"Ms. Corazon, how come you're not married yet?" Aileen, one of her elementary students, asked her with a confused yet innocent look on her face. They are currently waiting for Aileen's mother to come and pick her up since school is done for the day.

"Well, it's because I wanted to teach young and smart children like you." Corazon replied with a smile on her face.

Aileen pouted, "You never wanted to get married?"

"I was supposed to marry a young man." She replied as she watched the sunset. "But we didn't work out."

"Why not? You two love each other, don't you?"

"Let's just say that falling in love and maintaining that during the war was not so easy." Memories of her and Akihiro started playing in her mind that it made her emotional in an instant. No matter how much pain and anger that he put her through because of his background, she couldn't bring herself to completely hate him. She still missed him.

"But my mum told me that love is the most powerful thing in the world. She said it could move mountains. Is he so weak that he can't move mountains?" Aileen pressed on. Corazon chuckled because of her student's thinking - so concrete yet so full of substance.

"It's true, it is powerful." She looked at her in the eyes. "And that's why sometimes, we have to let go of the people that we love because we don't want to see them suffer anymore. We want them to grow, even without us by their side."

Aileen's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't understand." She said, while shaking her head.

"Oh in due time, you will. Trust me."

—-

"Going home already?" Manuel, a high-school teacher from their sister school nearby asked as they both walked towards the jeepney terminal.

Corazon smiled, "Yes. And you?"

"Same." He replied and then he sheepishly smiled at her. "Hey, if you don't mind, do you wanna have dinner with me tonight?"

Corazon stopped and stared at him. "I mean, no pressure at all, you know. It doesn't have to be tonight if you're not feeling up for it." He continued to ramble on in a nervous manner.

She smiled awkwardly, "I'm sorry Manuel but I think I'll have to decline."

"So it's still him, huh?" Manuel replied casually to which Corazon nodded. "Oh well, I guess there goes my luck."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh no! Don't apologize, Corazon. I definitely understand you. I guess being friends is the only level that I can reach with you." He side-eyed her carefully, "By the way, does he know about-?"

Corazon immediately shook her head. "No, he doesn't. I don't even think he knows where I currently live now, or if he even remembers me." She replied. "He's a busy person. I'm sure he has forgotten about me already."

Manuel couldn't help but to feel sad - not because of the fact that she rejected him but because Corazon tries to mask the longing that she has for him. She may act and seem like she's okay but he could feel that she misses him. That's why her feelings for him are still strong.

"Corazon, life is short. Maybe you should reach out to him... and-."

"And what? Tell him about my illness?" She countered. "Please, I'm not some pity-party here. If he wanted to come back, he would do so on his own accord - not because I'm currently ill or dying on my deathbed."

"Damn, you got me there. You should've just gone into law school instead. You always have rebuttals to my statements." He chuckled which earned him a playful nudge from Corazon. "But seriously, I think he has the right to know. I know you still love him... and he probably does still feel the same way about you."

"Like I said, if he wanted to, he would. And if he really does love me, he would show up here."

"Corazon?" An all-too-familiar voice spoke up. Corazon turned her gaze to the direction where the voice came from and saw the person that she had been waiting for a long time.

"Akihiro..." She mumbled as she stood there frozen.

Akihiro, who was then wearing a white long-sleeved polo with its sleeves rolled up halfway to his arm and a black pants and a pair of black shoes walked briskly towards her and wrapped her in his arms, sniffing the lilac scent that he missed.

Corazon couldn't believe what was currently happening to her - the man that she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with is finally in front of her, hugging her, after several years of being torn apart by the war that fell upon their country in the previous years.

"Hey, is that him?" Manuel whispered awkwardly by her side. He felt as if he had entered a situation that he should not be a part of in the first place. She didn't answer and just looked at the man standing before her - still stung by the fact that Akihiro came back without her having to beg for it.

"I think we should go..." Corazon managed to find her voice and held Manuel's hand to which Akihiro's gaze shifted upon.

"W-Wait a minute... what's going on?" Manuel asked, quite bewildered by her actions.

"Just go with it." She mumbled under her breath.

"So you guys are together now, huh?" Akihiro said, trying to hide the sadness and disappointment in his heart by forcing a smile. Corazon did not answer and just gripped her friend's hand. Akihiro couldn't believe what he was seeing right now. There must be something that my researcher missed. He thought. And he clearly missed any information about this.

"Look man, sorry, we didn't know if you were still coming back... or let alone, alive." Manuel told him in an awkward and apologetic tone.

"We thought you're dead." Corazon finally spoke up.

"Dead?!" Akihiro chuckled in disbelief. "Corazon, you saw how I was taken away alive by a general that was sent by my family!"

"And you expect me to hope that they won't kill you? Akihiro, your family invaded my country and killed lots of people in the process!" She replied. "I'm sorry... but you're a little too late now. I'm marrying Manuel, for the sake of my peace."

She dragged Manuel away from Akihiro. When they were finally out of his sight, Manuel removed his hold from her hand as she finally broke down in tears. They both sat down by the bench, facing the Manila Bay, as he listened to her sobs until she got tired of crying.

"I waited for him for years... and now what? He just shows up here like nothing happened?!" She stated, her voice hinting with mixed emotions of anger, sadness, and disappointment.

"Well, what do you want him to do then?" Manuel asked. "Would you prefer him to be far away from you once again?" She did not answer. The truth is, she doesn't even know what she wanted at this time from Akihiro.

"He came back for you because he wanted to - just how you like it. Now that he's here, you're driving him away." He pointed out. "Man, you women are crazy. You say that you don't want us here when you really do."

"Yeah but... I'm dying anyway..." She replied. "What's the use of him coming back here if I'm just going to die and leave him all lonely and angry towards the world?"

"Maybe think about it first?" Manuel nudged her. "Look, I know this may not seem easy for you after everything that's happened, but you can't change the fact that he's already here. He came back... for you."

"Give him a chance. In that way, you can also give yourself the opportunity to decide whether to take him back into your life or not." He added.

—

That evening, Corazon removed her bandana, revealing her balding hair. She sighed as she turned away from the mirror. Imang, a sweet, old woman that she hired as a helper couldn't help but to feel sorry as she watched her struggle to hide her illness.

"Imang?" Corazon said, which snapped Imang back to reality and tried her best to hold back her tears for the young lady.

"Why aren't you asleep yet, my dear?" Imang asked.

"Imang, he's back." She stated. A smile and gasp escaped Imang's lips as she was also pretty aware of Corazon's romantic history with Akihiro.

"Oh why the long face, my dear? Shouldn't you be happy that he came back?" Imang pointed out.

Corazon couldn't hold back her tears anymore and let them run down her cheeks as she faced her helper whom she treated as her second mother. "We both know that I don't have much time left." She replied in a defeated manner. "A-And besides... We both knew how much I hated his kind. His people killed my family."

She laughed in a defeated manner. "God... How long do I have to suffer? I lost my parents... I lost my sister... and now I'm about to die because of this illness..."

"Oh dear..." Imang hugged the young lady, hoping that her warm embrace will at least soothe the conflicting feelings of Corazon.