----Continuation of Flashback 3 years ago----
Loren was panicking, her hands trembling as she desperately redialed Alfi's number over and over again. The last thing she had heard on their call was his voice, sounding tense—something was wrong at the airport. And now, the call wouldn't go through. Alfi's phone had gone dark.
Her chest tightened.
She was already pacing back and forth at the arrival area, uncertain of what to do, when her eyes suddenly caught sight of a commotion near one of the airport exits. A group of policemen was escorting someone in handcuffs.
Her heart sank.
Her eyes widened.
It was Alfi.
Without hesitation, she ran toward him, shouting at the top of her lungs,
"Alfi! Alfi!"
Her cries pierced the noise of the airport, and Alfi turned his head toward her, equally distressed.
"Loren!" he called out, struggling against the grip of the officers who were holding him tightly by both shoulders.
One of the policemen stepped forward and raised a hand toward Loren, motioning her not to come any closer. But she was already on the verge of tears.
"What happened, Love?! Why are they taking you?!"
Alfi tried to shout back despite his restraints.
"They're framing me, Love! They planted someth—"
Before he could finish, one of the officers struck him harshly in the back, cutting his sentence short.
"Quiet. You'll speak at the station," the officer snapped coldly.
Loren could only watch helplessly as the man she loved was dragged away, confused and furious, with no one around willing to help or speak up.
Alfi had already been taken away from the airport, escorted by the officers, disappearing beyond the exit.
Loren, left behind and helpless, stood frozen in place. Her body trembled, and tears streamed down her face as the weight of what had just happened sank in.
In just a blink, her happiness was stolen from her.
Just moments ago, her heart had been brimming with joy, overflowing with love and anticipation. She had waited so long for this day—for Alfi's return, for their reunion. But now, all she felt was pain, confusion, and heartbreak.
The image of Alfi being dragged away in handcuffs kept replaying in her mind, and the sound of his voice—cut off, desperate—echoed in her ears.
She knew him.
She knew Alfi better than anyone else.
And there was no way he would be involved in something criminal.
Whatever happened back there...
She was sure of only one thing:
Alfi was innocent.
Loren didn't waste a single second. With her heart pounding and her thoughts racing, she remembered—she had a friend whose father was a police officer. If anyone could help her right now, it was her.
She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed her friend's number.
"Laraa!!" Loren cried the moment her friend answered, her voice trembling and nearly breaking into sobs.
"Loren? What happened?" replied her friend, none other than Lara, sounding alarmed by the panic in Loren's voice.
"Why do you sound so shaken? Isn't today the day you were finally meeting Alfi again?" she asked, confused.
"Friend, please help me!" Loren pleaded, desperation laced in every word. She explained everything—how the police suddenly took Alfi away, how they framed him for something she knew he didn't do.
Lara was stunned. She knew Alfi well too. They'd all been close friends before Alfi left the country. There was no way he'd ever do something bad enough to be arrested like that.
"Alright, I'll contact my father," Lara said firmly.
"He might be able to help."
Loren thanked her repeatedly, holding on to the hope that this one call might be the key to saving Alfi. All she could do now… was wait.
After just a few minutes of waiting, Lara called Loren again to give her an update and see if there was anything she could do to help—or if she had already contacted her father, who was a police officer.
"Loren!" Lara said urgently on the phone.
"I spoke with my dad. He said there's a nearby precinct close to that airport. Head straight there—they might've brought Alfi there."
"There's an officer there he knows," she added.
"His name is Carlos Trillan. Look for him. He might be able to help you."
Loren immediately thanked her friend for acting so quickly and trying to help.
"Save your thanks for when we know Alfi is safe," Lara replied, her voice serious, before ending the call so Loren could focus on getting to the precinct.
Without wasting a moment, Loren hailed a taxi and instructed the driver to take her to the nearest police station.
Upon arriving at the nearest police station, Loren went straight inside, her eyes quickly scanning the entire area in hopes of spotting her boyfriend, Alfi.
But no matter where she looked, there was no sign of him.
That's when she suddenly remembered the name Lara had told her.
Carlos Trillan.
She rushed toward the reception area, where a large police officer sat behind the desk.
"Sir, may I ask something—" Loren began urgently.
But before the officer responded, he gave her a slow, inappropriate look, scanning her from head to toe with clear malice in his gaze.
"What can I help you with, beautiful?" he asked, his voice oozing with sleaze, eyes lingering on Loren far longer than necessary.
All she cared about was finding Alfi. She didn't have time for this.
And to her surprise, Loren realized that the police officer she was talking to was none other than the man Lara had mentioned—Carlos Trillan himself.
"I'm Officer Carlos," he said, offering a slight nod. "What can I help you with, beautiful?"
"Sir, my boyfriend just arrived from abroad and was taken by two police officers without any clear explanation of what he did. Please, sir, I'm begging you. I need your help," Loren pleaded, desperation in her voice.
"Alright," Officer Carlos replied with a serious tone.
"Let me see what I can do."
He stood up and began asking around, approaching his fellow officers in the station one by one.
"Have any of you seen a man brought in by two cops earlier today?" he asked.
Each officer gave the same answer: No one like that was brought in.
"I'm sorry, miss," Carlos said as he returned to Loren.
"But your boyfriend isn't here."
A deep worry clouded Loren's face. She didn't know where else to go or what to do. All she could feel was the growing fear of where Alfi had been taken—and why.
Carlos Trillan had darker intentions for Loren at that moment. Seeing the deep worry on her face, he thought he could take advantage of her desperation. In his mind, he planned to invite her into his office—offering "help" in exchange for something far more sinister.
But before he could act on those thoughts, the door slammed open and disrupted everything.
A fellow officer came in, dragging a young man with him.
"Sir, we've got another complaint. It's your son again," the officer said.
"Tsk, you again?!" Carlos snapped, clearly annoyed. "Come here!"
He grabbed the boy by the ear and pinched it hard.
The young man—Joseph Trillan—whined in pain but didn't resist.
Carlos let out a frustrated sigh. With that interruption, he completely lost interest in whatever plan he was hatching for Loren. Turning back to her with feigned concern, he said, "Why don't you try asking around with the other officers? Maybe someone else saw your boyfriend."
Disappointment was written all over Carlos's face, but he had no choice but to deal first with the new issue brought in by his troublemaker son.