After he hugged me he kissed me on the forehead. I hope it's okay that we are like this. I hope it's okay that we PDA here is the only case, you know what hurts?

When you see your ex-boyfriend looking at you and you know how bad it is? While he was looking at you, you could feel in his expression that he was hurt.

I don't know whether to be happy or pissed off at AJ. I don't know if he's teasing or what? Do not know!

"I miss you so much, Baby," Mitsue told me happily and then hugged me tightly again. I wanted to tell him 'Baby, can we hug later? It's embarrassing

I didn't say anything because after a while he also loosened his grip so I was a little relieved.

"Baby, come back later, we still have a photoshoot" I whispered to her. He agreed and just sat on the side and watched me while we took photos. When it was over, Mitsue and I were about to go home when Annika suddenly talked to me.

"Can I talk to you for a little bit Ria?" Why is it talking to me? Doesn't it seem odd, to think that my ex-boyfriend who I still love is with him? It's just the pain of life, right?

"Sure"

We just sat here on the bench. We were enveloped in silence for a while because neither of us wanted to open up the topic because we were a little shy of each other until ...

"Please don't hurt AJ" I immediately turned to him. What is she talking about?

"Huh?"

He laughed before he continued what he was saying. "Don't get me wrong Ria. I know you already have a boyfriend but did you notice how AJ looked at you when your boyfriend hugged and kissed you?" I suddenly thought about that.

Yes, I just realized it now. You can read not only pain in his eyes but also anger. Tell me, why would he be angry with me if he knows that I'm not Clare, right? That doesn't make any sense, right?

"What about him?" as if I was not affected by what he said.

"Ria, I'll go straight to the point here. Last year, AJ had a girlfriend, I mean, a contract girlfriend. That relationship didn't last long because AJ almost killed her..." that made me laugh. Instead of thinking about the pain of the past why not, think the past is just a memory? A stupid memory that is meant to be trashed and forgotten. But who am I kidding anyway? I don't own a time machine to change the past. I don't really know if there is such a thing as time machines.

"Then what happened to her?" I guess I'm curious as to what happened to the girl which is me.

"I don't know either. But people say that she's dead. Maybe, she couldn't take that AJ left her for me." I was suddenly stabbed several times when he said that.

So I couldn't stop myself and I stood up. He was shocked by my reaction. "Oh! Did I say something wrong?"

By the way, I'm not Clare now, so I shouldn't be so presumptuous. I should be Ria first now even though deep inside Clare struggles to come out and disappear.

"Oh! Sorry." I just shook my head and then sat down again and listened to his story.

"So, Tell me, why are you telling me these things?"

I heard him laugh while looking up at the sky. "Honestly, I don't know," he said, and then he turned to me and held my hand. "Please Ria promise me. You will take good care of AJ. I know that you're not Clare that he's telling me about but please. I want to see his smile again"

I don't know how to react to what he said. It's like there's something in my heart that's being torn apart little by little.

"I-I'm sorry. I really can't do that!" I protest. I stood up and was about to leave when Annika suddenly stopped me.

"Please..." and she started to cry "Have mercy on AJ, she has been patient for a year. She hopes that one day she and Clare will be together again. She didn't believe what they were saying that she was dead, but to AJ, Clare is still alive. So please, take care of AJ" I was almost stunned by what he said.

No. What she is saying is not true. This girl is just deceiving me. But if he is just cheating why do I see the pain in his eyes? Why does he seem to feel that AJ is suffering?

And is it true what he said that AJ endured? And he hopes we'll get back together again?

And on that thought, I feel like my heart is completely destroyed and broken. I couldn't even stop my tears from falling.

"Please Ria, I'm begging you. Don't look at me as a fashion designer. Look at me as a person begging for her friend to stop his suffering"

I'm still having second thoughts. I do not want! What's that? We'll get back together then what? Will I be hurt again? Don't stop! I don't want to cry. Maybe the state of my life is better now. I already have MItsue and even though I don't love her yet, I know that Misuse loves me very much.

"Sorry, Annika. I can't do that" and I turned my back on her. But I had only taken three steps when he spoke again.

"Maybe, I made a mistake when I begged you. Perhaps, Clare is dead because I know for sure if she is still alive. There will be a way for her and AJ to get back together. And maybe if that day happens, it will be I'm happy because AJ will finally be happy. I saw him for a year and watched him regret and cry and during that year I made a way for him and Clare to get back together..."

"Do you think, if Clare was still alive at the time, what would her reaction be if she saw her ex-boyfriend with Annika Guiterrez?" this time I looked at him. I saw the shock in his eyes when I answered him in Tagalog but he didn't react because after a few minutes he continued what he was saying.

"You. If you were Clare how would you feel?" There is anger and annoyance in his tone. This is interesting. What is the plan?

"I will feel awful. Why do you think if I were Clare, would I throw a party if I found out my ex-boyfriend was with another girl?" I saw the shock in his eyes because of my answer.

"Seriously! Is your attitude really like that? Didn't you even have a heart when you were young? Because from what I can see. You seem to have a grudge against AJ."

"Eh! What's wrong with you if I have a grudge against him? What do you care about that? You'll be rich if you find out if I have a grudge against your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend" suddenly the annoyance and anger in his tone disappeared when he said that.

"Huh?"

"Last year, I was raped and then AJ took care of me and my baby..." his line was long. You know the feeling that, while he was talking about his past, it's like the past is flashing back to you. In the past where, where your eyes really saw everything and you couldn't do anything at that time but cry.

"Didn't you say that my behavior is bad? Then why are you telling me this nonsense?"

"Because..." he couldn't continue what he was saying when AJ suddenly arrived.

He just looked at me. That look, it's like saying... You are Clare.