Plot
Part 1: Six Months Later
Six months after Eli and Jackie’s marriage, their lives appear harmonious as they enjoy a second honeymoon in Barcelona. Jackie's parents have reconciled, and JB and Celine are engaged. Jackie informs Eli that she might be pregnant.
Tensions emerge when Jackie discovers that she is not pregnant after all. At the same time, Celine experiences severe stomach pains, leading JB to suspect that she is expecting a child. Meanwhile, the Madrigals’ newly inaugurated business becomes the target of a mysterious bombing attack.
A new character, Jessica, enters the story and confronts Fidel about their past affair. Veronica then reveals that Lena is also Fidel’s daughter, and vows revenge for the hardships she and her daughter have endured.
While Jackie carries out charity work for the victims of the bombing, Veronica (also called Veron) disguises herself as a frail mother caring for a sick daughter who happens to idolize Jackie. Out of compassion, Jackie promises to visit the child, unknowingly setting in motion a new series of events that will once again change the course of her life.
Part 2: The Revenge of the Mistress and the Daughter
Everyone rushes around as a new day begins. Jackie prepares to visit Veron and her daughter, while Veron makes frantic calls to bring Lena home. Celine struggles to hide her condition from JB. Eli is sent by his father-in-law, Fidel, to meet with a certain Mr. Jimenez. Eli tries to convince Mr. Jimenez to invest in Fidel's project, but he is declined because of Fidel's reputation. Eli is forced to defend Fidel's credibility, but only ends up upsetting both Mr. Jimenez and Fidel. He goes to St. Rita to seek comfort and confide to Dadoods at his grave.
Meanwhile, Jackie and Celine are upset to learn that Veron has tricked them to her home, all to tell to them that Lena is Jackie's half-sister. The two cousins are unconvinced by this news and leave, but Jackie remains bothered by the incident. Soon, Jackie discovers that Celine might be pregnant but is saddened by the fact that she might end up not having a child at all. Lena confronts her mother and asks her to stop begging the Madrigals to accept her as family, but Veron insists on seeking revenge, so Lena decides to run away. She returns to St. Rita to reunite with Joaquin, her one true love. She fails to find him there, but instead meets Eli and mistakes him for Joaquin. Veron tries to seduce Fidel, while Monique and Jackie are away, but she is stopped.
Amang (Mateo) tells Eli about his dark past with Fidel. He was badly beaten when he was young, and left for dead in a very bad state. A woman found him, they had a relationship and they had daughters (Onay and Annajoy). He also reveals why Mateo's hand is disfigured: Fidel ordered Tomas to shoot Mateo's hand. When Mateo goes abroad for a better living, he learns that his wife was raped by Fidel. He returns to the Philippines for revenge but is stopped by his wife. A fire breaks out later in the area and he believes that his wife and daughter have perished, His daughter Onay is actually still alive. When Fidel asks Eli about his business plans for Mateo, Eli tells his father-in-law that he will let Mateo join their company. Fidel feels uneasy because Veron (as Mateo's assistant) tells him that she will be in his office as long as Mateo is in his house.
Corazon shares moments with Mateo. When she heads home, Tomas catches her and drags her into his car. When they reach their house, Tomas beats her and points a gun at her. Corazon tries to resist, and Mateo goes into Tomas's house. JB shows up at the same house, at the same time, as Tomas and Mateo fight over the gun. JB is shot accidentally and gets rushed to the hospital. Celine vomits and is rushed by Onay to the hospital too, in the meantime. Tomas is assaulted by Amang's men.
Part 3: Quarrel Tension
Lena's hopes fall when the person she thought was Joaquin turns out to be someone else, or Eli. Jackie feels remorseful for everything, and vows to do everything in her power to find Lena's true love. Lena tearfully shares her appreciation of Jackie's efforts to join her search, and this strengthens their bond as sisters.
After working overnight, JB is pressured by both Celine's stubbornness and his boss's demands. Vanessa forces him to party with their team in order to have his condotel proposal approved by the board. Corazon continuously complains about being left at home alone.
Celine avoids JB's calls the whole day. But instead of letting her drown in misery, Onay helps her to find a nice dress to wear for an attempted truce with JB. Then they drop by at JB's office that night, not knowing that he's off to that forced party.
Eli makes peace with Corazon when Mateo asks him to deliver a gift to her. However, no amount of begging on Eli's part can persuade Corazon to let go of the past. Restoring her shipping business seems to be the only thing that might change her mind.
