Leonica looked at him, noticing the way his eyes seemed to linger a second too long on her attire. "I said in front, not inside." She said, pointing towards the front entrance. Gabriel was snapped out of his trance like state my the sound of her voice.

"Right." He nodded, clearing his throat and walking past her and out of the shop.

Leonica sighed, but instead of following Gabriel, she walked into the flowery, picked the first bouquet of flowers the caught her eyes and placed the money on the counter.

"I'd learn some manners if I were you, kid." She said, not caring to see the boy's reaction, but the sound of his voice as he stuttered out a 'Thank you, have a nice day, Ma'am', was good enough for her. Outside, Gabriel leaned against his car, his eyes fixed on the flowery, waiting for Leonica to walk out, which she did a few minutes later, holding a bunch of colorful flowers.

"You bought those? What for?" He asked as she walked past him and his car.

She neared the river's sandy shores, stopped for a brief moment to kick off the heels she was wearing and after carrying them in her hands, continued down the sand. "A memorial," She simply answered.

Gabriel's brows furrowed. A memorial? Who? Why? And where? His eyes darted around, searching for anything that resembled a tombstone or a memorial.

But he saw nothing, only a vast sea of water, flowing peacefully with the wind blowing softly.

He watched as Leonica walked up to a tree. It was a tree that was different from the others, its bark a shade of light brown while the rest was a dark, almost black shade. From where he stood, Gabriel could see a name craved into the tree.

Pablo.

as she said a brief prayer and then turned back to face him. Gabriel's eyes scanned her face. She looked different, like a child who had lost something, something

deep breath and relaxed her shoulder. For the first time, Gabriel saw what Leonica actually looked like without the look

meet Pablo, our

The Truth.

seem to recall memories from years he had spent with Leonica. Said girl nodded her head and gently sank to her kneels, arranging the flowers properly

"Who's that?" He asked.

recalled the said dog she had just mention. When his expression went unchanged, the pressed her lips into a thin line and side, nodding along. "Yeah, didn't expect much." She muttered as she

and honestly speaking, he was more of a cat person. "When?" He quizzed again after

years." Leonica answered. She dropped her heels down on the floor and slipped her legs back in when she had navigated her way off the sandy tracks of the Riverside. "Grandma found him in front of the main mansion a day before our engagement. The little buddy had been abandoned in a carton, left out in the cold." She explained. "Grandma

photo had been taken in this very same beach. Taking

was obvious from that photo, that she was smitten with him. But he on

someone who had been in love just

in our relationship." Gabriel said, choosing

their relationship was too much, at the same time, saying he hasn't was far to little

the sound of her phone ringing. She glazed at the device clutched within

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