Chapter 5: The Truth Revealed and the Silent Prayer

POV of Gabe: The Memory and the Doubt

As I watched Yvonne walking away, it felt like something was pulling at my chest. I couldn't help but look back at the past.

We were only in elementary school. I still remember that day—the day the seniors at school beat me up because of a small mistake. I was lying on the grass, bloody and broken inside, when Yvonne arrived. She didn't care if she got dirty; she supported me, took her handkerchief, and cleaned my wound. As I cried, she held my hand and said, "Gabe, you don't have to be strong all the time. I'm here."

Since then, she became my shadow. We grew up together, and now that we are in high school, she is still the one piecing me together.

But in these last few days, it’s like I'm seeing a different Yvonne. She is always hiding, always covered in concealer, and always elusive. And now, Mama said—who heard the words of Yvonne's mother—that she is doing something not good. They say she is playing me.

I am confused. The pain in my chest is not just because of my fragile heart, but because of the weight of what Mama said. Is it true? Did she really get into a fight? Or maybe... maybe what she says about her mother is true?

While I stare into the distance, I don't know where to stand. I want to believe Yvonne because she knows me more than anyone else. But what if what the elders are saying is true? What if my trust is the very thing that will harm me?

Should I accept her still? Or should I just let us be separated for the sake of my heart and for the sake of everyone?

Every beat of my heart seems like a question with no answer. In the midst of the silence, the only thing I feel is the bitterness of loss—the possible loss of the only person who truly loved me without expecting anything in return.

Continued to what happened to Yvonne and what her mother Ana did.

Three days passed that felt like three years. During those days, Gabe was restless. Using his father's influence and the power of his uncle who is a well-known politician, the truth was quickly revealed. The medical records of Yvonne's check-ups at other hospitals, the testimonies of neighbors about Ana's cruelty, and the evidence of theft—everything surfaced.

One afternoon, the authorities arrested Ana. As she was being loaded into the car, her cursing and blaming were heard, but it no longer reached Yvonne's ears. Gabe ordered it, not for himself, but because he could no longer watch the woman who built him being slowly destroyed by her own mother.

POV of Gabe: The Secret Prayer

While waiting for news, I wandered inside the church. There, at the feet of the statue of Mama Mary, I remembered the Flores de Mayo of 2023.

"Mama Mary," I whispered to myself back then while tightly holding the rosary. "If I were to ask for anything, it's not for my own health. My wish is, please give Yvonne protection. She is the person who gave me strength during the times I was completely broken. My wish is, hopefully in the future, I will be enough for her. I hope she will be the replacement for all the pain she is experiencing."

Now, as I remember everything, I realize my big mistake. I always focused my attention on Vanessa. Vanessa is the "ideal" in the eyes of many—beautiful, has a good family, and is easy to love. But every moment I am with Vanessa, my system is looking for Yvonne. Yvonne is the one who knows when I will get dizzy, when I need to take medicine, and when I need to be laughed at so I don't mope.

I secretly admitted to myself: What I feel for Vanessa is just admiration for what I "should" like. But what I feel for Yvonne? That is my very breath. But I am afraid. What if after everything that happened, I am no longer the person she wants to be with? What if she is tired of being my "pillar"?

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