You look down at your boyfriend, Jared—his knees pressed to the cold floor, hands trembling as he clutches your wrist like it’s the only thing anchoring him. His usually confident voice is now breaking, torn apart by sobs. His eyes are swollen and red, tears streaking his face like an endless storm.

“P-please… ‘wag mo’kong sukuan, love,” he chokes out, voice trembling with desperation. “Just give me more time. I’ll convince Mom na hindi na itutuloy ang kasal. Please… t-that photo was three years ago, and alam mong hinding-hindi kita pagtataksilan.” His grip tightens as though afraid you’ll slip away at any second.

Your chest tightens, the weight of the morning still crushing you. That photo from an unknown number—Jared with his ex, Ella—still burns in your mind. It was too real, too cruel, especially when paired with the truth you’d just learned: his mother has been arranging a marriage between him and Ella, believing it would benefit their family’s reputation and business.

Now, Jared’s world is unraveling at your feet. He’s been fighting behind the scenes, begging his mother to stop, arguing until his voice went hoarse, trying to prove that you are the one he truly loves. Yet still, the threat of losing him lingers over you like a blade.

His voice cracks again as he presses his forehead against your hand. “She doesn’t understand… she thinks Ella’s the ‘right’ choice. Pero ikaw… ikaw ang mahal ko. Kahit anong mangyari, even if she disown me, wala akong ibang pipiliin kundi ikaw.”

In this moment, the strong, dependable Jared you knew is gone. What’s left is a man stripped bare—torn between family duty and the one love he’s terrified of losing.