JASPER seemed relieved as he waved back and started walking to the opposite direction. He was the one who informed me about Alison’s secrets. And despite my worries, I was glad that Jasper thought of me at an important time like this.
Jasper and Alison both had the same personality and principles. It was obvious that Jasper adored his sister a lot. They constantly refuse the financial help that I keep offering. They would always tell me that they can manage by themselves. Jasper also refused the gifts I sent him and told me that his sister wouldn’t like that, that by doing so, she might be convinced that I’m only around them out of pity.
There was one thing that the Cabrera household could not resist, though. It was my mother’s home-cooked meals. My mother was a surgeon that’s why she cherished her days-off so much. And yet, she would spend it cooking for Alison’s family. Together, we would visit them. If I was stubborn, so was my mother who was thrice as much since she treats Alison and Jasper as her own children.
The truth was until now, she never stopped playing Cupid by attempting so many ways to pair me up with Alison, saying that maybe things had to happen because the two of us were meant for each other all these time. But Alison was not the type to give in no matter the circumstances.
I was surprised when Jasper called me last night, knowing that it probably took him tons of guts to be able to reveal something as delicate and as big as his sister’s secret. He also seemed drunk when he asked for a video call.
“I’m begging you, kuya Rem,” I remembered him say last night. “Please help my sister. Help me put some sense into her thick head. Try to convince her that she doesn’t have to tear herself apart just for us. She had already lost so much. And now, she’s even letting her dream go. And it sucks, kuya Rem. It sucks to find out that while she was trying her best to cheer me up and to help me make my dreams come true, in the process, she had lost hers.
“I know that she cries every night behind closed doors. She cries by herself. Tell her not to suffer all by herself. Tell her that it’s okay to be weak sometimes, that she can cry on us. We’re family. Please make her see that we will always understand her no matter what.” Jasper smacked his chest. “If this was hurting me, then I can’t imagine how much she was hurting because of this, too.”
I rushed back to the Philippines after hearing that. I used my family’s private jet just so I could go to Alison as soon as I could. I did not even go to the conference anymore. When I went to her apartment and did not see her there, I drove around near Demi’s school, hoping to catch her.
And luckily, I did.
I could not blame Alison for keeping secrets from me. Even I had my fair share of secrets, too. But I am willing to risk exposing my secret now if that was the only way I could help her. I’ve been waiting on the sideline for so many years now. I won’t just stand by idly again.
I took a deep breath when I felt Alison’s embrace tightened. She was not saying a word. But for me, what she was doing right now already meant a lot of things. She was crying to me now. It was one thing that she never did in front of me before. She also never embraced me like this before.
After Alison’s groom ran away, I felt like I didn’t know her anymore. And it was strange because we grew up together. So many things happened to her. But her family never saw her break down, not even once. She took the mature route instead and focused on all the things that had to be done. She spent the next years of her life working and taking care of her family. And she became quiet. I wanted her to open up to me just like the old times.
But she never did it.
And so I had to learn how to listen to Alison’s silence. In order to be with her, I had to get to know her all over again. It was not easy. It was hard to get to know someone who doesn’t want to be known. Alison refused to let anyone in. She only allowed her family members around her and I understand that. I understand how hard it was for her to trust someone again. Not to mention that most of the people that she knew betrayed her and her family.

The new Alison Cabrera had many walls that I needed to break down one by one each day for the past eight years. It was tough to conquer those walls, but maybe she needed those. Without those layers, she would not be able to rise again. She swallowed humiliation and criticisms in order to provide for her family.
The time, the situation, and the people around us had changed. Especially Alison. Her outlook, her dreams, priorities, and her goals had all changed, too. That’s why I am beyond proud of my best friend for still getting up and working on things every day even when her heart breaks every day as well.
I shut my eyes when I heard her weep. Today, I felt like the wall she surrounded between us was now completely broken. After a while, when she began to calm down, a soft smile curved on my lips.
I lifted Alison’s chin to meet her gaze. I clacked my tongue when I saw her tears. “Every time you see me, you become emotional. Am I really that charming that the mere sight of my face turns you like this?”