Chapter 10; Heart Broken

After packing her things, Yana said her goodbyes to Mitch, trying to explain that she had to go home. There was a lot of concern in Mitch's eyes, but the friend remained silent. They hugged tightly, and Yana left.

She couldn't recall how she made it to the terminal or found herself sitting on the train. All she knew was the overwhelming heaviness in her heart, even at this moment.

She wanted to cry, but no tears fell from her eyes. It turned out they had played with her emotions, mocked her, shared laughter at her expense. What hurt the most was that she believed Kiel truly cared for her and loved her. She felt so foolish.

All this time, all Kiels efforts were just part of a bet among his friends. Yana clutched her chest in pain. The pain they caused her was unbearable, especially the pain inflicted by Kiel. She despised them all.

Yana woke up and saw the familiar surroundings, indicating they were nearing her destination. She realized she had fallen asleep.

Checking her phone, Yana saw a message from Kiel saying, "My love, where are you? Mitch told me to ask you to come home. I also missed three calls from him." She returned her phone to her pocket and prepared to get off the train.

Outside the gate of her house, Yana quickly retrieved her keys to unlock it. Her mother saw her and was surprised, but there was a joyful expression on her face.

"Yana, I thought you were coming home next week. You didn't even tell me, and I could have picked you up from the terminal," Mama exclaimed, her voice laced with a mixture of surprise and happiness.

Yana quickly ran into her mother's arms, hugging her tightly as she broke down in tears. All the tears that didn't come earlier were released now, in the embrace of her mother. She gently stroked Yana's back and hair, whispering, "My child, you're crying."

No words came out of Yana's mouth as she continued to sob in her mother's embrace. She was her comfort zone, the one who truly loved her unconditionally.

"Go and change your clothes and rest for a bit. When you're ready, we can talk about it, okay?" her mother said calmly and reassuringly.

Feeling a bit lighter, Yana took a shower and changed her clothes. As she stepped out of her room, she saw that dinner was prepared and her favorite dish was waiting for her.

"Come and eat, my child. I cooked your favorite," her mother said.

Yana sat down and remained silent, her eyes slightly swollen from crying. At the dinner table, there was silence, with Mama staying quiet as well.

"I'm glad to see you," Mama finally muttered.

After they finished eating and tidying up, Mama approached Yana and held both of her hands in hers.

"Now, if you're ready to tell me, share with me your problems, sweetheart," Mama said. "Remember, I'm, always here."

Yana narrates everything to her mother—the bullying she experienced and how they played with her emotions, including Kiel's actions. She couldn't help but cry again as she recounted the whole ordeal.

Her mom started crying too after Yana finished telling her everything.

"I want to confront them, including your school. How could they allow such activities from their students?" Mama said angrily.

"Mom, the school is not involved in this. Let's just leave them be. This too shall pass. Their families are wealthy, and we can't match that," Yana replied, trying to calm her down.

After her conversation with Mama, Yana entered her room and checked her cellphone. There were 10 missed calls from Kiel. She decided to block him to put a stop to the constant communication. Butch also messaged her, saying that Kiel had asked him for her home address and what had happened. She immediately replied, urging them not to give out their address no matter what happened.

She knew she'd be okay eventually; this pain would also fade away.

After that, she opened her laptop and went to the gallery. She deleted all the pictures and videos of Kiel. Mama was right. Sometimes, distancing themselves is the best remedy for the pain they felt. She was feeling better now.

She dedicated her entire sembreak to helping Mama, and she also avoided opening social media to steer clear of news about them, especially about Kiel.

It had been a month already, and Yana was ready to head back to Seattle for the second semester.

"Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you and enroll at your new school?" Mama asked, trying to persuade her with her affection.

"Mom, I can handle this on my own... Besides, you're needed here; you have an employee who relies on you," Yana replied. Mama's lips slightly pouted, but she couldn't do anything about it.

Yana plans to transfer to a different school, at least for this next semester.

She didn't think she could handle seeing those people who hurt her every day. Just the thought of encountering them on campus was overwhelming. From what she knew, they would be graduating this semester, so it was a relief that she wouldn't have to see them anymore. Though she felt a bit hesitant about the decision to transfer schools because aside from being a half scholar, she had also grown fond of the professors in the Architecture department.

Yana returned to the dorm to drop off her belongings, and there, she found Mitch and Butch waiting. Their faces lit up with joy and enthusiasm.

"Girl, we missed you!" they exclaimed, enveloping Yana in a warm embrace. She returned the hug, sharing their happiness.

