[First Timeline]
"What did you say?" the cardinal—still a young seminarist at the time—turned to Lola, who was seated beside him on the same pew.
She wore a small smile as she looked back at him. "I'm getting married."
"Why?" he asked before he could stop himself. "Didn't you say you wanted to enter the convent?"
"I did." She nodded, then chuckled softly. "I kept praying and praying after the last time we talked. Entering the convent was something I truly wanted. But I kept delaying it. I don't want to enter with hesitation in my heart."
She pursed her lips and looked toward the altar. "Not long ago, I imagined myself standing in front of this altar, reciting vows as the wife of someone I love."
"I'm pregnant," she added without warning. Yet the smile on her face was unlike anything he had ever seen. "And he asked me to marry him."
She opened her fist and revealed a small ring. Her eyes softened as she gazed at it, as though it carried countless memories already.
