Episode 17&18
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Episode 17
The Warning
Didi did not sleep that night.
Vanessa's words kept replaying inside her mind.
"You think Adrian sees a future with you?"
"He doesn't."
The memory felt like a wound that refused to close.
No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the words continued haunting her.
By morning, exhaustion was written all over her face.
Her mother noticed immediately.
"You didn't sleep."
"I'm fine."
"You always say that when you're not."
Didi forced a smile and focused on preparing breakfast.
She had no intention of discussing Vanessa.
No intention of discussing Adrian.
No intention of discussing the strange emotions growing inside her heart.
Because the truth frightened her.
The more she got to know Adrian, the more dangerous her feelings became.
People like him did not fall in love with girls like her.
Life wasn't a fairy tale.
Life was reality.
And reality had never been kind to Didi.
Later that afternoon, she visited the scholarship office to submit additional documents.
The process took several hours.
By the time she finished, the sun was already beginning to set.
As she stepped outside the building, her phone rang.
Adrian.
Her heart reacted before her mind could stop it.
"Hello."
"How did it go?"
His voice sounded warm.
Comforting.
Dangerously comforting.
"It went well."
"Good."
A brief silence followed.
Then Adrian spoke again.
"Can we meet?"
Didi hesitated.
Immediately Vanessa's warning returned.
Stay away from Adrian.
For a moment she considered saying no.
But something inside her refused.
"Okay."
"There's a small restaurant near the hospital."
"I know it."
"I'll be waiting."
An hour later, Didi arrived.
Adrian was already there.
The moment he saw her, he smiled.
And somehow that smile managed to erase most of her anxiety.
For the next hour they talked.
Not about hospital bills.
Not about scholarships.
Not about problems.
For the first time, they talked about themselves.
Favorite books.
Childhood memories.
Dreams.
Regrets.
Didi discovered that Adrian loved reading.
Adrian discovered that Didi secretly wrote stories when she was younger.
"You write?"
"Wrote."
"Why did you stop?"
Didi laughed sadly.
"Life happened."
Something about that answer bothered Adrian.
Every time Didi talked about her dreams, there was always a story of sacrifice attached to it.
Dreams delayed.
Dreams abandoned.
Dreams stolen by poverty.
It made him angry.
Not at her.
At life itself.
Meanwhile, across town, Vanessa sat inside a luxury apartment staring at photographs spread across her table.
Photographs of Didi.
Photographs of Adrian.
Photographs of them together.
Her jaw tightened.
The situation was becoming serious.
Far more serious than she expected.
Then her phone rang.
It was the investigator.
"I found something."
Vanessa sat up immediately.
"What?"
"The girl's father."
Silence.
Then a smile slowly appeared on Vanessa's face.
A dangerous smile.
The kind that meant trouble.
"Tell me everything."
Back at the restaurant, neither Adrian nor Didi realized the storm quietly gathering around them.
They were too busy laughing.
Too busy enjoying each other's company.
Too busy forgetting the world.
Eventually Adrian looked at his watch.
"It's late."
Didi nodded.
"I should go."
"I'll drive you home."
"No."
"Didi."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
She laughed.
Adrian sighed dramatically.
"You are very stubborn."
"So I've been told."
Eventually she accepted.
During the drive, neither noticed how comfortable the silence felt.
When they finally reached her neighborhood, Adrian slowed the car.
The contrast struck him immediately.
The roads.
The buildings.
The environment.
This was where she lived.
This was where she fought her battles.
Suddenly he understood her even more.
Before Didi stepped out, Adrian called her name.
She turned.
"What?"
For a brief moment, Adrian seemed uncertain.
Then he spoke.
"Don't let anyone make you feel less than you are."
Didi froze.
It was almost as if he knew exactly what Vanessa had said.
Her heart tightened.
"Thank you."
She left quickly before her emotions betrayed her.
But long after she entered the building, Adrian remained parked outside.
Thinking about her.
Wondering why she occupied so much space inside his mind.
Wondering why seeing her smile felt strangely important.