"Could you please tell us what really happened?" Mitch asked, her concern evident. "We were worried about you, Butch and I. Before you left, you weren't okay, and Kiel kept coming back here asking about you."

She took a deep breath, indicating that she was okay now and ready to share what really happened.

After telling them, She could see the concern on their faces. Mitch's expression shifted to anger, and she raised a pointed question about Megi's involvement.

"Yes, Mitch," Yana replied, "Megi was the one who actually recorded the video." She apologized for not sharing this sooner.

Mitch nodded, while Butch just shrugged. Despite feeling somewhat relieved about expressing herself to them throughout the situation,she still can't avoid feeling hurt by it.

Mitch POV

Mitch was quite surprised by what she discovered, and she felt sorry for Yana for having experienced such a situation. She couldn't help but wonder if she had also been manipulated by Megi, just like Yana. Driven by a need to know more, she decided to track down Tristan to get a clearer picture of the video's contents. Mitch ventured into their dorm, with Tristan's room adjacent to Butch's.

She knocked on Tristan's door, and they emerged from inside. It had been a while since she last saw Tristan, as they had been distancing themselves from Megi's company recently. They appeared taken aback by Mitch's sudden visit but managed to ask, "What do we need, Mitch?"

"I want to see the video," her said, my voice filled with seriousness.

Tristan initially hesitated, but Mitch's insistence prevailed, and they finally agreed to show her the video. Mitch promptly transferred it to her phone and deleted it from Tristan's device. Armed with this incriminating evidence, she left Tristan's place, determined to address those responsible for Yana's suffering.

Kiel's POV

It had been a month, but the pain Yana's actions had inflicted on Kiel still lingered. He couldn't fathom what he had done to deserve this treatment. Yana had vanished abruptly, leaving him feeling adrift and hurt. He was lethargic, lacking motivation, and had isolated himself in his condo. Calls from his mom and friends went unanswered as he sought solitude to sort through his thoughts.

One day, the doorbell interrupted his solitude, and Kiel found Marlon and Megi standing at his doorstep. They barged in without waiting for an invitation.

"Bro, what's going on? The new school year is about to start, and we need to enroll in our last subject and prepare for the OJT," Megi urged.

"Snap out of it, bro. She's just one girl. There are plenty more out there," Marlon added.

Kiel struggled to articulate his feelings. "I don't even know what went wrong. She disappeared without a word, leaving me hanging. It's so unfair; I feel like I'm cursed when it comes to love." He shared his emotional turmoil, but his friends' advice to move on didn't resonate with him. He had no intention of enrolling in the upcoming semester.

"Please, just give me some space for now," he implored.

His friends exchanged glances and ultimately left him alone. Then, another knock echoed through the room. Megi answered the door, revealing Mitch's stern presence.

"You all are utterly shameless!" Mitch exclaimed. "What's the story this time? Who are you planning to deceive? Kiel, you exploited Yana just because she had feelings for you. You knew she was innocent and had never been in a relationship before."

Megi, wearing a furrowed brow, inquired, "Tell us what really happened, honey." She pulled out her phone and revealed the damning video.

Kiel watched the video of their laptop hacking incident, his shock overriding his previous conversation. He hadn't realized that such a video existed, and suddenly, everything clicked into place. He now understood why Yana had left him hanging so abruptly.

"Where is she, Mitch? I need to talk to her," Kiel pleaded tearfully.

Mitch retorted with anger, "What's the point? She was nothing more than a bet to you, right? Why should she even bother talking to you?" Ignoring her words, Kiel swiftly changed into fresh clothes, grabbed his car keys, and left in search of Yana. He felt her presence nearby, even if Mitch hadn't disclosed her whereabouts. His first stop was Yana's dorm, but she was nowhere to be found. The dormitory staff mentioned that she had been at the school, so he hurried there, glimpsing her walking out of the architecture office.

"Yana, please, let's talk," Kiel implored, but she merely glanced at him and quickened her pace, unwilling to engage. He tried to catch up, holding onto hope that she might listen. He made numerous attempts to speak to Yana, yet she remained resolute in her refusal.

Despite his persistence, Yana wouldn't grant him an audience. Kiel ventured to her dorm on multiple occasions, but she adamantly shut him out. Even Mitch and Butch's interventions yielded no change in the situation. Kiel couldn't fathom what he had done so wrong that Yana wouldn't even entertain the prospect of hearing his explanation. The thought of moving on was agonizing, for he cherished her deeply and was willing to do whatever it took to earn her forgiveness.