Chapter Text
Colet’s POV:
It was a cold Friday night. Rain slammed against the windows while strong winds shook the house, making it creak with every loud clap of thunder.
Curled up in the darkest corner of the living room, she hugged her knees close to her chest. One hand held them tight, while the other loosely gripped a half-empty bottle. Tears mixed with smeared mascara as she took another long drink, hoping it would dull the pain. It never did.
She didn't react to the thunder. She didn't care when the windows rattled. The storm outside was nothing compared to the one raging inside her.
Her wife was gone.
She had walked away, taking with her the future they had dreamed of together. All that remained was an empty house, broken promises, and a silence so heavy it felt impossible to breathe. Alone, the brunette could do nothing but drown in heartbreak, regret, and the crushing pain of being left behind.
"Pa’no ba tayo umabot sa ganito?" Colet knows why Jhoanna left. What she can't understand is why, despite having every reason to stay, Jhoanna still chose to walk away.
Colet's gaze drifted to the photo frames lining the wall. Every smile they had once shared now felt like another wound carved into her heart.
"Mapapatawad mo pa ba ako, Jho?" she whispered, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I became so selfish”
She had been so blind.
She had always believed that everything she was doing was for them. In her mind, every late night, every sacrifice, every step toward her dreams was another brick laid for the life they were building together.
But somewhere along the way, she failed to notice that her wife had dreams of her own.
Without realizing it, she had begun leaving those dreams behind. She became so consumed with chasing her own future that she forgot to ask the one person she was doing it all for if she was still happy... or if there was something she longed for, too.
All she could see was her own path, never noticing that the person walking beside her had quietly stopped dreaming out loud.
Her eyes lingered on the photographs for one last moment before she looked away. Without another word, she tipped the bottle back and drained the last of the alcohol in her hand.
Two weeks have passed since Jhoanna walked out of her life.
But the memories remain. Especially the words that shattered everything they built together.
Jhoanna was no longer content with the life they had. She wanted more. She wanted to leave the country, chase her dream of becoming a reporter, and fight for a place in the world of broadcasting. She wanted to grow, to become the person she always dreamed of being.
And somehow, in Jhoanna's eyes, Colet had become the reason she couldn't.
She felt like Colet was holding her back from the future she wanted, from the life she was meant to have. So, after seven years of love, promises, and marriage, Jhoanna chose to walk away—leaving behind everything they fought so hard to build.
"I can't be contented with just this, Col..."
Those words were the ones Colet couldn't forget.
Colet's train of thought was shattered when her phone suddenly rang, pulling her away from the memories she was desperately trying to drown.
“Fucking shit! Sino nanaman ‘to?” she cursed, her voice breaking as she reached for her phone. Without even checking the caller, she immediately ended the call.
Colet used to love it whenever her family or friends called just to check on her. It reminded her that she wasn't alone. Now, every ringtone only irritated her. Ever since people found out about what happened between her and Jhoanna, the calls never stopped. She knew some were genuinely worried about her, but she also knew others were only looking for something to gossip about. She appreciated the people who truly cared. But not today. Today, she didn't have the strength to answer anyone. Right now, silence was easier than pretending she was okay.
For a moment, she just stared at the screen, trying to steady herself.
But before she could throw her phone onto the couch, it rang again.
This time, an unfamiliar number stared back at her.
Colet hesitated. Every part of her wanted to ignore it, to let the call disappear like everything else she was trying to forget. But something inside her made her answer.
“Hello?”
“Umm, is this Nicolette Vergara-Robles?” a man's voice asked from the other line.
The moment she heard her full name, Colet froze.
That surname.
Jhoanna's surname.
A painful reminder that no matter how much they were falling apart, a part of Jhoanna was still tied to her. They were still legally married. Still connected by vows that were slowly turning into paperwork she would one day have to sign.
The thought alone made her chest ache.
Because sooner or later, she would have to let go.
She would have to sign the divorce papers and officially end the seven years they spent building a life together.
“Yes?” Colet answered quietly, swallowing the pain in her throat.
This time, she didn't correct him.
She didn't protest the name.
Because deep down, she knew she was still not ready to let go of being Jhoanna's wife.
“This is Doctor Mendez,” the voice on the other end said, his tone carrying a weight that immediately made Colet’s heart sink. “I’m calling about your wife, Jhoanna. She was involved in a serious accident and was rushed to the hospital.”
A brief silence followed before he continued.
“She is currently in a coma. We… almost lost her, but our team was able to revive her. Right now, she remains in critical condition and is under close monitoring. We’re doing everything we can, but we need you to come to the hospital as soon as possible.”
The words barely registered in Colet's mind. For a moment, everything around her went silent, as if the world had stopped moving. Her chest tightened, her breath caught, and the phone in her hand suddenly felt heavier than before.
Jhoanna—her Jhoanna—was fighting for her life, and all Colet could do was stand there, frozen, trying to process the fear of losing the person she never thought she would have to live without.
Colet didn’t waste another second.
Despite the alcohol coursing through her veins, the exhaustion from crying herself numb, and the pounding headache threatening to break her apart, none of it mattered anymore.
