The humid air of Sampaloc, Caloocan clung to Catherine Uy Mendiola like a shroud, a heavy, familiar embrace that usually brought comfort but today felt suffocating. Inside the bustling café, the scent of strong brewed coffee mingled with exhaust fumes from passing jeepneys, a quintessential Manila symphony that usually soothed her. Today, it only amplified the frantic drumming in her chest.

Catherine ran a nervous hand through her long, flowing black hair, the strands cool against her warm skin. Her eyes, an unusual, striking shade of red, usually held a vibrant spark, but now they were clouded with a deep, sorrowful resignation. At twenty-one, she embodied a delicate blend of her Filipina and Chinese heritage—petite in frame, with a small waist and petite hips, yet curvaceously blessed with a generous bust that often drew admiring glances. But none of that mattered now. All that mattered was the looming conversation.

Three years of stolen glances, whispered promises, and a love that had felt as boundless as the Pacific Ocean. She loved him undeniably, deeply. But love, she was learning, was not always enough. Her family, with their deeply ingrained Chinese traditions and expectations, had never approved. "Hindi siya para sa’yo, Cath," her mother would say, her voice firm in a mix of Tagalog and Hokkien. He is not for you. Her father simply shook his head, the message unspoken but clear: he did not fit into their world, their lineage, their future. For years, Catherine had fought, pleaded, reasoned. But the Mendiola name carried weight, history, and obligations she was only beginning to understand.

A sudden chill snaked down her spine despite the heat. She saw him then, walking through the café’s glass door, his eyes scanning the tables for her. A pang, sharp and exquisite, tore through her heart. He looked just like he always did—charming, a little tired from his own studies, but radiating a warmth that had always been her safe harbor. She forced a small, tremulous smile as he approached, pulling out the chair opposite her.