[Present Time]
Quiet sniffles escaped Nina as she wiped her eyes with the bottom of her palms, trying to stop herself from crying. However, no matter how hard she tried to dry her tears, they kept flowing like a river. She didn't want to come into the Cortez household crying.
"Hic!" she hiccuped, keeping her lips shut to minimize the noise. Suddenly, she heard ear-piercing sounds behind her, as if someone were opening the gates from the inside. Panic surged through her, and she wiped her eyes as quickly as she could.
But before she could succeed, the gate behind her flew open. Standing inside, Jessa arched a brow, her gaze slowly falling on the young woman sitting outside the gates.
"Hah…" Jessa rested her hand on her hip, her other hand holding the gates open. "This feels like déjà vu."
"Ahem!" Nina cleared her throat and forced herself to smile, looking back at her aunt. "Auntie."
Jessa raised an eyebrow. "Are you crying?"
