"Miss, I was referring to Marvin Laurent, not his brother."
I knew my boyfriend had a brother because Marvin had told me about him before.
"Ma'am, no. I'm talking about Sir Marvin, not Sir Martin. And Sir Marvin is no longer here, if that's who you're looking for. He already went home with his girlfriend."
I wanted to laugh at what the woman said. She must be mistaken because I am Marvin's girlfriend. How could my boyfriend have a girlfriend with him? I just arrived back in the Philippines! It's impossible for me to have come here a day before—I don't have the ability to time travel or teleport.
But what she said planted a seed of doubt in me about Marvin. I tried to brush it off. Maybe she was joking? Marvin wouldn't do that to me. He's not that kind of guy. He loves me.
My boyfriend loves me. He wouldn't cheat on me, right?
I trust Marvin, so I won't believe this woman until I see proof that he's deceiving me.
I forced a smile, holding back tears. "Alright, I'll go now. T-Thank you anyway."
I didn't wait for her to respond—I hurriedly left. I decided to go straight to Marvin's condo since I knew where it was. While running, I fumbled for my phone, hoping Marvin had already messaged me.
For some reason, my tears suddenly started falling.
Don't cry, Savvy! She's probably just mistaken. And besides, you're not even sure if what she said was true or not.
I nodded to myself. That's right! She's just mistaken! Marvin would never do that to me. He loves me. He loves me so much... right?
But what if it's true? What if... he really does have another girl? My knees weakened at the thought. All the gaslighting I did to myself earlier started to crumble under the weight of my fear.
In my rush, I didn't notice someone was in front of me—and I accidentally collided with him so hard that I fell onto the ground, and the papers he was holding scattered everywhere. My phone also slipped from my hand and shattered.
"Fuck!"
From the voice alone, I could tell it was a man. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I-I was in a rush."
I helped him pick up the scattered papers as tears streamed down my face. My vision was starting to blur. I shouldn't be crying—not until I'm sure—but the woman's words and my spiraling thoughts were crushing me.
I don't think I can handle it if it's all true.
"H-Here," I said, handing him the papers I picked up while wiping away my tears. The last thing I picked up was my phone.
The contents of my shoulder bag had also spilled all over the floor. I quickly gathered everything and turned away from the man I had bumped into. I needed to go to Marvin's condo and prove that what the woman said wasn't true.
Because I'm his only girlfriend. No one else but me!
When I arrived at the building where Marvin's condo was, I quickly paid the fare. The guard recognized me and let me in immediately since I used to visit often.
My chest felt heavy as I pressed the button for the 9th floor in the elevator. I couldn't turn on my phone—it was broken from the fall. My heart sank even deeper as I walked toward Marvin's unit.
Nothing had changed here. It looked exactly the same as when I left. Everything still looked fancy and showed that only well-off people lived here. I swallowed hard as I carefully entered the password for his unit.
A small breath of relief escaped me when the door opened. He hadn't changed the password. I slowly entered, carrying a small cake box I had bought earlier. Today is our anniversary, and I brought it so we could celebrate together.
"Babi?" I softly called for Marvin.
The condo was clean, just as it had always been. It still smelled like him. I headed to the kitchen, thinking he might be there since he loved cooking. Before I left the Philippines, we would often hang out in the kitchen—he'd cook for me and we'd eat together.
"Babi?" I called again.
I decided to go upstairs, but before I did, I composed myself. I took a deep breath and tried to shake off the doubts in my head. I pushed them aside—I couldn't let hearsay win. Not until I saw it with my own eyes.
I lit the candle on the cake and looked at myself in the mirror. I smiled, then looked back at the cake.
"Marvin will definitely love this," I whispered. "He would never do that to me because he loves me. Marvin loves me so much."
As I climbed the stairs with the cake in hand, I glanced at the photo frames on display. I smiled when I saw them—but then I noticed something strange. None of our photos were there anymore. All the pictures were with other people.
Our photos… gone. Where did he put them?
"Babi? I'm here now," I said as I slowly opened the door to his room, but I froze when I heard a sound I didn't want to hear.
I looked toward the room that used to be mine when I stayed over. That's where the sound was coming from. I swallowed hard as the woman's earlier words echoed in my mind. My knees trembled—my instincts were screaming at me to turn around.
"Babi? Are you there?" I held the doorknob and slowly twisted it open.
"Ahh! U-Ughh…"
The sound grew louder as the door creaked open. Despite my shaking hands, I opened it completely—and what I saw made me wish I could disappear into thin air.
"F-Faster, M-Marvin…" moaned a woman whose voice was all too familiar.
"B-Babi," I stuttered, and the cake dropped from my hands as my body weakened. I saw how the two of them froze when they heard my voice.
I shook my head repeatedly, unable to accept what I was seeing. So this is why he hadn't been online? This is what he's been busy with? Cheating on me?
"S-Savvy," Marvin stammered.
I cried harder when I recognized who the woman with him was.
Why? What did I do to deserve this kind of pain?
"S-sister?"
I shut my eyes tightly and clutched my chest as I struggled to breathe through my sobs. It felt like I'd been shot—twice—right in the heart. Two of the people I loved the most… betrayed me?
Is this real or just a nightmare?
The man I dreamed of spending my life with betrayed me?
And my sister—the one I loved so much—betrayed me too?
What a beautiful surprise this is. I came here to surprise them, but I ended up being the one surprised.
Such a wonderful celebration.
A painful anniversary.
Marvin was my first boyfriend. I never thought he'd hurt me like this.
"W-Why?" My voice was barely recognizable. "What did I do wrong? You said you were just busy... but this is what you were busy with?"
"P-Please, don't be mad at me." He tried to reach for me, but I slapped him.
"Don't be mad at you? Am I supposed to be happy about what you did? Is there something funny about you cheating on me?" I snapped.
I know I have my shortcomings, but… is this how I deserve to be treated? Why couldn't he just tell me he didn't love me anymore? I would've accepted that more than being lied to.
I slapped him again when he tried to touch me. My sister just kept crying. I wanted to unleash all my anger on her too—but I couldn't.