"If you're married to Tita Éli, why aren't you wearing your wedding ring right now, tita?" I asked, the question slipping out of me with nothing but genuine curiosity behind it.
To me, it sounded harmless. I had not meant to pry or stir up anything uncomfortable. But judging from the look Valerie immediately shot in my direction, she clearly thought otherwise. Her eyes widened before narrowing slightly, the silent message obvious enough that even I could understand it.
I blinked back at her, confused, still unsure what exactly I had done wrong.
On the screen, however, Tita Kim had already heard the question. I noticed her glance down at her hand as if only just remembering what I had pointed out. Her fingers turned slightly, studying the bare ring finger for a moment. Then she looked back up at the camera, a small smile forming on her lips. The way she lifted her gaze almost made it feel like she was looking straight through the screen and into the room with us.
"Because we're divorced."
For a moment, I completely froze.
My jaw slowly dropped open as the words sank in. Nigel reacted much faster than I did. He leaned over and muttered under his breath that I should apologize immediately. Meanwhile, Lily burst into laughter beside him, clearly finding the situation far more amusing than the rest of us.
"I didn't mean it like that," I blurted out quickly, stumbling over my words in my rush to explain myself. "I was just curious. I'm really sorry, tita."
Heat crept up my neck as I spoke, and I wished I could take the question back.
But to my surprise, Tita Kim only laughed.
It was not a bitter laugh or an awkward one. It sounded light, almost carefree, as if the subject no longer carried the weight it once did. She waved her hand dismissively toward the camera, shaking her head a little.
"There are no hard feelings," she reassured me. "I've accepted it a long time ago."
The calmness in her voice eased the tension in the room almost immediately. I let out a quiet breath I had not realized I was holding.
Unfortunately, my curiosity had not yet learned its lesson.
"But Tita Kim," I continued, tilting my head slightly as another question formed in my mind, "what about your son? Don't divorced couples usually share custody of their child? Or is it more complicated than that?"
The moment the words left my mouth, I felt a sharp pinch on my side.
"Ow!"
I turned to Valerie, clutching my ribs while she tried and failed to hide her laughter. When I asked why she had done that, she leaned closer and scolded me quietly under her breath, her voice firm but controlled so the others would not hear.
I simply nodded while she lectured me. At that point, arguing would have only made things worse.
Our attention soon returned to the screen when Tita Kim cleared her throat.
"Léon passed away young."
The room fell silent.
I immediately shut my eyes and covered my face with both hands. Valerie groaned beside me, her voice carrying a nervous edge as she called me out for what had apparently become a pattern.
"You did it again."
The others began blaming me in a playful manner, though the tension was still very much there. I wiped my cheeks quickly before leaning closer to the camera again, forcing myself to face my aunt.
"I'm really sorry, tita," I said for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
Fortunately, Valerie stepped in before I could say anything else that might make the situation worse. She cleared her throat and gently asked if Tita Kim would be willing to share more about what had happened.
After a short pause, my aunt nodded.
Thankfully, she still seemed to be in a good enough mood to continue the interview.
✦✧✦
It was the day before Léon's first birthday in 2005.
We were riding in a car driven by a chauffeur while Éli was still at work. I had decided to bring Léon to the hospital for a check-up after he had been running a high fever for four days. The doctors had already said it was only the flu, and by that time the medications were beginning to work. His fever had gone down and he was slowly recovering. Still, I wanted to be certain he was truly fine before celebrating his birthday the next day.
At that age he could not walk yet, but he had already begun taking small, unsteady steps whenever someone held his hands. He also loved his baby walker, pushing himself around the house with clumsy determination that never failed to make me laugh.
He was like this tiny, warm little ball that I wanted to hold forever.
Léon had curly blonde hair. The color came from Éli, but the texture came from his biological father. Whenever the sunlight touched it, those curls would glow so softly that I sometimes found myself staring at him for longer than I realized.
And his cheeks.
They were always slightly flushed, naturally pink and round. So plump that I often leaned down and pretended to nibble on them, careful not to actually bite. I would never want to hurt him, even by accident.
I loved him so much.
Even now, remembering those small details still hurts.
Because people can be cruel.
Cruel in ways that leave wounds no apology can ever heal.
The crash happened so suddenly that everything blurred together.
A delivery truck slammed directly into our car. The impact was so violent that I barely had time to process what was happening. The only thing I remember clearly is the instinct that took over my body. I immediately reached for Léon, who was strapped securely in his car seat, and wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could.
I tried to shield him with my own body.
The windows shattered around us. Glass sprayed through the air while the metal frame of the car twisted and groaned under the force of the collision.
Then everything went dark.
When I woke up again, an entire month had already passed.
I had been in a coma.
During that time the doctors tried everything they could to save Léon. They attempted resuscitation again and again, refusing to give up on him. But his small body simply could not recover from the damage he had suffered.
He passed away on the day he officially turned one year old.
When I learned the truth, I cried until my chest felt hollow.
What broke my heart even more was the fact that I never even had the chance to hold him one last time.
But the worst part came afterward.
The crash had not been an accident.
It had been planned.
Éli's parents had orchestrated it. Their intention was to get rid of me. Somehow, in their twisted calculation, removing me from Éli's life was more important than anything else.
Instead, they lost their grandson.
I could not stand their excuses. Every explanation they offered sounded hollow and pathetic. And Élisabeth, despite loving me, had become powerless against the influence of her entire family.
In the end, I wanted nothing more to do with them.
Divorcing her may have been reckless. Perhaps even foolish.
But leaving that family saved me from being completely destroyed.
✦✧✦
After she finished speaking, the call fell into a heavy silence.
"Do you regret it, Tita Kim?" I asked slowly, choosing my words far more carefully this time. "Divorcing the love of your life in exchange for peace of mind."
Around me, several of my groupmates were quietly wiping their eyes or sniffling. Lily and the boys, however, were laughing softly at Valerie and me for crying so openly.
Tita Kim did not hesitate.
"Yes," she answered almost immediately.
Her voice carried a quiet certainty that suggested she had thought about the question countless times before.
"I have thought about it many times over the years," she continued softly. "And eventually I realized that I do regret it."
Valerie cleared her throat before speaking again, her voice gentler now.
"Can you say some final words for our interview, Tita Kim? Anything you'd like to share."
My aunt paused for a moment as if searching for the right words.
Then she spoke.
"If you love someone, and you have the ability to protect each other from everyone and everything, do it."
She fell quiet for a brief moment before continuing.
"Because I couldn't."
Her voice softened even further.
"And that is my biggest regret."