"I'll go with them," Edward offered.
"Why don't you rest, Edward? Veron is here," Mariely said, forcing a smile at the man who had become her living nightmare.
Edward nodded. "Okay. Just be careful."
Mariely immediately grabbed Veron's hand and squeezed it tightly. Veron understood and left the room with her.
Outside, Mariely began to have a panic attack—she couldn't breathe properly.
"Mariely, are you okay?" Veron asked in concern.
"I—I'm fine… J—just give me a minute," Faith said, struggling for breath.
Veron rubbed her back until she calmed down. Mariely sighed deeply, and Veron simply looked at her with quiet concern.
"I'm okay now… sorry," Mariely said apologetically.
"No problem. Come on," Veron replied with a smile.
Mariely nodded, letting her friend drape an arm over her shoulders—the silent assurance that she was safe.
She loved her friend dearly, and she would never forgive herself if Veron got caught in the storm that was her life.