The Night We Ran Away

KALEX'S POV

People often think money gives you everything.

They are wrong.

Money gives you access.

Power gives you influence.

Being born into a family like mine gives you a name that people recognize before they even meet you.

But none of those things can give you something as simple as peace.

My name is Kalex Alexander Del Rosario.

At thirty-two, I own more than most people could spend in several lifetimes. Hotels, private residences, corporations, investments, and properties scattered across different countries—things that were handed to me through inheritance and things I built with my own hands.

The newspapers call me a billionaire.

The business world calls me ruthless.

My competitors call me dangerous.

I don't bother correcting any of them.

Reputation is useful.

Fear is even more useful.

I sit behind the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, staring down at the city beneath me. From this height, everything looks small.

The buildings.

The cars.

The people.

Everything becomes nothing more than moving lights beneath a dark sky.

Because no matter how powerful I am, there are certain weaknesses money can not erase.

It's already past seven when I finally glance at the clock again.

The city outside my office has changed.

The sunlight that once reflected against the glass buildings has disappeared, replaced by a sea of lights stretching as far as I can see.

I close the file in front of me and lean back in my chair.

I've been sitting here longer than I realized.

My phone vibrates against the desk.

I glance at the screen.

Elena.

My girlfriend.

For a moment, a faint smile touches my lips.

We've been together for almost two years.

Two years of dinners, vacations, late-night conversations, and promises about a future I had never thought I'd want with anyone.

I trusted her.

That was my mistake.

I pick up the phone and answer.

"Where are you?"

Silence.

Then I hear her voice.

"Kalex..."

Something about the way she says my name makes the smile disappear from my face.

"What happened?"

"I need to tell you something."

I sit up straighter.

"Then tell me."

Another pause.

"I'm sorry."

My jaw tightens.

"For what?"

"I didn't mean for you to find out like this."

My fingers slowly tighten around the phone.

"Find out what?"

She doesn't answer.

Instead, I hear a man's voice in the background.

A man's voice I don't recognize.

Then Elena speaks again, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Kalex, I can explain."

I stare at the city through the glass.

For some reason, everything suddenly feels very quiet.

"Explain what?"

"About us."

My expression hardens.

"What about us?"

She takes a shaky breath.

"There is no us anymore."

I say nothing.

She continues.

"I'm with someone else."

For a few seconds, I don't understand the words.

Or maybe I simply refuse to.

My eyes remain fixed on the city below.

"How long?"

"Kalex..."

"How long, Elena?"

Her silence gives me the answer before she does.

"Six months."

Six months.

I let out a quiet breath.

Six months of lies.

Six months of kissing me goodbye before meeting another man.

Six months of telling me she loved me while giving someone else the parts of herself I thought belonged to me.

I should feel devastated.

Angry.

Betrayed.

Instead, I feel strangely calm.

"Who is he?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

My voice is colder now.

"It matters to me."

She hesitates.

Then she gives me his name.

I close my eyes for a moment.

Not because I'm hurt.

But because I'm trying to understand how someone could look me in the eyes every day and lie so easily.

"Why didn't you just leave?"

"I was afraid."

"Of me?"

"No."

Her voice cracks.

"Of losing everything."

I almost laugh.

There it is.

The truth.

Not love.

Not regret.

Fear of losing what came with being my girlfriend.

The expensive dinners, vacations, gifts, and lifestyle.

I lean back in my chair.

"So you never loved me."

"I did."

"No."

My voice is quiet.

"You loved what I could give you."

She starts crying.

I don't feel anything.

"I think we should end things," she whispers.

I look down at my phone.

"You're right."

A pause.

"Kalex..."

"We're done."

I end the call before she can say anything else.

My office falls silent again.

I place my phone on the desk and stare at it.

Two years.

Gone with a single phone call.

I thought betrayal would hurt more.

Maybe I'm simply too proud to admit it.

I stand and walk toward the window.

My reflection stares back at me calmly, composed, untouched.

But beneath that calm is something darker I don't recognize.

I trusted one person but betrayed me.

And suddenly, I understand something I should have known from the beginning.

Love is a weakness.

And I will never make the mistake of trusting someone with my heart again.

I don't know how long I spend staring at the road ahead of me.

Elena's words are still echoing in my mind.

I'm with someone else.

Six months of lies.

Six months of pretending.

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel before forcing myself to relax.

I don't want to think about it anymore.

I just need to get away.

By the time I reach Tagaytay, the city has grown quieter. The cool night air greets me as I turn toward the private road leading to my resthouse.

