Chapter 2: "That Woman..."

POV: Gabriel Navarro

The door had barely closed behind her when Gabriel leaned back in his chair, brow furrowed.

Elise Ramos.

The name echoed in his head like a song he couldn’t place.

She was beautiful — but not the polished kind he usually dealt with.

There was something... real about her. Something tired. Sad. Familiar.

And those eyes...

I’ve seen them before. Haven’t I?

Gabriel reached across the desk and pulled her resume back toward him.

He scanned it again. Name. Birthdate. Education. Work experience.

“Single mother.”

His eyes paused on that line longer than necessary.

He flipped to the second page. Employment gap: 7 years ago.
Exactly 7 f*cking years ago.

That was Baguio.

He swallowed hard.

That night — he never remembered all of it.

Just fragments.

Rain. A red dress. A woman crying while laughing. Warm skin. The smell of cheap whiskey and lavender.

He remembered waking up in a hotel room, alone. Sheets cold. No name, no number. Just a dull ache and emptiness.

He had been too wasted to care.

Too heartbroken to chase ghosts.

“Is it possible?” he muttered, rubbing his temple.

“No... It can’t be.”

But still…

There was something about Elise Ramos that was crawling under his skin.

He couldn’t shake it.

And that made him angry.

---

Flashback: 7 Years Ago – Baguio City

He was already two shots in when she slid onto the barstool next to him.

“Broken din?” she asked, not looking at him.

He didn’t answer right away.

“Something like that,” he muttered, taking another drink.

She smelled like rain. Her eyeliner was smudged. She looked like someone who’d cried for hours, then said “f*ck it.”

He respected that.

“Love is bullshit,” she said, raising her glass.

He gave a bitter smile.

“To careers over relationships,” he replied.

“To cheaters and liars,” she added.

They clinked glasses.

They drank.

They talked about how love ruins people. How fathers fail and mothers stay silent.

How the people you love the most are the ones who destroy you.

He didn’t ask for her name. She didn’t ask for his.

There was no flirting. No seduction.

Just... pain. Shared between strangers.

And then… silence.

“Do you want to forget tonight?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

He looked at her — really looked at her.

Broken. Beautiful.

And for the first time in weeks, he felt something.

“…Yes.”

---

Later That Night

Her body was warm. Her hands, trembling.

He kissed her not out of lust — but because she let him feel less alone.

They didn’t speak after.

No goodbye.

No names.

Just a memory burned into his bones.

---

Gabriel's Office

Gabriel tossed the resume onto the table, frustrated.

Could it really be her?

And if it is… why the hell does it bother me this much?

He looked out at the skyline.

The past…

Wasn't finished with him yet.

--------------------------------------------------

Bumagsak si Elise sa upuan ng bus, hawak-hawak pa rin ang envelope ng mga papeles niya, kahit wala nang laman.

Putcha.

Hindi niya alam kung gusto niyang umiyak, sumuka, o mag-quit sa mundo.

Gabriel Navarro.

The man. The night. The mistake.

At ngayon, ang boss niya?

Karma ba 'to? Tadhana? Kalokohan?

Umikot ang mundo niya nung nagkatinginan sila. Pero ‘yung way na tumingin siya kanina…
Parang may naaalala siya.

“Have we met before?”

Oo. Sa hotel room. Sa ilalim ng ulan. Sa gabi'ng pareho tayong sirang-sira.

Pero hindi niya pwedeng sabihin ’yon.

Ayaw niyang sirain ang buhay na binuo niya para kay Sofia.

At higit sa lahat — hindi niya pwedeng ibalik ang nakaraan.

Napatingin siya sa bintana ng bus.

Sofia’s face flashed in her mind. Yung ngiti, yung kulit, yung mata...

Mata ni Gabriel.

Sh*t.

Anong gagawin niya kung malaman ni Gabriel ang totoo?

---

He didn’t leave the office.

Hindi rin siya nakapag-focus sa sunod na meeting.

Nakatingin lang siya sa glass wall ng opisina, hawak ang resume ni Elise.

“Single mother…”

He read the line over and over again.

Seven years ago.
No employment.
No partner listed.

No mention of a father.

“Sir?” tanong ng HR assistant sa intercom. “Do you want us to proceed with background checks?”

Gabriel hesitated. “No. Ako na bahala.”

Pinatong niya ang resume sa desk.

Tumayo siya. Lumapit sa window.

What if she’s the same woman?

What if… that night…

Naalala niya yung luha sa mata niya habang tinatawanan ang sarili. Naalala niya yung init ng katawan nito. Yung amoy ng lavender at alak. Yung bibig na nanginginig habang sinasabing:

"I just want to forget everything."

Ang tagal na nun. Akala niya bangungot lang. Or some drunk blur.

Pero ngayon?

What if may iniwan pala siya sa gabing 'yon?

---

7 years ago, Baguio

Dahan-dahang bumukas ang mata ni Elise.

Sunlight filtered through the thin hotel curtains. The room smelled of linen, alcohol, and something bittersweet.

Wala na siya.

She sat up slowly. The other side of the bed — empty.

No note. No name. No trace of the man she spent the night with.

She didn’t even know what he was called.

All she remembered were his hands, his eyes, and the silence.

She wrapped the blanket around her and stared at the window, watching the fog roll over the Baguio pine trees.

“Anong klaseng babae ang gumagawa ng ganito?” she whispered to herself.

Hindi siya ganito. Hindi siya pabaya. Hindi siya reckless.

Pero sa gabing 'yon, sa sakit, sa dami ng sugat,
she gave herself away.

And now…

She was alone.

She left the hotel without looking back.

---

Sa loob ng opisina, hawak pa rin ni Gabriel ang papel.

Sa loob ng bus, pikit ang mata ni Elise habang iniisip kung babalik pa siya bukas.

And somewhere in the city, isang bata ang naghihintay sa nanay niya.

Hawak ang stuffed toy na paborito niya.

May mata siya na parang kay Gabriel.

Ngiti na parang kay Elise.

At isang sikreto ma nanatili kayang sekreto?.

Na pa buntong hininga nalang si Elise sa nangyari ngayong araw.