for her upcoming primetime series-one tha

oshoots, endless mall shows, relentless press conferences, and countless social events she was expected to attend-all t

the bed without even changing her clothes. She didn't care. Her body was on the verge

k in the afternoon when s

BMT Residences in Quezon City. The wind was crisp against her face as she curled up on the egg chair she had bough

Manila sprawled before her-concrete, chao

g on the side table, slightly crumpled from being read too

r," the title read in

st relic. According to the article, Duke was now one of the most promising and influential young businessmen

apartment in Tondo, turned out to be someone born into immense wealt

elf, a bittersweet

break, but she couldn't de

Deeply. Fiercely. And in

ry feature where Duke's name appeared was tucked somewhere,

them together again? What if she could finally explain what h

back then. Tried to fil

for someone like her to challenge. They turned the narrative against her, makin

s humi

thdrew the charges, packed

became h

ietly. Enrolled in school. Focused on healing, even if the tuition

the unexpe

ted with a small role in a shampoo commercial-just a background extra. Then came another co

her at a product launch

Philippines, this

t. But so did

se. Beneath the glitz were sleepless nights, forced smiles, and

iness still g

ddenly rang

nd picked it up from t

her m

fternoon at the Buenavista Hotel. You'll be with Richard

disappointed bu

n't belong to you anymore. You couldn't say no. As long as the public loved you, you kept g

the bathtub for a while. It was the only moment of silence she could gift herself t

even in the evening after the pre

physical. There was a weariness in

ons flying from every corner. Many of the reporters wanted e

refused all

be rude. She just didn't want to off

sted in the film. They wan

lly not the part of her life where Duke

er was her

y to let strang

ons about Richard, h

ped them hard. Fans wanted them to be together in real lif

ality was

e, Valerie, had become a friend to Selene-a ki

pposed relationship with Richard, guilt gripped her. She always dan

hate

real life, there was always a line they didn

king out into the night sky that blanketed Ma

dreamed of-fame, success, a

ye

ng was

amount of applause

jog around the perimeter of their

Manila and this place, he

thing out of a postcard: lush green gardens, tall trees swaying gently in the breeze, the distant outline

hed the old stone bench near the east side

ndsome

e playing on her lips. She had flown in with him

" he said, settli

ching her arms. "My body's sti

"We're in the

oing to tell me about you and Selene? Or do I

-three. Young. Stupid. Thought I had everything figured out." He leaned back and looked

plenty of beautiful women here-including me, obviously-b

ays glance. "You ju

he's got this quiet strength. And maybe it's not a coincidence she ende

start with that fat

ink everything is just chance? I mean, come on. Of all the

rning it in his fingers. "Our relationship ende

ngle. You're single. And from what I heard, that whole thing with Richard? Prob

s fixed on the horizon. "Her person

e shift in his tone. "Alrig

between them f

already drifted-uninvited-to memories he thought he had buried long ago. Her laugh. The