Forgot about him

"It's okay."

How could that be okay?

Kim didn't know the entire story, and it wasn't like she was new to people talking behind her back. Many in the entertainment industry cannot be trusted. But from what she heard, these people weren't just some strangers or acquaintances. They were people who were really close to Fil. 

"Fine," Kim whispered, sitting down on the spot beside Fil. 

The conversation on the other side of the partition was still ongoing. The young lady was unable to control herself, expressing her dislike and dismay at her brother's fiancee. Meanwhile, the man with her might not say any derogatory remarks about Fil, but he was letting the young lady know. Instead of correcting that brat, he would either sigh or give weak advice. 

Not long after, Dustin found them. He slowed down as he approached the table, only to see Kim shake her head mildly. Confused, Dustin didn't say anything and sat down across from them. Before he could ask, he suddenly heard a young woman's voice right next to their table. 

"Whatever!" Valerie exclaimed. "I don't like her, okay? That country bumpkin Filomena might think she hit the jackpot, but I won't let her. If she ends up marrying my brother, I'll make her life a living hell. She's disgusting."

"Valerie."

"It's true!" Valerie laughed. "She's a good-for-nothing bumpkin. I remember visiting Grandpa's rest house and meeting her parents. They smell disgusting. Oh, god. They even shamelessly touched me with those filthy hands. And that little brother of hers? He's annoying. He thinks he's much better than me just because he has good grades. Why is he so proud of that? He's nothing but a child left in the fields, and picked up by a poor couple in the countryside."

Valerie hissed, calming down after venting her pent-up frustrations. "How can we allow such people to enter our family? Over my dead body!"

Kim's and Dustin's faces darkened the more they heard this young lady speak. Their eyes remained dilated, almost forgetting to blink at this atrocity violating their ears. However, unlike them, Fil remained quiet, as if she was simply absorbing everything she heard like a sponge. 

*

*

*

"This is frustrating!" Kim grasped the steering wheel, grinding her teeth in anger. "I've met all sorts of diva in the industry, but no one got into my nerve, just like that brat did."

Kim huffed as a glint flickered across her eyes. "Let's go back. I'm going to give them a piece of me. Who cares if she's a kid? I'm going to pull all her hair out."

"Kim, let it go." Sitting in the backseat, Dustin sighed. He cast Kim a sidelong glance and then set his attention to the front passenger seat where Fil was. "I don't think Fil will appreciate that."

"How can she not?" Kim roared. "Those people deserved it!"

"I know." Dustin nodded. "I don't approve of cheating in any form, and that would never change. However, right now, my principles are also being tested. Even so, I don't think we're in a position to do anything else. Unless Fil asked for help."

Kim's jaw tightened, keeping her eyes on the road. However, her focus was on her peripheral where Fil was. Dustin also kept his gaze on Fil. The latter had been quiet all this time. When Valerie stopped venting and changed the topic, Fil simply stood from her spot and left. 

Kim offered her a ride, and Dustin did his best to convince her. 

Fil didn't have a ride, after all. Fortunately, she agreed, which explained why the three of them were in the car. Even so, she hadn't said a word ever since their journey. It made them wonder what was going on in her head.

"Insulting me is one thing…" After her prolonged silence, Fil finally broke it with a quiet voice. "... if she doesn't like me, then it's fine. But for her to say all of that to my family makes me question just what sort of family was I planning to marry to?"

Bitterness shone in Fil's eyes. "I might not be perfect. Sometimes, I can't take a joke and I have a bad sense of fashion. I could be too serious and kill the mood unintentionally. Even if I did my best to make up for that, I would still understand if they still did what they did or said what they said."

"But dragging my family… who had done nothing but kindness to them fills my heart with regret and anger," she continued in the same quiet tone. "Dirty? Disgusting? They work on the farm, of course, they would be dirty. But it was a legal way to earn money and keep the family afloat. Why shame them?"

"She even called him adopted without regard for how hard our family worked, just so Eli doesn't feel different," she added, almost laughing in ridicule. "This must be a blessing in disguise. I heard enough, and I don't need to hear more to pity them."

Fil took another deep breath, turning her head in the driver's seat. "Even if Kim Rock and Dustin McGuire loathe me for it or regret helping me today, I would never say sorry for wanting them in pain. Even if I end up not having friends anymore doesn't matter. I'll make them pay — no matter what it means to do so, I won't stop until they beg me on their knees."

Kim glanced at the front passenger seat but didn't say anything. It was the same for Dustin. They spoke too soon earlier without knowing Fil had a good reason. It was still wrong, but was there any right thing to do in this situation without losing her mind?

*

*

*

The journey to Fil's apartment was filled with quietness. Dustin and Kim didn't know how to break the ice, and they were unwilling to. It wasn't the right time, knowing all Fil wanted was silence. When they pulled over on the side of the street in Fil's apartment building, Kim turned to the front passenger seat.

"I'm sorry," Kim expressed, making Fil look back at her. "And I didn't mean anything bad back in the lounge."

Fil smiled. "I know."

"Me too. I'm sorry," Dustin murmured. "That's not what we meant when we said that."

"I'm not angry at you. Why would I?" Fil chuckled. "If anything, I'm glad that you spoke your thoughts about cheating. Although it's true that Jackson and I aren't in an official relationship, being with him is the same thing. It reassured me that my goddess and the man with the golden touch were people who wouldn't tolerate such behaviors."

Her smile stretched as she cast both of them an equal look. "Thank you for the ride and your help today. I really appreciate it."

With that being said, Fil stepped out of the vehicle and walked her way to the building. The two who were left behind in the car couldn't help but sigh.

"I feel guilty," Kim murmured. 

"Me too." Dustin sighed. 

"We messed up, didn't we?"

"We did." Dustin nodded, checking his phone and sighing once more. "We left without telling him."

"Huh?"

"Jack." 

Kim's brows rose as she looked back, rendered speechless. 

They forgot about him. 

Uh, oh.