And wondering whether he was already crossing a line he could never uncross.
---
Episode 18
The Return of a Ghost
Three days passed peacefully.
For the first time in years, Didi allowed herself to feel optimistic.
Her mother's health continued improving.
The scholarship process was moving forward.
And Adrian remained a constant source of encouragement.
Everything seemed to be getting better.
Which was exactly why life decided to intervene.
It happened on a Saturday afternoon.
Didi was returning from the market when she noticed a crowd outside her building.
Immediately, concern filled her chest.
People were whispering.
Pointing.
Watching.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The moment she reached the entrance, she saw her mother standing outside.
Looking shocked.
Looking pale.
Looking terrified.
"Mama?"
Her mother didn't answer.
Instead, she stared at a man standing several feet away.
A stranger.
Or so Didi thought.
Until he turned around.
And everything stopped.
The bag fell from her hands.
Her breathing froze.
Her heart stopped.
Because she knew that face.
Even though years had passed.
Even though time had changed him.
She knew him.
Her father.
The man who abandoned them.
The man who disappeared.
The man responsible for countless nights of hunger, tears, and suffering.
He was standing right in front of her.
For several seconds nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The entire street seemed frozen.
Then the man finally opened his mouth.
"Didi."
Hearing her name from him felt wrong.
Painfully wrong.
She stared at him.
Unable to believe what she was seeing.
"You've grown."
The statement almost made her laugh.
Grown?
Was that really what he wanted to say after all these years?
Her mother's hands trembled visibly.
Meanwhile neighbors watched eagerly.
Everyone knew the story.
Everyone knew he abandoned his family.
And now he was back.
The question was why.
Finally Didi found her voice.
"What are you doing here?"
The man lowered his eyes.
"I came to see my family."
Family.
The word felt insulting.
"You don't have a family here."
Pain flashed briefly across his face.
"Didi—"
"No."
Her voice became stronger.
"You left."
The street fell silent.
"You left when we needed you."
Nobody spoke.
"You left Mama to suffer alone."
Tears formed in her eyes.
"You left me."
The man swallowed hard.
Regret filled his expression.
But Didi didn't care.
Regret couldn't erase years of pain.
Regret couldn't erase poverty.
Regret couldn't erase missed opportunities.
Regret couldn't erase suffering.
"I'm sorry."
The words finally came.
Simple.
Small.
Hopelessly inadequate.
Didi laughed bitterly.
"Sorry?"
He lowered his head.
"I know I made mistakes."
"Mistakes?"
Her voice cracked.
"Mistakes are forgetting birthdays."
The crowd grew silent.
"Mistakes are arriving late."
Tears rolled down her face.
"You abandoned us."
The words struck like thunder.
Even her father flinched.
For a moment nobody knew what to say.
Then Mama finally spoke.
"Didi."
Her voice was weak.
Shaking.
Painful.
"Go inside."
Didi turned.
"But Mama—"
"Please."
Reluctantly she obeyed.
But from the window she continued watching.
Watching the man who destroyed their lives.
Watching the ghost from her past.
And wondering why he suddenly returned now.
Hours later, after he finally left, Mama entered the apartment.
Exhaustion covered her face.
Didi immediately stood.
"What did he want?"
Her mother remained silent.
That silence terrified her.
"Mama."
Slowly, Mama sat down.
Then she said something that changed everything.
"Your father is dying."
The room became completely silent.
Didi stared at her.
Certain she had heard wrong.
"What?"
Mama's eyes filled with tears.
"He has less than a year to live."
The words echoed through the room.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The man she hated.
The man she blamed.
The man she never wanted to see again.
Was dying.
And suddenly nothing felt simple anymore.
Because hatred was easier when someone was far away.
Hatred became complicated when time started running out.
And somewhere in the darkness of the city, another person was smiling.
Vanessa.
Because she knew something Didi didn't.
Something connected to her father.
Something capable of destroying everything.
And very soon...
The truth would come out.
End of Episodes 17 & 18
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