Not when Jhoanna needed her.
With trembling hands, she grabbed the only things she needed—her phone, jacket, wallet, and car keys—before rushing out the door.
For the first time in a long while, Colet drove without thinking. She didn't care about the storm or the pounding rain. Every red light felt like it was keeping her away from Jhoanna. Every second felt like one more chance to lose her.
She had never driven this recklessly before.
But fear wasn't what was pushing her.
It was love. She just needed to get to Jhoanna.
The moment she arrived at the hospital, Colet barely had time to breathe. Her hands shook as she pulled out her phone, scrolling through the contacts she knew by heart.
Mikha.
Aiah.
The two people who had witnessed their entire love story. The ones who stood beside them through every high and every low. The ones who knew Colet and Jhoanna before the cracks started appearing.
They weren’t just their best friends.
They were family.
With tears threatening to fall again, Colet pressed call.
Because right now, she didn't need advice.
She didn't need answers.
She just needed the people who had always been there.
After informing Mikha and Aiah about what happened to Jhoanna, Colet didn’t waste another second.
She ran toward the nurse’s station, her heart pounding so loudly that it drowned out the noise of the hospital around her.
“Anong floor po yung ICU? Jhoanna Robles,” she asked, her voice trembling as she forced herself to speak.
The heaviness in her chest only grew stronger.
Because until she saw Jhoanna with her own eyes—until she knew she was breathing, until she knew she was still there—Colet couldn’t convince herself that everything would be okay.
“Third floor po ang ICU. Sa west wing po kayo mag take ng elevator,” the nurse answered.
The moment she heard the directions, Colet ran.
She rushed through the hospital hallway, ignoring the exhaustion, the tears still staining her face, and the fear slowly consuming her. She reached the first elevator she saw and immediately pressed the button for the third floor.
As the elevator doors closed, the reality of the situation started sinking in.
Jhoanna was there.
Fighting for her life.
And Colet was about to see the woman she loved lying unconscious, unable to look at her, unable to call her name, unable to tell her that she was sorry.
The elevator dinged.
The doors slowly opened.
But Colet stayed frozen.
For a moment, she couldn’t move.
Her mind fought against her heart.
One part of her wanted to run inside the ICU and hold Jhoanna’s hand, to make sure she was real, to make sure she was still alive.
But another part of her was terrified.
Terrified of seeing the woman who once held her together now lying there, fragile and unmoving.
Terrified that this would be the moment she realized she could actually lose her.
Because losing their marriage was painful.
But losing Jhoanna?
That was something Colet wasn’t sure she could survive.
Colet’s feet carried her to Jhoanna’s ICU room, but the moment she stood in front of the door, she felt like she had forgotten how to breathe.
She still couldn’t see her.
A glass window separated them, but a curtain blocked her view—keeping Jhoanna just out of reach.
The distance felt unbearable.
Before Colet could gather the courage to step inside, Doctor Mendez approached her. He carefully explained what happened, explaining Jhoanna’s current condition and the extent of her injuries.
Jhoanna had been in a car accident.
And the detail that broke something inside Colet was knowing where it happened.
It was almost near their home.
The place where they built their life together.
The place where Jhoanna could have been coming back to.
“What happened, Jho?” Colet asked silently, her tears falling before she even realized it.
Were you trying to come back to me?
For a moment, she allowed herself to wonder if maybe Jhoanna was on her way home. Maybe fate had given her one last chance to return to the life they once shared.
But that thought hurt even more.
After explaining everything, Doctor Mendez finally stepped away and gave Colet the space she needed.
The space to see her wife.
With shaking hands, Colet slowly opened the door.
And the silence that greeted her was deafening.
The only sounds filling the room were the steady beeping of the monitor and the quiet rhythm of Jhoanna’s oxygen.
That was when reality finally hit her.
The woman who used to dance freely, laugh loudly, and hold her hand through everything was now lying there—fragile, unmoving, fighting for her life.
It felt like the accident had almost taken Jhoanna away from her.
And Colet almost lost her without even getting the chance to say goodbye.
A sob escaped her lips as she walked closer.
Slowly, carefully, she reached for Jhoanna’s hand and held it between hers, squeezing gently as if trying to remind her that she wasn’t alone.
That she was still there.
“Jho…” Colet whispered, her voice breaking. “Andito na ’ko.”
Her tears fell onto their intertwined hands.
“Please, lumaban ka naman oh…”
She closed her eyes, holding onto Jhoanna as tightly as she could without hurting her.
“Wag mo ’kong iwan ulit.”
Because losing Jhoanna once had already broken her.
But losing her forever?
That was a pain Colet wasn’t willing to face. Not when she still had a chance to fight for her.
For a moment, nothing changed.
The machines continued to beep.
The room remained silent.
Until suddenly—
Jhoanna’s fingers moved.
Colet froze.
Her breath caught as she felt it.
A weak but undeniable squeeze against her hand.
Jhoanna squeezed back.
And for the first time since the call, Colet allowed herself to hope.