A day before the meeting.
"What the heck?" Darius muttered, stopping mid-sip of his coffee, his eyes locked on the two people happily walking along the sidewalk across from the diner. He couldn't be mistaken.
He blinked rapidly, trying to calm himself. He had just arrived from a long flight from the Philippines, had just checked in at the hotel, and stopped by here to eat. But suddenly, his hunger disappeared.
He sighed, quickly pulled out money from his wallet, placed it on the table, and stood up. Chasing the past wasn't part of his plan, but he couldn't stop himself from following them—the woman he hadn't seen in years, walking beside a man he recognized.
He trailed behind them from a short distance. He noticed them enter a large hospital. Darius stopped in front of the entrance, watching as they spoke to a doctor.
"Gel…" he whispered, as if in disbelief.
"The guy beside her—wasn't he the one who liked Angela back in university?"
Darius clenched his fists, feeling the rapid pounding of his heart, a mix of shock and pain. "All this time, you were just here?" He had spent years searching, asking, but found no answers.
"Was he the reason you left me back then? Did you ever think of me, even once?"
His mind wandered back to the last day he and Angela were together—a rainy night, him waiting outside her condo building with a letter he never got to give her. It contained his explanation about what had happened between him and Jenna, something he couldn't bear to say aloud, so he had written it down. But she disappeared suddenly, with no explanation, and nothing could justify the pain she left behind.
He knew this wasn't the right time to face her. He turned back toward the hotel, holding himself back from the storm of emotions threatening to burst. His chest ached deeply, as if his heart would leap out of it.
***
"Babe?" Elle called, slightly annoyed as she waved her hand in front of Darius' face.
He flinched and forced a smile. "Huh? Sorry, what was that?"
"I said, we have to go. I've been talking to you, but it's like you're not even here." Elle's brows were furrowed, her voice tinged with disappointment.
"Damn." He hadn't realized how long he'd been lost in thought, unable to forget what he saw earlier.
"Probably just tired from the trip, maybe still a bit jet-lagged," he excused. But the look on his wife's face showed she wasn't convinced.
Elle sighed. "We hardly get time together, and this is what I get?"
Darius held her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. "I'm sorry, okay? It won't happen again. I'll make it up to you, I promise." He kissed her forehead, trying to erase the irritation from her face.
"Okay," Elle replied quietly, but the chill in her tone remained.
He felt a slight tremble in her hands but said nothing. He knew—it wasn't just jetlag coming between them now. They walked out of the hotel together, but deep inside, something still bothered him.
He should be happy right now—his wife was beside him, they were working toward their dream of having a child. That should be his focus.
But no matter what he did, he couldn't get Angela out of his mind. Even though he hadn't seen her in years and had tried to bury the past deep in his heart and mind. But just one glimpse, just a few minutes of seeing her from afar, and his entire world was shaken.
He knew it was wrong. He knew he shouldn't let himself get carried away, especially since he was with Elle now—the woman who taught him how to love again. The woman who took a chance on him even knowing the broken place he came from.
He remembered how he met Elle.
The first time they met was one night that unexpectedly changed his life.
"This is Elle, my beautiful cousin," introduced one of his colleagues as they were drinking at a bar. "Elle, meet Dr. Alcaraz."
"Hi! Nice to meet you," the young woman greeted with a smile, offering her hand.
"It's Darius. Nice to meet you too," he replied, returning the smile.
He didn't expect that years later, he and Elle would end up together. That despite all the pain the past had left, he'd find a new beginning. A new life with Elle. A new dream with Elle. A chance to smile and laugh again—with Elle.
But now that he had seen Angela again, he couldn't help but wonder—had he really moved on?
A voice pulled him back to the present.
"You know," Elle scooped up some food but didn't eat it. "Maybe you shouldn't have invited me here if you were going to be like this. This dinner is pointless if you can't even talk to me properly."
Darius didn't answer right away. It was like he was only now hearing what she said. "I'm sorry, what was that again?"
Elle's eyes narrowed. She shot him a sharp look, then quietly set down her utensils. She stood up without a word and walked away without even glancing back.
Darius sighed and rubbed his face. He didn't understand why this had to happen.
"Why did you have to show up again?" he whispered to himself, fists clenched tightly under the table. "Why now? I thought we were done. I thought I was okay. But with just one glance… everything's a mess again."
He rubbed his face again and sighed while waiting for the bill so he could follow his wife, who had just walked out.
He looked up at the ceiling, trying to hold himself together. But he couldn't stop it.
"Damn it…" he muttered. "I thought the chaos was over."