SOBER

The city of Esperanza never slept.

Under the night sky, it shone with gold lights strewn like unfulfilled promises. Everything inside the Fifth Avenue café's glass walls seemed too refined, too sophisticated, and too different from the girl I used to be.

And yet, here I was again, standing outside from the man I once swore I'd never see again.

Theodred V. Mattia

The city's most sought-after bachelor. The man whose name filled magazines and whose smile could make any woman forget herself. Billionaire. CEO. The man I used to love.

As I walked in, the door chimed softly. The aroma of vanilla and espresso filled the air, enveloping me like an old song. As I approached him, I made an effort not to tremble.

He looked up. And just like that, time folded.

"Eowyn."

My name left his lips like a prayer— or a curse. I couldn't tell which.

"Theodred" I managed. "It's been a while."

He nodded and look at me sharply. "Seven years, six months, and seventeen days."

I froze.

He'd counted.

I carefully sat down on the chair. The murmur of conversations inside vanished into thin air. My heartbeat was the only sound I could hear. Too fast, too familiar, too uneven.

"You look well" I said, though it felt like a lie.

He didn't. He looked tired. Older. Beautiful still, but worn down by something I couldn't name.

"So do you" he said. "Motherhood suits you."

I didn't respond right away. I couldn't.

"It's been years" he said. "You're still as breathtaking as I remember."

"Don't." I forced a small smile.

"Flattery won't fix what you broke."

He flinched slightly but didn't look away. "I didn't ask you to meet me for that."

"Then why, Theodred?"

He sighed, gaze flicking down to his untouched coffee. "Because I can't do this anymore, Eowyn. I can't keep pretending I've moved on when every night I see your face every time I close my eyes."

My chest tightened, but I didn't let it show.

"I told you" I said. "We ended years ago. You made sure of that."

He shook his head. "You think I didn't try to find you? I did. For months. Years. But you disappeared. You vanished from my life like I was a mistake you had to erase."

"Maybe that's what we were" I said quietly. "A mistake that felt too much like love."

He leaned closer, voice trembling with frustration.

"Eowyn, I still love you. I've tried to forget you, God knows I've tried but I can't. I can't live like this anymore."

My heart stuttered.

"Stop" I whispered. "Don't say that."

He didn't listen.

"I've made peace with everything else. The rumors, the press, the loneliness but not you. Never you."

"Peace?" I let out a bitter laugh.

"You made peace the moment you held her. You remember her, don't you? The woman you said meant nothing?"

His jaw tightened, eyes flickering with something. Guilt, maybe. Or confusion.

"Eowyn"

"No, let me finish." My voice trembled. "You made me believe we had forever. And then I saw you with her. Sa harap ko mismo."

He looked away, the silence louder than his denial.

That was the worst part. He never denied it.

He never said no, it's not what it looked like.

And that silence had been enough to kill me.

"I waited for you to explain" I said, voice barely above a whisper. "But you didn't. So I left before I could hate you more than I already did."

He exhaled shakily, pain flickering in his eyes. "You didn't even give me a chance."

"You didn't deserve one."

He went quiet for a moment, then leaned forward again, eyes narrowing slightly. "Then explain this to me."

"What?"

"The twins."

My throat closed.

He continued, voice steady but filled with restrained emotion. "A few days ago, at Central Park. I saw them. Two kids. A boy and a girl. She has your smile. But the boy" He swallowed hard. "He looks exactly like me."

I froze.

"They're not yours" I said quickly.

"Eowyn, don't do that." His voice softened, almost pleading. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not."

He slammed a hand on the table, startling the couple sitting near us. "Tingnan mo nga ako sa mata at sabihin mong hindi sila akin!"

The café went silent.

My hands shook, but I held his gaze. "They're not yours."

"Eowyn..." His tone broke not angry now, just broken. "I'm begging you. Please. I deserve the truth."

"You deserve what you gave" I said, eyes stinging. "Nothing."

For a second, I thought I saw something in him break. The pride, the anger, the wall he'd built. He looked lost. Human. Vulnerable.

"I've done a lot of things I regret" he said quietly. "But if they're mine, I want to be in their lives. I'll give them everything."

I laughed softly, bitterly. "They don't need your money, Theodred."

"I didn't meant by that"

"They need peace." I stood up, blinking back tears. "And they won't find it with a man who doesn't even know what love means."

He rose too, towering over me but looking smaller than he ever had. "You think I don't love you? Ikaw ang buhay ko, Eowyn. You always were."

"Then why did you destroy it?" I whispered.

He had no answer. Only silence. The same silence that ended us once.

I took one last look at him. The man the world adored, the man I once called home and whispered, "Goodbye, Theodred."

"Eowyn—"

"I hope one day you find the truth" I said. "But not from me."

And then I left.

The bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped out into the rain. The city lights blurred through my tears, and the sound of my heels echoed against the wet pavement.