A few minutes later, I finally see the familiar gates.

I slow down and pull into the property.

The moment I park the car, I turn off the engine.

then I glance toward the resthouse.

The lights are off.

For a moment, I consider going inside.

But I don't.

I step out of the car, close the door, and slip my hands into my pockets.

I don't know why, but the thought of being inside those four walls suddenly feels suffocating.

So, instead, I start walking.

I follow the quiet path outside the property, letting the cool breeze brush against my face.

The farther I walk, the quieter everything becomes.

No phone calls.

No business.

No, Elena.

Just the sound of the wind and my footsteps against the pavement.

I stop near a viewpoint overlooking the city.

The lights below shimmer against the darkness, beautiful from a distance.

I lean against the railing and stare into the night.

For the first time tonight, I allow myself to admit what I've been refusing to feel.

I was hurt.

Not because Elena left.

But because I trusted her.

I let someone get close enough to see the man behind the name.

And she made me regret it.

I close my eyes and take a slow breath.

"Never again."

The words leave my lips quietly.

Then I hear something.

A faint sound behind me.

I open my eyes and turn.

A woman is sitting alone on a bench a few meters away.

Her head is lowered while her hands rest in her lap.

Even from a distance, I can tell she's been crying.

I should keep walking.

But something about the way she sits there alone beneath the dim lights makes me stop.

I take a few steps closer.

For a moment, I said nothing. I simply watched her from a few steps away.

Then I spoke.

“Sounds like you're having a bad night.”

She looked at me for a moment before quickly wiping the tears beneath her eyes, as if trying to hide the fact that she'd been crying.

"I'm fine."

I almost smile.

"You don't look fine."

She looks away.

"Maybe I just needed to get away."

I study her quietly.

"From someone?"

She hesitates.

Then she answers softly.

"From everything."

Something about those words feels strangely familiar.

I look toward the city.

"Then I guess we're both here for the same reason."

She glances at me.

"Running away?"

I shrug.

"Just for tonight."

For the first time that night, the sadness in her eyes seemed to soften.

She gave me a small, almost hesitant smile, and for some reason, I found myself returning it.

Neither of us knew anything about the other.

We were complete strangers—two people who had crossed paths by chance on a night when neither of us wanted to be alone with our thoughts.

And yet, sitting there beside her, the silence didn't feel lonely anymore.

I glanced at my watch.

It was getting late.

The wind had also grown colder, sweeping through the viewpoint and making her shiver slightly.

"Do you have somewhere to go?" I asked.

She looked at me, seemingly caught off guard by the question.

"No."

I frowned slightly.

"It's getting late."

She glanced around before looking back at me.

"I'll figure something out."

I studied her for a moment.

She didn't look like someone who had a plan.

And for some reason, the thought of leaving her alone out here didn't sit right with me.

I hesitated before speaking.

"I have a resthouse nearby."

"If you don't have anywhere else to go, you can stay there for a while."

She remained silent.

"I have some drinks there," I added. "We can have a drink, clear our heads, and you can leave whenever you want."

She looked toward the dark road, then back at me.

"You're inviting a complete stranger to your resthouse?"

I gave a faint smile.

"You're also considering going with a complete stranger."

That earned a small laugh from her.

"Fair point."

I stood and slipped my hands into my pockets.

She looked at me for several seconds before finally nodding.

"Okay."

I nodded toward the path.

"Let’s go."

We walked back toward my resthouse without saying much.

The path was quiet, illuminated only by the soft lights along the driveway. The colder the night became, the more I noticed her pulling her arms closer to herself.

After a few moments, the resthouse finally came into view.

I glanced at her.

“It's just a short walk from here.”

She looked ahead, then back at me.

“You really come here often?”

“Whenever I need to get away.”

She gave a faint smile.

“Then I guess tonight isn't the only time you've needed an escape.”

I looked at her, slightly surprised by the observation.

“Maybe not.”

We continued walking.

Neither of us knew what awaited us inside.

We were still strangers who had met only minutes ago.

Yet somehow, I found myself wondering why I didn't want this night to end just yet.

When we reached the entrance, I unlocked the door and pushed it open.

“After you.”

She paused at the doorway for a moment before stepping inside.

I followed and closed the door behind us.

The quiet warmth of the resthouse immediately surrounded us.

I glanced at her.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

She nodded.

For tonight, that was all either of us needed a quiet place, a drink, and a stranger who didn't know enough about us to judge.