Jiggy and Connie’s eyes widened in shock as they listened to her story.
From beginning to end, both of them remained completely focused on her, their expressions serious, their eyes intense, absorbing every word. Their brows were furrowed, and their jaws were tight.
“What happened after that?” Jiggy finally asked.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “W—Well… something happened, obviously.”
“What a bastard,” Connie muttered, leaning back in her chair and cradling her head in both hands. “I can’t believe you just let him walk away from his responsibility. If it were up to me, Cayson would be forced to take accountability for what happened between you two.”
“That’s exactly what’s going to happen, Connie,” Jiggy said, locking his eyes on her. &ld
As soon as they reached the parking lot, Cayson stepped out of the building first, and she quickly followed. She trailed behind him silently, her steps matching his pace, and stopped only when he did— right in front of his sleek, luxury vehicle. The sight of the expensive car made her hesitate, but when he opened the passenger-side door for her, she tensed.“Get in,” he ordered flatly.Her brow furrowed in distrust. “Where are you taking me?”“Just get the hell in.”His harsh tone stung, but she obeyed, albeit with reluctance. She slid into the passenger seat, only to flinch when he slammed the door shut behind her without a hint of gentleness. He then circled the vehicle and got into the driver’s seat with the same cold, u
The entire vicinity was pierced by that scream and revelation, silencing every sound around. People who had been watching him intently moments ago now froze, whispering among themselves in stunned disbelief. The once booming jazz music that had filled the air moments before suddenly dimmed, fading to near silence, the singer’s voice on the microphone trailing off as he hesitated.“Uhmm… Can we get a clarification on that, Miss? Did you say… Montemayor?”But she didn’t even glance at the singer. Without hesitation, she strode quickly toward Cayson, who had halted mid-step, his companion’s eyes wide with shock at what she had just heard. Even the security guard who had been blocking her way earlier paused, taken aback by the sudden shift in the atmosphere.As she reached him
Inside the elevator, Rome was a bundle of nerves—fidgeting, pacing in place, and practically drilling holes into the metallic walls with her restless eyes. Connie and Jiggy had stayed on the 26th floor while she headed straight to the rooftop. And as the elevator climbed, so did her anxiety—rising like steam in a pressure cooker, threatening to blow the lid off at any second. Her chest felt tight, like someone had poured soda into her lungs and was now shaking the can for fun. Great. Just great.She had absolutely no clue what would happen once those elevator doors opened. Maybe there’d be a civil conversation. Maybe a screaming match. Maybe a slap. Who knew? But one thing was clear— she wasn’t leaving that building without telling Cayson Montemayor the truth. And more than that, she wouldn’t rest until he agreed to marry her.
“He still hasn’t called you back?”Jiggy’s voice was sharp, almost trembling with frustration as she glanced at Rome, her face flushed red with anger.“It’s been two days since you called him! Two whole days! Didn’t it even cross his mind that you might be calling him about something important— something life-altering, like pregnancy? Especially since the jerk didn’t even bother using protection?”They were seated in their favorite corner of the café, the same one they'd always gone to when life got too overwhelming. With them was Connie, visibly distressed as she stirred her drink in silence.Rome had finished her shift early at the Montessori school, so Jiggy picked her up first befo
It was Monday morning, and Rome didn’t feel like getting out of bed. But she forced herself to do so— she knew she couldn't just abandon her job at the Montessori school without a word.She didn’t want to be bombarded with questions from her parents about why she wasn’t going in. She wasn’t good at lying, so she had no choice but to get up, take a shower, and make herself presentable.Just yesterday, she had told Jiggy and Connie about what had happened between her and Cayson. Ever since they got home from that conversation, her older sister had barely spoken a word and had been quietly stealing glances at her throughout the night.They had already made a plan— Rome would call Cayson to inform him of her condition. Connie had managed to get his number from Dudz the night bef
The memory clawed its way back, slow and jagged.A tremor ran down her spine, and the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck stood stiff, as if recoiling from the vivid remnants of that night— the night she wished she could erase.Rome couldn’t remember the exact moment everything faded to black. One second, she was clutching a drink too tightly; the next, she was drowning in silence. Had the pain knocked her unconscious? Or had she simply slipped into sleep, unaware, as the man— that man— took what was never his to take? She didn’t know. The fragments were fractured and bloodless, nothing more than silent screams buried in the fog of her memory.A voice pierced through the fog.
Jiggy and Connie’s eyes widened in shock as they listened to her story.From beginning to end, both of them remained completely focused on her, their expressions serious, their eyes intense, absorbing every word. Their brows were furrowed, and their jaws were tight.“What happened after that?” Jiggy finally asked.She swallowed the lump in her throat. “W—Well… something happened, obviously.”“What a bastard,” Connie muttered, leaning back in her chair and cradling her head in both hands. “I can’t believe you just let him walk away from his responsibility. If it were up to me, Cayson would be forced to take accountability for what happened between you two.”“That’s exactly what’s going to happen, Connie,” Jiggy said, locking his eyes on her. &ld
As Rome began to stir, an intense wave of nausea surged through her, twisting her stomach like a clenched fist. Her body ached with a dull, relentless throb, the pain intensifying from her hips downward—tight, sore, as though something deep inside her had been torn apart. Every inch of her felt bruised, heavy, violated.A sharp moan slipped from her lips as she instinctively clutched her head, her temples pounding with a force that made her vision blur. She tried to sit up, but her muscles screamed in protest. Her limbs were stiff, sore, and sluggish, as if they didn’t quite belong to her. Gravity itself seemed stronger, pinning her to the unfamiliar bed.What... is this weight?Her brows furrowed as she paused, struggling to piece together fragments of memory that refused to come.
She let out a long, defeated sigh. Everything finally made sense. Even before she took her first sip of red wine earlier, she was already feeling tipsy—thanks to those rum cakes. No wonder she had felt dizzy even before having any actual alcohol!“Even the food here has alcohol in it… Brilliant,” she muttered with a scoff, followed by a hiccup. “How am I supposed to get home now...?”Suddenly, the female bartender she was speaking to seemed to split into two before her eyes. The dizziness came back—stronger and more disorienting than before.She shook her head, trying to clear it.No. She couldn’t let anyone see she was drunk. Dudz would absolutely kill her. He had clearly told her earlier not to drink anymore, and he&rsqu