It is Elle's first time to hear such harsh words from people she doesn't even know personally. It feels like she was archered a thousand arrows in the chest just to explain how hurting the words are.

She feel so weak on her knees that she can no longer stand so she grab the chair near her while Denise is holding both of her hands.

"Ma'am? Okay lang po ba kayo? Ano po nararamdaman niyo?" May pag-aalalang tanong ni Denise.

"Denise...I uhmm, just....just please give me water...." She slowly replied.

A staff came running and bring the water and a towel to wipe the juice that was all around her shirt. After she drink the water, she took a deep breath, inhale and exhale to somehow make her feel better. But her tears keeps running down from her eyes.

"Ma'am ano po ba nangyari? Bakit po kayo tinapunan ng juice ng babaeng yun? Sino ba siya?" Denise asked further.

"She's just angry with me, Denise. Huwag nalang nating ipaalam sa iba." Her voice sounds weak as she look at the two other staffs. "Niko, Shane, please kung ano man yung nalaman at nakita niyo dito, sa atin-atin nalang."

They just nodded confusely but Denise continue talking.

"Ma'am, kailangan po malaman ng tita niyo ito..."

"No! No, no, no. Please. Don't let my tita know about this. Ayokong mag worry siya. Kilala niyo naman yun."

"Pero ma'am, di po dapat tinotolerate yung mga taong ganon." It's still Denise.

"Let us make this one pass please. Hindi talaga pwedeng malaman ng tita at tito ko yung nangyari. Kaya sa atin nalang. Okay?"

"Sigurado po kayo? Ahhh ehhh.... Okay ma'am kung iyan ang gusto niyo. Pero sigurado po ba kayong okay na kayo?" Tanong ulit ni Denise.

"I am and I will be fine. Thank you sa tulong ninyo."

"You're welcome po ma'am." The staffs answered in chorus.

After Elle calms down, she fixed her things and go to her locker to change clothes. She tries to look okay to others but the tears in her eyes betrayed her, as they keep falling.

Elle cried and cried but there's no one she could talk to. She turned off her phone because Sandro might call and she don't want to sound pathetic like a weeping child while talking to him.

She decided to go home late so that her tita won't notice her puffy eyes. She stayed at a cafe to buy some time. All she ever wanted now is to shout the pain out but she can't since there's so much crowd around.

It's already pass 8:00 pm, not her usual go-home hour, when she went home. It was Cheska who open the door for her.

"Langga, bakit ngayon ka lang? It's late na." Cheska asked as she open the door.

Elle kissed her cheeks. "Sorry po, I just met a friend."

"Friend? Pero bakit di kita matawagan?"

"Naka-off po kasi phone ko tita. Low batt."

"Ganon ba? Kanina pa kasi tawag ng tawag si Sandro..."

"Kapag tumawag po ulit tita pakisabi nalang po na low batt ako. I'm gonna sleep na po."

"O...okay...but dinner mo langga?"

"Tapos na po tita."

"Ahhh. Hmmm, okay ka lang ba?"

"Opo. Pagod lang po siguro ako. Good night po tita. Love you."

Elle then proceed to the nursery to say HI to Arya then finally go inside her room and lock the door.

She don't want to be disturbed because all she ever wanted now is to cry. And in order for them to not hear her weep, she turn her music on and switch it to a loud volume.

Cheska keeps knocking the door because Sandro is calling again, but Elle pretended not to hear the knock until it stops.

"Sandro, pasensya na. Mukhang tulog na yata pero a bit odd kasi ang lakas ng music sa loob." Cheska said to Sandro who's over the phone.

"Ganon po ba? Maybe she's tired lang tita. Hayaan niyo nalang po. Thank you."

"Okay, pero sigurado kang hindi kayo nag-away nito? First time kasing ganito si Elle ehh."

"Hindi po tita. Magkausap pa nga po kami kaninang umaga."

"I see. O sige, ipagpabukas mo nalang yan. Bye Sandro."

"Bye tita. Thank you po ulit."

As the night gets deeper, it is so hard for Elle to not have an outlet because it was indeed too heavy in her chest. At pass 10:00 pm, an hour of which surely Cheska and Arthur are already asleep, she turn off the music and call her bestfriend, Belinda. Well, where do hurting hearts go? Back to their bestfriend.

"Hello, good evening this is Belinda Tan. How may I help you my Ellie boo." Bati ni Belinda.

The moment she heard Belinda's voice, Elle break down and cry so hard.

"Hoyy! Ano nangyari sa'yo? Seryosong iyak ba yan?" May pag-aalalang tanong ni Belinda.

"Belle..." Elle cries and sobs.

"Hala! Puso mo diyan oy. Ano bang nangyayari?"

"It's painful, Belle. Sobrang painful."

"Bakit nga? Ano ba yung masakit? Inom ka nga muna ng tubig. Nagwoworry ako sayo eh. Andiyan ba tita mo?"

"Okay lang ako. Gusto ko lang talaga ng kausap."

Belinda let her cry first and wait for her to continue talking.

"Hindi ko akalain na ang sakit palang makarinig ng mga salitang galing sa bibig ng taong di mo naman kilala personally. And worse, yung alam mo naman na may point siya..." Elle starts sharing.

"Teka lang, sino ba yan?"

"Someone from Sandro's past."

"What? Bakit? Inaway ka ba?"

"She did threatened me with words kanina. She told me na di kami bagay ni Sandro...."

"At naniwala ka naman? Bumigay ka na doon? Come on bes!"

"Bes, she has a point. Like sino lang naman ako diba? The time I am afraid of coming is happening now."

"Alam na ba ni Sandro yan?"

"Nope. And I don't want to tell him. I know that she value that Caroline so much that he can afford to lie to me."

"What????!!!!!"

"He told me that she's just her friend but end up to be his ex-girlfriend..." Elle still sobbing. "Hindi ko alam kung ano yung rason niya kung bakit di niya sinabi sa akin ang totoo but it's unfair to my part. It's unfair, kasi yung babae alam na alam lahat ng mga tungkol sa akin samantalang ako yung part lang na kaibigan siya ni Sandro..."

"Ano ba yan, naiiyak na din ako sa'yo...bes gusto kitang yakapin huhu."

"Gusto ko na nga lang din umuwi diyan at kalimutan lahat na naging buhay ko dito. I miss my parents so much, I want to hug them all now..."

"Pero bes, kausapin mo muna si Sandro. Pwede naman kasing hindi niya pa alam ang pinaggagawa ng babaeng yun sa'yo. It's not right na solohin mo lang lahat ng sakit. You have to be honest to him also."

"Baka hindi ko kaya...."

"Please, just hear his side first. Ayusin niyo yan, okay? Be fair, don't be one-sided. At huwag niyo pag-usapan over the phone but in person...."

After hearing such words from Belle, it made her cry even more but with different reason already. It seems like she wanted to call Sandro right now but she can't.

She just whisper to herself, looking at Sandro's photo in his phone while crying. "Love, I wanted to hug you. I wanted to ask you why you lied, and I also wanted to tell you that I still love you kahit sinasabi ng babaeng yun na hindi tayo bagay....BUT tama pa bang minahal natin ang isa't-isa? I have a lot of questions in mind at sabihin sa'yo that I'm hurting....."

All those unsaid words that she keep to herself made her cry so hard until she fall asleep.

***to be continue***