Peachy adjusted her apron and tied her hair into a loose ponytail, strands falling onto her cheeks. She glanced at the mirror behind the café counter.
No makeup. Slight eyebags. Belly just starting to round out.
She gave herself a smile anyway.
"Okay, self. Gising na. Smile. You've got a reason now."
It had been three weeks since she left the hotel. Three weeks since Charlie Mo's silence. Three weeks since Maia's shadow crept back into her life.
Peachy never confronted either of them. Hindi na niya kinaya. And she was tired of being the girl who always gave the benefit of the doubt.
So she chose silence.
She chose... herself. And the little heartbeat inside her.
Her new job at Cafe Merienda wasn't glamorous, but it was peaceful. The owner, a middle-aged woman named Tita Len, adored Peachy from day one.
"May glow ka, anak," Tita Len had said. "Preggy ka, no?"
Peachy had blushed. "Opo. Sorry po, hindi ko pa sinasabi. Baka po—"
"Walang baka-baka. May anak ka? Then I trust you'll fight harder."
And she did.
Each morning, she prepped pastries. Poured coffee. Served regulars. And during slow afternoons, she'd sit at the corner table with a pink pen and a small notepad—no longer for hotel guests or strangers.
But for someone new.
Someone small.
Someone real.
"Dear Little Bean," one note read,22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSpgaT4ShC
"Today, Mama felt tired. But you kicked once, and I remembered why I get up."
Another:22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1nhX0Iezk
"We don't need a castle. Just each other."
She folded them neatly and slid them into a tiny pink envelope labeled "For When You're Old Enough to Wonder."
Patty visited the café during one of her breaks.
"Mas tahimik ka na ngayon," she said, sipping the banana cue smoothie.
Peachy wiped her hands on her apron and sat beside her. "Mas kalmado na siguro. Mas... payapa."
Patty studied her. "Still hurts?"
Peachy nodded. "Every time I pass a hallway with fairy lights. Every time I see a hotel mug. Every time I almost write his name."
Patty looked down. "And kung bumalik siya?"
Peachy took a breath. "Then he'll have to talk to the version of me who stopped waiting."
One rainy afternoon, Peachy stayed late to help Tita Len restock shelves. After the lights were off, she sat in the quiet again, humming to herself.
She took out a note and scribbled carefully:
"I used to write for others. Now, I write for you. Thank you for saving me before you were even born."
She was placing it inside the envelope when the café door jingled.
She looked up, surprised.
And her world paused.
Charlie stood there—rain-drenched, tired, holding something in his hand.
Her old sticky note.
Crumpled. But still pink.
The one that once said:22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZ5orRNWl5
"You're doing better than you think."
He stepped closer.
"I found this behind the pantry shelf," he said quietly. "I don't know why I kept it."
Peachy stared at him, unmoving.
"You disappeared," he continued, voice breaking slightly. "I didn't know how much I'd miss pink until the world went gray again."
She blinked, once. Twice.
Then turned her eyes away.
"You disappeared first."
"I know."
She didn't cry. She didn't shake. She just stood there, whole but tired.
"I came here to apologize," Charlie said. "No excuses. Just truth. I was afraid. You gave me light, and I gave you... absence."
Peachy looked at him—long, searching.
Then she gently touched her belly.
He froze.
"...Is that—"
"Yes."
Silence.
Not heavy. Not hostile.
Just... stunned.
Peachy stepped back. "But this isn't a trap, Charlie. This isn't your punishment. I'm not asking for anything."
Charlie swallowed, heart thudding.
"I just wanted you to know," she whispered. "Because maybe someday, when the baby asks about their father, I want to say I was honest."
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"But if you're here because of guilt—please leave."
"I'm not."
He stepped forward, voice shaking. "I'm here because I want to earn the right to stay."
End of Chapter 13.
22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkUGO3viaB
