Sabrina threw herself into Erick's arms, her sobs shaking her delicate frame. Her hands clung desperately to his neck. Tears streamed down her face, dampening his chest as she pleaded with him.
"Erick, don't leave me," she whispered between sobs, her voice trembling with desperation. Her large, watery eyes locked onto his, shimmering with vulnerability. "I'll be careful. I promise your wife will never find out. I won't cause any trouble. I just want to stay quietly by your side."
She buried her face in his chest, her words muffled but insistent. "Please, Erick, don't leave me."
Her tear-streaked face, framed by disheveled locks of silky hair, tugged at Erick's resolve. His hands hovered uncertainly over her trembling shoulders before finally settling there, his touch hesitant. For a moment, guilt flickered across his face, but it was quickly overtaken by an inner battle between his desires and his obligations.
"Let's... talk about it later," he muttered, his voice unconvincing even to himself. He gently extricated himself from Sabrina's grip and straightened his shirt, avoiding her eyes.
Sabrina sniffled and nodded as though she had won, her lips curling into a faint smile of triumph as Erick turned away.
***
Not long after, Bianca's phone buzzed with an anonymous message while she rested in her hospital bed. She hesitated for a second before opening it, the dull ache in her chest tightening as the image loaded.
It was a photo of Erick in the shower, his back crisscrossed with fresh red scratches.
The bile rose in her throat, but Bianca swallowed it down, her face remaining a mask of icy composure. She locked the screen without a word, then turned to the doctor, her voice steady despite the turmoil roiling within her.
"Please arrange for a full checkup for me," she said quietly.
The doctor frowned, her pen pausing over the clipboard. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Bianca's lips twitched into a hollow smile. "No. I just need to make sure everything is... in order."
Erick, after all, had been with so many women. She needed to make sure she hadn't contracted anything.
***
The hospital's automatic doors hissed open and the crisp evening air hit Bianca's face as she stepped outside. Waiting just beyond the threshold was her closest friend, Elisa, her arms open wide in welcome.
"Bianca," Elisa called softly, her expression warm yet laced with concern.
The sight of her friend's comforting presence broke through Bianca's fragile composure. Tears welled up in her eyes and without a word, she walked straight into Elisa's embrace. Elisa wrapped her arms tightly around her, one hand stroking Bianca's hair as she whispered soothing words.
"Let it all out, Bianca," Elisa murmured. "Cry it all out. Then stand up again."
Bianca clung to her friend, her sobs wrenching and raw. The anguish she had bottled up poured out in waves, her cries echoing through the cool night.
"I wanted this baby," Bianca choked out between sobs, her voice breaking. "But Erick... he destroyed everything."
Elisa's grip tightened as her friend's words sank in. She didn't try to offer meaningless reassurances. She simply held Bianca, her quiet strength an anchor in the storm of emotion.
As Bianca's tears subsided, a fiery resolve began to take their place. The burning hatred in her chest turned her sorrow into steel.
By the time she pulled away, her tears had dried and her expression was calm—a chilling calm that sent shivers down Elisa's spine.
Hate stemmed from love. But as the child was gone, so too was Bianca's love for Erick. All that remained was her determination to disappear from his world.
***
Back home, Bianca methodically began packing her belongings. Each item she touched was imbued with memories she no longer wished to carry.
The jewelry Erick had gifted her, the designer clothes he'd picked out with such care—all of it went into boxes, ready to be sold at a fraction of their worth. Every item she packed away felt like shedding a layer of her past.
She paused when her hand brushed against a black and gold box tucked in the back of the closet. She hesitated before pulling it out.
Inside was ninety-nine love letters Erick had written during the early days of their courtship. She held one up, the faded ink and careful handwriting bringing back a flood of bittersweet memories.
"Bianca, these letters are proof of my love for you," Erick's voice echoed in her mind. "We'll be together forever. You can't leave me halfway through."
Her lips curled into a bitter smile. "And yet, you left first," she whispered to the empty room.
Carrying the box to the backyard, she set it on the edge of a pre-prepared bonfire. One by one, she fed the letters to the flames, watching the paper curl and blacken before crumbling into ash.
***
When Erick returned home, he immediately noticed the faint scent of smoke lingering in the air. Panic surged through him as he hurried into the yard, only to find Bianca standing silently by the fire, her expression unreadable.
"Bianca," he called out, relief washing over him at the sight of her. "Why did you leave the hospital without telling me?"
Bianca turned her gaze toward him, her eyes calm yet cold. "Weren't you busy?"
Erick froze, the accusation hidden in her tone striking a chord of unease.
He'd intended to return to the hospital sooner, but Sabrina clung to him, tearfully begging for a child. His resolve weakened and they had unprotected sex twice more.
By the time he arrived at the hospital, Bianca was gone. Worse, the once-welcoming staff now treated him with cold indifference, refusing to answer his questions about Bianca. He had no choice but to rush home.
"I'm sorry, Bianca," he said after a pause, his voice softening. "The meeting ran longer than expected. That's my fault."
She didn't reply. Her eyes drifted back to the fire.
It was only then that Erick noticed the burning remnants of paper curling in the flames. He stepped closer, his brow furrowing.
"What are you burning?" he asked cautiously.
