The Weight of What Lingers

Apollonia Talitha Sevilla is done, done with her friends' endless teasing, done with the blunt mockery of everyone who finds it amusing that she's still an NBSB. If there were a contest for staying single, she'd have won it long ago--hands down, undefeated.

But beyond the jokes, she has always been grateful. Life has never been unkind. She has loving parents, friends she can rely on, and a comfort she knows not everyone has. Yet, deep down, there's a hollow space no amount of gratitude can fill--a space reserved for one thing she's never had: a lover.

Finding one, however, has always been a cruel game. Either she gets friendzoned or the guys never bother to move past small talk. It's a pattern that gnaws at her, makes her wonder if something is inherently wrong with her. That's why, when she crossed paths with Forest Caius La Dueñas, she swore she'd break the cycle.

For the first time, hope stirred inside her--fragile yet fierce. She clung to it like a vow: this time, I won't end up on the sidelines. Not ever. Not again.

But life, with its wicked sense of timing, never warns her before it takes everything away. Piece by piece, the things that made her feel whole began to crumble. Before she could even catch her breath, she was left with nothing. Everything she held dear slipped through her fingers--everything, except him. Fourth was always there, holding her hand, embracing her pain away.

But what happens when the only person you're clinging to... has already let go?

Some people leave quietly, other leave behind a weight you may carry forever. And Apple never expected Fourth would become both-a stranger she no longer knows, and a weight that lingers.