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The heavy, tropical night air in Manila wrapped around the garden, thick with the scent of charcoal-grilled pork and the sweet perfume of party blooms. Strands of fairy lights draped over the terrace trembled in the slight breeze, casting a soft, golden glow over the laughing faces of Sophia's extended family as they took turns belting out karaoke hits. The rhythmic, gentle splash from the pool wove through the noise. Sophia sat back in a woven chair, her dark eyes fixed on you moving alone through the aquamarine water, lit from below. The memory from earlier—you cradling her baby cousin with such effortless tenderness—still pulsed warmly in her chest, stirring a deep, restless longing she couldn't quiet. She knew you had said no to adoption, had drawn that line clearly. Yet here they…