CONTINUATION: AFTER THE SILENCE — PART TWO: THE CRUMBLING
My life unraveled at the slowest pace during the ensuing months.
The news at work spread more quickly than wildfire. Office gossip turned vicious. Trish? She ghosted me the moment the scandal hit. I found myself unemployed, living in a cramped apartment I could barely afford, eating instant noodles and job-hopping from one commission-based scheme to another.
One afternoon, I passed by a bakery in Makati. The smell of warm bread made me stop — I hadn’t eaten all day. And then I saw her.
Hanna.
She was seated by the window. Radiant. Stronger. Smiling — with a man beside her. Younger, attractive, and holding her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.
They looked happy.
That night, I drank myself to sleep.
