"Z—Zean, do the two of them know?" Mariely's only question came out in a trembling voice.
"Yeah, they know," he replied, turning to Mariely as he took her hand in his.
"Zean, they shouldn't get involved in this."
He let out a heavy sigh. "Look at you—bearing all of this silently, and you're still worrying about the people around you. You're too soft." He shook his head in disbelief.
"I just don't want them to get hurt. My brother… w–what did you give him?" she asked hesitantly.
"You don't need to know. Come on, Andrew's waiting for you," he said, gently pulling her along.
He quickly got her into the car.
"You shouldn't be here… caught up in my mess," she said sadly.
"That's why someone's been watching over you, quietly. Because you always say things like that."
She went quiet beside him. "Zean, you have a girlfriend already, don't you? You should be spending your time on her."
"Yeah. I'm spending my time and effort on her right now," he said, looking straight at her.
"I know you're just saying that to calm me down, but… don't fool my heart right now, Zean. It's enough for me just to talk to you. I hope you're not deceiving me again. Please… don't give my heart false hope like this."
"I love you. It's not fake—because that's truly how I feel. If I hadn't left and lived in the States, even if I denied my feelings, it was never easy to pretend," he said, touching her cheek, his gaze locking with hers.
"It's not easy to pretend, Faith. Just fall in love with me again. This time, I'll love you back ten times more than what you showed and gave me before. Just fall in love… and give it to me. Because I've been the only one meant to have you since day one of our relationship."
"You're so unfair," she said with a teary laugh. "I always love falling in love with you over and over again. I'm willing to be a fool again just to be with you. You're so, so unfair." Her voice broke as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Please don't cry. Don't show me that crying face, Faith. Please… spoil me with your love again. I've been craving your care—your laugh, your silly chatter. I've missed it all. Just… stay by my side," he said, wiping away her tears.
She nodded. "Don't ever leave me again. Even if you cheat… don't leave me."
"Silly. You're the only woman in my life now, Faith."
She suddenly embraced him. "Why am I always so weak for you? I guess… I'd still choose you, over and over."
He smiled at her. "When this is all over, we need to go on a date to celebrate. Thank you for always choosing me, Faith. You've made me realize I've always loved you." He hugged her tightly.
I missed her so much. Thank you for giving me this last chance to see her, he thought silently.
He kissed her on the lips. The kiss turned intense, and Faith matched his every movement. Their lips deepened into a passionate exchange. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he gazed deeply at her.
"We need to go, or he might get mad," he whispered.
She nodded with a small smile. "I missed your kiss."
"You want more?" he murmured into her ear. "Because I want to kiss you more, Faith."
Her cheeks flushed. She nodded, and he immediately claimed her lips again. Mariely took a deep breath, responding to him. Even if he tried to control his thoughts, his hands found her chest.
She let out a soft sound, and his hand slipped inside her oversized jacket. He unhooked her bra, feeling her soft skin, and didn't stop himself from caressing her.
"Zean…" Her cheeks turned even redder.
"You have a big chest," he whispered, still fondling her gently. His eyes caught sight of the bruises on her skin, and he pressed his palm softly against them. She shut her eyes—not from pleasure, but from fear he might hurt her.
"We need to go, please," she pleaded. "It's only you… You're the only one who can touch me like that." Her blush deepened.
His hand still rested inside her jacket. He nodded. "Yeah, I know. Let me hook your bra back. I'm sorry—did I surprise you?" He turned her around to fix it but then saw the bruises covering her back. The thought of what had been done to her yesterday made his blood boil.
"Zean, you've touched me before… and we've kissed before too." She let out a soft laugh, clearly trying to lighten the mood so he wouldn't worry. He sighed deeply.
He kissed her cheek, then her forehead. "I'm sorry. Tell me if you don't like something, okay?"
She nodded. "Thank you for always respecting my feelings, Zean. I love you."
"I love you too, Faith." He kissed her hand.
He drove, still holding her hand, until she fell asleep beside him. He smiled at the sight—she could finally rest. He told himself to keep his desire in check, thankful that his hand hadn't wandered further.
I know you love her, Frank, and you want to make love to her… but not now. There's a right time for everything. You need to spoil her too. There are still problems ahead, he thought.
He sighed. It was a holiday; there were no classes today—he needed to speak with the others.
When he spotted Andrew's condo, he parked the car and drove in.
"Really, Frank? You're super late," Clover said immediately.
"I'm sorry about that," he replied.
"She's sleeping," Clover noted.
"Yeah."
He didn't wake her. Instead, he carried her inside. Veron looked surprised as he placed Faith gently on the sofa and covered her with a blanket.
"How was your talk with Nathan?" Andrew asked.
"It was tough. I didn't let Faith talk much—she's scared," Frank said, glancing at his peacefully sleeping girlfriend.
Andrew only nodded.
"By the way, when she wakes up, Veron, just tell her—she's always worrying about the people close to her. She's very hopeless that way," Frank said with a shake of his head.
"Yeah, but you used to be hopeless too," Veron teased.
"Oh, she's my girlfriend now. Do I really need to say that? She's been mine for a long time, I guess," he said.
Veron raised an eyebrow at him, shaking her head. "Don't you dare hurt Faith or leave her. She loves you so much."
"You should thank that bastard Edward—if it weren't for him, she might've given her love to someone else by now."
Frank walked over to Mariely and smiled softly. "I've always known that. I'm just thankful she still loves me. I just want to spoil her and love her more." He touched her forehead gently.
"I'll make it up to this woman," he whispered, kissing her forehead.
Clover cleared her throat. "Yeah, we're happy you realize that, but we still need a plan for the mess she's in," his cousin reminded him.
Frank nodded. "I'm just glad Nathan's child is safe now," he said with a sigh. "So? What are we going to do? I was thinking of putting money into Faith's debit account, but I'm careful—he might find out."
"You'll give it back to Faith? If she finds out it was you and not me who paid, she'll insist on returning it," Andrew pointed out.
"You know her—she'll always give the money back. Have you talked to her yet?" Veron asked.
"No, not yet. I need to find a way first. I don't care about the money itself—it's the fact that she worked so hard for it. I'm just looking for a way to check her debit card," Frank explained.
"Oh, I know someone who works at the bank. If you want, they might be able to help," Clover offered, scrolling on her phone.
"Contact them, Clover," he decided instantly.
Frank sighed again, noticing how much weight Faith had lost.
He'll suffer in hell. I swear it, he promised silently.