Chapter 35: Free

The following morning, I once again went for a jog. After making two laps, I returned to the shop I had previously visited. This time, I had my ATM card with me. Without hesitation, I bought the cat I had been eyeing. Feeling light-hearted, I decided to bring it home with me.

"You went jogging and came back with a cat?" my mom asked, surprised.

"I bought it, mom," I replied.

She nodded in response and I proceeded to retreat to my room. It was a Sunday, so I had no classes, but I had some case studies to finish.

I borrowed a car to go to the café, bringing the cat that I had just bought along with me. I decided to name the cat Grey, although I wasn't sure if it was male or female as I wasn't adept at determining a cat's gender.

Parking the car in the parking lot, I noticed Tres, my cousin, sweeping the front of the café, wearing an apron. His friend Zach was leaning against the wall, a cigarette clasped tightly between his fingers.

My nose wrinkled in distaste. I had a particularly strong dislike for men who smoked.

Carrying Grey, my newly bought cat, I approached Tres. His forehead creased into a frown as he turned to look at me, but his eyes lit up with delight at the sight of the cat.

He extended a hand to pet Grey, but I quickly shifted the cat out of his reach.

"You're so stingy," he grumbled.

I smirked. "Why don't you buy your own cat?" I retorted.

Tres rolled his eyes in response, and I returned the gesture. He resumed his sweeping, so I turned my gaze to Zach, who was engrossed in his cigarette, puffing on it and exhaling the smoke.

The moment he noticed my gaze, surprise flashed across his eyes. Realizing my evident disgust, he quickly discarded his half-smoked cigarette.

He swallowed hard, his eyes flickering from the cat in my arms to my face, his gaze lingering on my eyes. He gave me a smile, which I chose to ignore as I walked into the café.

Inside, I busied myself by playing with Grey and overseeing the food service. My eyes widened in surprise when I realized that Zach had joined our staff.

When did he apply?

I shrugged, assuming Tres must have handled the hiring process. I trusted Tres with the management of my café.

I decided not to question it. Perhaps Zach needed the money, which was why he had taken up a part-time job here.

My thoughts were interrupted when I remembered that Tres and Zach had once dropped me off in a fancy car. Was it Zach's? Or had he borrowed it?

If it was his car, then it made no sense for him to be working here, needing money.

Maybe he had indeed borrowed the car.

I was fair with the salaries, paying them 800 a day, which I deemed fair considering the café was doing well.

At 11:00 AM, I stepped outside the café and spotted Zach outside, drinking an energy drink called Sting. He watched me, his expression neutral.

I felt a twinge of discomfort for reasons I couldn't pinpoint. Dismissing the feeling, I walked over to where my car was parked.

"You drove here alone?" Zach asked.

I nodded in confirmation.

"You should've just biked. It would've been better," he suggested.

As much as I wanted to, I didn't know how. I wasn't even familiar with motorcycles.

"I don't know how to bike," I stated simply.

"Do you want me to teach you?" He blurted out, taking me by surprise.

He noticed my surprise. His black eyes softened. "Only if you're comfortable and if you want to," he quickly added.

I smiled and nodded, once again surprising him.

"Okay, when I have some free time," I added.

That's when he recovered from the surprise. He smiled back, revealing his perfect white teeth. I blinked, swallowing hard. I was taken aback by how much his smile affected me.

I then excused myself and got back into the car with Grey.

The next day, I immediately noticed Kyle in his seat.

His eyes met mine. He had a black eye and his arms were still bandaged. I noticed him swallow hard, but I chose to ignore the longing I saw in his eyes.

I quietly made my way to my seat. My forehead furrowed. There was a white note.

I read the words written on it.

"Let's talk later,"

That was what it said.

I crumpled the small piece of paper and put it in my bag before sitting down. I recognized the handwriting. It was clearly Kyle's.

Class with Attorney Magsaysay seemed to drag on forever. Many students answered correctly and it looked like Atty. Magsaysay enjoyed asking question after question. My classmates left the room. I stayed behind. I slumped in my chair, not bothering to look up at the person who approached me.

"Yvonne," It was Kyle's voice.

I lazily looked up at him.

He was sitting only a seat away from me. He was just staring at me, doing nothing.

"What? I thought you were going to talk to me?" I asked irritably since he was just staring.

He sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry..." he muttered, looking down.

I didn't say anything, just stared at him. I was trying to figure out if I still had feelings for him. My heartbeats were normal, unlike before when they would race at his sight. And if I used to feel excited every time we met, now there was nothing.

My system had accepted his apology but there was no hope left of us getting back together. It seemed that what he had done was permanently etched in my memory and I could never forget it.

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk. I am sorry for cheating, I am sorry for what my family planned, I am really sorry for all of that..." I could feel his sincerity in his words.

I sighed. I didn't know what I wanted to say. Even if he hadn't apologized, it would have been okay with me as long as we had no connection with each other anymore.

"It's all okay," I told him.

He lifted his head and looked at me again.

"You forgave me?"

I nodded slowly, the gesture deliberate and heavy with meaning. The solitary days I had spent in introspection led me to a profound realization; I would gain nothing by continuing to harbor resentment over what transpired. I had done my part to avenge the wrongs done to me. I came to understand that there was no need to prolong my anger towards him. So I made the decision to forgive him and Alayna, but not their family. If they were in love, I was okay with that. But to let them back into my life was something I couldn't do.

He reached out and took my hand, pressing his lips against the back in a tender kiss. I didn't pull away, allowing him this small gesture.

"Give me another chance, let's fix it..." he pleaded, his voice full of remorse.

I paused, then slowly withdrew my hand from his grip.

"We are over, Kyle," I said.

His shoulders slumped in defeat. His eyes filled with disappointment. I continued.

"The day you chose to cheat on me, you should have known that things could never be the same... If you had been honest with me... perhaps we wouldn't have reached this point. Maybe there was a chance for forgiveness and acceptance. But now?" I shook my head. "You cannot fix what you've ruined. I have already forgiven you, that's the only thing I can offer. To return to you? That's beyond possibility."

"Let's move on. I agreed to meet you not to mend the relationship you shattered. I wanted us to officially end things and I wanted sincere closure," I voiced out.

He sucked in a breath, visibly struggling to swallow his emotions before he finally nodded. His eyes welled up with tears and they trickled down his cheeks. He was crying.

"If that's what you want..." he murmured weakly.

I nodded back and offered him a small, comforting smile. That was all I needed to start piecing myself back together. It was time to prioritize self-love and that was what I intended to do.

Getting up, I grabbed my bag and let out a sigh of relief. It felt liberating. We were no longer in a relationship.

You could label me as foolish, having sought revenge on them for their actions, and yet still finding it within my heart to forgive them. But after weeks of solitude, maintaining a positive outlook and staying true to myself, nothing was more satisfying than seeing myself move on, free from resentment and grudges.