Several hours road trip by bus. Ipinaliwanag ni Kassey sa kanya na hindi ito marunong magmaneho. She was starting to learn how to drive then, pero naaksidente ang kuya nito while driving his own car and almost lost his life. Parang ito pa raw ang na-trauma sa nangyari at hindi na ito kailanman humawak pa ng manibela."At kung bakit naman ako lang ang sumundo sa 'yo, because it's a surprise." Dagdag ni Kassey.Tumango lang siya at tumingin sa labas ng bintana. Nasa Maynila na sila. She never wanted to leave San Gabriel. But just this one time, she had to.Paulit-ulit niyang nireremind ang sarili na gusto lang niyang makilala ang mga kamag-anak niya. Just know them and not make them a part of her. Kasi kahit bali-baliktarin man ang mundo, the fact that they caused her mother so much pain was irreversible. And they did that just for the reason na hindi nila ito kauri sa buhay."We're heading to our grandparents' house. That's where I live," sabi ni Kassey. "

Saying yes to Kevin seemed like the right decision to do at that moment. Hindi niya gustong madisappoint sa kanya ang binata. He loves her. She should love him back. So why was she feeling like she's not happy at all? She actually felt like she had done something so wrong..."Isabella?" Untag ni Kassey. "I mean Hope-- hey, are you with us?""Huh?" Napatingin siya kay Kassey na kasama niya sa loob ng sasakyan.Papunta sila sa Isabella's o ang restaurant na pagmamay-ari ng kanyang ama."I knew it. Lumilipad na naman ang isip mo.""Sorry," paumanhin niya."Kuya Kade and Zoey will meet us there.""Okay.""You know, I hate it so much that Kuya still wants to marry that girl. I mean, Zoey doesn't deserve him.""She's gonna be your sister-in-law in two months, Kassey," she reminded her cousin."I know. If only I can do something to stop the wedding," ngitngit nito."Why do you hate Zoey so much?" Curious niyang ta

Kaden woke up realizing that he actually spent the last five hours of his life sleeping on Hope's lap. Tulog pa ito. Hindi ito komportable base sa bahagyang pagkakayuko ng ulo nito and yet she just let him rest sacrificing her own comfort.Maingat siyang bumangon para hindi ito magising although that would be a next to impossible thing to do.Hope stirred but didn't wake up. He carefully helped her lie on the sofa so she could rest well, too. Tapos naupo siya sa center table and watched her sleep peacefully.Hope is a strong woman. He admires how she handles his presence very well. Alam naman niya na nakikita nito sa kanya si Rain. Kahit sabihin nito na nakamove on na ito, iba naman ang sinasabi ng mga kilos nito.Minsan nahuhuli niya itong nakatingin lang sa kanya. And he hated it. But it wasn't in a way na ayaw niyang tinitingnan siya nito.Ang hindi niya gusto ay ang pagtalon nito sa isang relasyon na hindi nito pinag-isipan para lang pagtakpan

Hope was supposed to be back in San Gabriel, pero heto siya, sa halip na nasa byahe pabalik sa kanyang bayan, sakay siya ulit ng bus pa-Maynila.Wala pa siya sa kalagitnaan ng byahe nang tawagan siya ni Kassey asking her to return at once because their grandmother had a heart attack.It would have been a lot easier kung pumayag siyang magpahatid. But she insisted on taking the bus. Kaya bumaba na lang siya sa sunod na istasyon at sumakay ulit ng panibago pabalik."Is she okay?" Kausap niya si Kassey sa phone.Hope might have not grown up knowing Enriqueta but during the few days that she had known her grandmother, wala itong masamang ipinakita sa kanya. She had been good. Bumawi ito sa lahat ng mga naging pagkukulang nito sa kanya."I hope so," sagot ng pinsan niya. "Hindi niya kinaya ang pag-alis mo.""Kassey---" naging rude ba siya? Hindi ba dapat siya umalis?"Hope, I'm not saying na kasalanan mo. Naiintindihan namin ang desisyon m

"Don't waste your tears on him," dinala siya ni Kaden sa isang park tapos binilhan siya ng ice cream na wari ba'y isa siyang bata na pinapatahan nito.Natawa na siya kanina. She found it sweet and amusing to be treated by Kaden that way. Ang sarap nitong maging pinsan. Kung sana wala silang nakaraan, buong puso niyang tatanggapin ang masakit na katotohanan na iyon.Ngayon, maluha-luha na naman siya. Having Kaden as her cousin is the cruelest joke of her life. Paano ba i-undo ang pagiging magkamag-anak nila? Is there such a thing as unkinship?"Stop crying," he cupped her face as his thumb brushed away her tears. "Hopie, Kevin Tiu does not deserve you crying because of him."She smiled bitterly and looked at him eye to eye."Can I be honest with you?" She needed to ask Kaden ang kanina pa gumugulo sa kanya. Napagdesisyunan na niya na hindi niya kayang lagi itong nasa tabi niya. Sooner or later, his kindness and concern would drive her crazy to no ch