The next morning, I picked up the kids from school. I didn't have anything planned, and I knew that they'd be out early, especially the elementary students. When I spotted Lily, her face lit up as soon as she saw me. I couldn't help but feel my heart soften as I watched her run toward me, that big smile on her face.
When she reached me, she pulled out a piece of paper from her bag and excitedly showed it to me. "I got the highest score on our exam!" she announced, her voice full of pride.
I smiled, noticing how proud she was. "Wow! Congrats! That's amazing! You know what? Tita will cook something special for you."
"Yes, please!" she said, eyes sparkling.
I couldn't help but laugh at how adorable she was. I helped her into the car, and as I was about to climb in, my eyes accidentally landed on a familiar face. Was that Ericka? What was she doing here? Didn't she have school today?
And why did she look like she hadn't washed her face?
"Tita?" Lily called out, snapping me back to reality. "Go ahead, I'll catch up. Saviel, please take Wyl and Wency too. Thanks," I told him, but I had an uneasy feeling and decided to follow Ericka. Something didn't feel right.
"Where are you going?" Lily asked, looking up at me. "I'll follow. Please, Saviel."
Saviel had no choice but to start the car and leave me behind. I quickly followed the path where I'd seen Ericka running earlier.
I found her near the plaza, shouting angrily at someone. I walked up to her, trying to stay calm.
"Of all the girls you could've replaced me with, it had to be her? Really, Reque?" she yelled at the guy standing with another woman, holding her hand.
"We're done, Ericka. I told you I'm not interested anymore. But you just can't accept it. Stop being obsessed with me! You're suffocating me!" he snapped back.
"No, please! Please, Babe, I'm sorry. I'll do anything to change. Please," Ericka begged, dropping to her knees in front of him.
I immediately walked over. "Ericka, get up," I said firmly, but she shot me an irritated look.
"What are you doing here?" she spat at me.
"I followed you because—"
"Go away! I don't need you here!"
I was taken aback when she shoved me. The people around us started to notice, so I chose to remain quiet. "See? This is why I can't stand you! You can't even respect your stepmother, Ericka!" Roque suddenly chimed in.
"She's not my mother! Why should I respect her? Why are you bringing up irrelevant things? This is between you and me!"
"I'm not coming back to you. I love Jessica, and she's the only one I've ever loved. You know why I was with you in the first place, right? It's because of your family. Without your family's money, you're nothing but a pathetic, useless bitch!"
I couldn't let him get away with that. I turned to face him, even though I knew Ericka would be angry. "Hey! I know you come from a wealthy family, but you have no right to talk to Ericka like that. If you don't want her, then stop messing with her!" I shouted at him.
"You're talking about her like that? I already broke up with her, but she's the one who can't move on."
"Good, because you'll never see her again! Come on, Ericka!" I reached out to grab her hand, but she pushed me away, glaring at me.
"I hate you! I hate all of you!" she screamed before storming off.
I followed her all the way home. She was still crying as she stomped up the stairs.
"Ericka, wait," I called after her, wanting to comfort her, to understand what she was going through. "Why are you being so nosy? I told you not to interfere. This is my problem, and you have no right to get involved! You're not my mother!" she yelled before turning her back on me.
I froze, not knowing what to say or how to react. The hurt from her words stung deeply.
"Are you okay?" Manang Dores came over, looking concerned. I knew she had seen everything. I forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, I think I just need to let her cool off. I'll talk to her later," I said softly.
I noticed Lily watching us from the side, so I called her over. She ran to me and jumped into my arms, and for a moment, I smiled despite everything.
"Let's go cook your favorite," I said. I needed to give Ericka some space to calm down before talking to her. And I promised myself, no matter what, I wouldn't give up on her.
But before we could get to the kitchen, I caught Kerill's gaze. He was on the second floor, watching us seriously. I wasn't sure what he was thinking, but at that moment, I didn't care.