Unbeknownst to the couple, Darius never actually went up to his hotel room. He only dropped them off and then headed to a bar he had visited before — a place where he felt safe and comfortable.
He wanted to pull himself together before his wife Elle returned from New York — not knowing she was actually just on the other side of San Francisco… with another man.
***
In a quiet hotel room across San Francisco, Elle and Aries were having a conversation.
"I don't know how he'll take it," Elle said softly, staring at the cup in her hands. "But I can't keep pretending there was nothing between us. I've done everything I could… but I can't carry this silence anymore."
Aries, her first love from college, sat across from her, quietly listening. They had parted ways a long time ago due to different dreams — they thought their story had ended. But two years ago, they crossed paths again in Paris under unexpected circumstances.
Elle had just returned from a fashion show when Aries bumped into her outside her apartment building. He had just come back from a family trip and was in a rush, and for a moment, their eyes met — just long enough to reignite all the feelings they had buried during their time apart.
Since then, they had stayed close. They continued communicating, as if they had never been separated.
"Don't worry," Aries whispered as he kissed Elle's temple. "Whatever happens, I'm here. I won't ever leave you. Not now, when we've finally found our way back to each other and are sure of what we feel. Besides, we've already laid our plans out well, so we have nothing to fear anymore," he said, trying to reassure her.
Elle gave him a small smile and gently squeezed the hand he was holding.
This had been the tone of their conversations ever since the night Lance and Kitty caught them eating ice cream by the roadside — a simple moment, yet full of unforgettable memories.
***
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit bar…
Darius took a sip of his drink, swirling the ice in his glass.
As he watched the ice rotate, Darius realized — it wasn't just his heart that was stuck in the past. Even his feet couldn't move forward.
"I thought I was ready to face her," he murmured to himself. "But why couldn't I do it earlier?"
He hadn't told his cousin and his wife that he would be coming here. He just wanted to be alone — to sort out the chaos in his head.
"Why does it seem like it's nothing to her?" he sighed. "Am I the only one still trapped in the past?"
Earlier, when he and Angela stood close — barely a meter apart — he still felt invisible to her. Like a shadow abandoned by time.
"Unfair," he chuckled bitterly. "I was the one left behind, and I'm still the one carrying the weight."
"There was a time when just one smile from her could make my whole day. Now, one glance is enough to shatter the world I've tried so hard to rebuild without her."
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You know, don't let the sadness eat you alive," said the bar owner while wiping glasses behind the counter. "There are things in life we just can't control. Take it slow. Everything ends eventually."
Darius turned and snapped out of his thoughts for a moment.
"Thanks," he said simply.
The man smiled. "Don't mention it. You're always welcome here. Honestly, whenever you show up, our sales skyrocket!"
Darius smiled despite the heaviness he felt. After a few more drinks, he decided to head back to the hotel — still sober enough to drive safely.
Outside the bar, the wind was cold.
***
On the other side of the city, a different kind of warmth filled a small apartment — the warmth of love and quiet peace.
"It's tiring but it makes me happy," Angela said with a smile, sitting at the table and watching Clark wash the dishes.
They had just finished dinner, and as usual, the young man took care of her — something she had slowly learned to embrace and cherish.
"When I'm done here, I'll prepare your bath," Clark said, walking over to her and kissing her on the forehead.
Angela smiled. "Baby, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?" Clark asked, smiling and draping an arm around her shoulders.
"Did you feel jealous earlier?"
Clark laughed. "If I say no, would you believe me?"
"Why not?"
"I don't know," he shrugged. "But honestly, I wasn't jealous. There's no reason to be. You were looking at me the whole time."
Angela chuckled and pinched his arm. "You're being cocky now."
With every laugh, he tried to drown out the twisting ache in his chest — the fear that one day, the love he could offer might no longer be enough.
"Just proud," he said, and they laughed together.
Clark didn't mention how anxious and afraid he had actually been — scared that Angela might realize she still loved Darius after seeing him again. But he chose not to burden her with these thoughts. He didn't want to add to her stress.
Clark couldn't admit what he had been holding back for so long — the insecurities he couldn't shake. He had seen how Angela loved before... and how deeply she had been loved back by Darius. They had been together for years. They had built so many dreams together.
Clark also knew how much Angela had been hurt when she found out what happened between her ex and Jenna, Darius's former med school classmate.
Meanwhile, Clark and Angela had only been together for almost a year — their story had only just begun. So much could still happen between them.
What hurt more was that Angela had become the surrogate mother of Darius and his wife's child. It was as if, even without saying it aloud, she and her ex-boyfriend were bound for life.
No matter what Clark did, he couldn't help but feel afraid. He had wanted to tell Angela many times, but he didn't want to give her more reasons to worry. So, he decided he would talk to her — but only after she gave birth.
What Clark didn't know was that Angela had her own fears too.
"I don't know where this anxiety is coming from," she thought. "But sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, you're still afraid… afraid that one day, they'll grow tired of you."
After a while of teasing and cuddling, Clark prepared her bath. When she was done, he blow-dried her hair while they kept chatting — a simple evening of love and care.