"Why didn't you tell me?" Cielo asked, standing in front of Julie, worry etched across his face.
Julie let out a quiet sigh. "It's not that big of a problem. Besides… he's not bothering me." She held his gaze for a moment before looking away.
"Sorry, Ciel." Her hands clenched slightly at her sides; the sadness in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"No, it's okay." Cielo gently ruffled her hair. "Come here." He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "I'm not mad. I'm just worried, okay?"
Julie nodded and hugged him, offering a small, reassuring smile.
A deliberate clearing of someone's throat interrupted them. They both turned.
"Uh, we don't want to disturb you," Raymond said awkwardly, "but I think we need to reframe the details we've gathered."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Cielo replied. He glanced back at Julie. "Are you okay now?"
She nodded again. They had to piece everything together.
"Ciel, since you're here, let's recap everything before we decide our next move," Dave, his brother, said.
"Yeah. I guess we should." Cielo exhaled. He had already called Crisha's mom after finding out what happened.
"So? That man still isn't cooperating with the authorities?" Kevin asked, frustration creeping into his voice.
"No. Tita Carmen said he hasn't budged. He keeps denying everything—and his statements keep changing." Cielo shook his head.
"Isn't that suspicious?" Gabriel muttered. "If his statements keep changing, he's hiding something. He's protecting whoever the mastermind is."
"Exactly," Kenneth added. "Either he's loyal… or he's terrified." He turned to Cielo. "It's just a suggestion, but maybe you could visit him?"
"Kenneth," Cielo said, running a hand through his hair. "It's not that simple. You can't just walk into a precinct and ask to see a detainee. You need a valid reason. If you're not family, they won't allow it."
"I heard Tita Carmen is going to the station tomorrow," Jason chimed in.
"Then go with her. Take Julie with you," someone suggested.
Cielo instinctively glanced at Julie. The last thing he wanted was to put her in another situation that would make her uncomfortable.
"I'll go," Julie said softly—but firmly.
"Julie—" Cielo began, but the determination in her eyes stopped him.
"I'm fine, Cielo," she insisted. "I want to help. I told you before, didn't I? I'll help you."
"You know I'd never force you," he replied gently.
"Kenneth, I'm going," Julie said, more resolute this time.
"So be it," Kenneth grinned.
There it is again, Cielo thought. That stubborn streak of hers.
"Fine. But just this once," he sighed.
Julie's friends burst into laughter.
"Cielo, she's going to be the death of you," Nicole teased.
"Hey!" Julie protested.
Cielo shook his head, though a faint smile tugged at his lips.
Just this once, he told himself.
*****
Julie now stood with Kenneth and Jason outside the station, waiting for Auntie Carmen so they could finalize the documents before the suspect's transfer.
How is Auntie holding up now? she wondered.
She tightened her grip on her bag. That unexplainable feeling crept in again—the same heaviness she couldn't name.
"Are you okay?" Cielo whispered beside her, concern clouding his eyes.
Julie only smiled in response. Cielo draped an arm around her shoulders, and this time, she didn't pull away.
"Have you been waiting long?" Carmen called as she approached.
"It's okay, Tita," Kenneth replied.
"Sorry, I had to take care of something first," Carmen said.
Her gaze fell on Julie.
Julie felt her chest tighten. What if she hurt the older woman again without meaning to?
"Julie," Carmen greeted warmly. "You came with Cielo."
"G–Good afternoon, Auntie," Julie said softly.
Carmen chuckled. "Were you uncomfortable the last time we met? I'm sorry, hija."
Julie blinked in surprise and quickly shook her head. "N–No, Auntie. I should be the one apologizing. I might have—"
She couldn't finish.
Carmen gently tapped her arm before pulling her into a brief embrace. When she pulled back, she studied Julie's face.
"You don't owe me an apology."
Julie could only nod.
"Come," Carmen said.
They followed her inside the police station. An officer greeted them and spoke with Carmen while Julie's eyes wandered toward the holding cells.
They were empty.
She frowned.
"What?" Carmen suddenly asked, alarm rising in her voice.
"He's already been transferred to the City Jail, ma'am. You just missed him," the officer explained calmly.
We weren't in time, Julie thought, a quiet sigh escaping her.
Frustration flickered in Carmen's eyes, but she steadied herself.
"In that case," she said firmly, "may we review the CCTV footage again? There's something I need to confirm."
The officer nodded and led them inside.
As they waited, Julie noticed scattered documents across a nearby desk. Her gaze drifted—aimless—
Until it landed on the CCTV monitor.
In the first frame, the man's face was obscured by a mask and cap.
Blurry. Indistinct.
But in another segment—
He wasn't wearing either.
His face was fully visible.
Julie's brows slowly drew together.
"Can you pause it there?" Cielo asked the officer.
The footage froze.
Julie blinked.
A strange, suffocating feeling crept into her chest.
Why does he look familiar?
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember where she had seen him.
Her gaze shifted—and caught sight of a stack of documents. One photo stuck out slightly.
There it was.
His mugshot.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Fragments of memory clawed at the edges of her mind—but nothing clear enough to grasp.
She had seen him before.
Somewhere.
"Julie?" Cielo's voice sounded distant.
She flinched and turned toward him.
"What's wrong? You look pale," Jason said.
"Julie, are you alright?" Carmen asked, concern evident.
Suddenly, her vision began to spin.
The room blurred.
Voices became muffled.
The only thing she could hear—
Was Cielo calling her name.