Part 4: Life Begins, Life Ends
Mateo is enjoying a lunch date with Corazon when he suddenly spots Fidel and Monique in the restaurant. He invites them both to join them, even though the feeling of dislike between the two men is obvious. Tensions rise when Mateo mentions how he would have married a girl, once, but that his chance was ruined because of an enemy. Fidel hurriedly switches tables before Monique can grasp the hint.
Lena, Jackie and Eli join forces in the search for Joaquin. Lena insists that Joaquin is alive and that they will be reunited in time. Eli learns that his near-death experience has made him open to odd visions. Nana Impo tells them that, perhaps, Eli's recent dream is telling them to return to the place where Lena and Joaquin first fell in love. Nana Impo reminds Eli that love will always guide him through various struggles.
Even while looking at Monique's lifeless body in the morgue, Jackie is in shock that her mom is really gone. Upon seeing Fidel, Jackie expresses her fury at him for how his ruthlessness has led to this heartbreaking event, all for the sake of money, power and pride. For Jackie, it makes no difference whether it is Mateo or Fidel to blame. Both father and daughter are haunted by their memories of Monique.
Eli feels helpless around Jackie's grief and ends up accusing Mateo of killing Monique. Mateo, however, cannot remember exactly what happened and believes that he's not guilty of the crime. Since Eli is already determined to judge him, Mateo chooses not to defend himself to his son or to Corazon. He only knows that he will fight Fidel until the end.
Everyone else is equally devastated by the tragedy. JB somehow blames himself for telling Eli about his long-lost sibling who pushed Mateo into facing Fidel in a duel. Unknown to either of them, Lolo Bogs tries to persuade Onay to meet her father before it's too late. Onay, however, is still having second thoughts because she can't forgive the person who abandoned her and her mother.
At the funeral, Jackie refuses to leave Monique's resting place right away so Eli gives her privacy for a while. Eli then bumps into his father-in-law, who swears that he and Mateo will pay for the death of his wife.
Part 5: Jealousy and Anger
In Tagaytay, Vanessa takes drastic steps to seduce JB as she has become emotionally invested. She enters his bedroom in the middle of the night, but JB brushes her off. JB makes it clear that he's committed to Celine, so Vanessa resigns herself to be friends with him instead.
Back in the spa, Corazon puts a guilt trip on Celine for letting JB shoulder the burden in their family. This adds to Celine's despair, especially after hearing the doctor's diagnosis that her cancer is advancing and that the chemotherapy has failed.
Celine chooses to suffer alone. She secretly checks on JB at his work site, then decides to flee home for a while. Onay, however, refuses to let her set off alone. When JB finally arrives home, he is shocked to see that most of Celine's clothes are gone.
Part 6: Celine's Death
Everyone, except Mateo, participates in scattering Celine's ashes on the beach, a place which held beautiful memories for her. Even Corazon genuinely grieves for Celine's death and regrets distancing herself from her son's wife. JB, on the other hand, pretends to be strong enough to move on as he busies himself with loads of work in Mateo's company. The company is being managed by his mother, for the time being.
Corazon asks JB not to push himself too hard. But he merely brushes off her concerns and accuses her of being relieved that Celine is gone. Onay, who happens to witness the whole exchange, tells JB that Celine would be disappointed with his attitude. JB doesn't care about anything anymore except putting an end to his misery.
After several months, the court finally sentences Mateo as guilty of murder. Onay suggests a motion for appeal, but her father insists on paying for all of his sins inside the prison. Mateo also asks for Eli's forgiveness, and even advises him to fix his problems with Jackie. But it seems like it's too late for Eli to reconcile with Jackie as she decides to annul their marriage.
Part 7: Who's to Blame
Onay punches Eli in the face to try and stop him from raising hell. His bitter encounter with Jackie and her boss causes him to seek solace in alcohol, and he is drunk the whole night. Onay is forced to take a leave so she can look after her brother. Her absence from the office enrages JB, who wants her to attend to her responsibilities immediately. But since she hasn't shown up, JB vents to Corazon. His mother merely laughs at his strange reaction to Onay.
As soon as Eli gets sober, he visits Monique's grave to help him think things through. It finally dawns on him that it's too late to fix his marriage, so he meets up with Jackie to tell her that he will cooperate with their annulment process. Back to work at Mateo's company, Onay presents her new marketing ideas to the board but JB embarrasses her again by discrediting her report. She later learns that JB hates the mere sight of her because she reminds him of Celine so much.
Part 8: Trials
When JB gets into an accident, Onay looks after him and honours her promise to Celine. JB resents her concern at first, but he makes peace with his grief as soon as he recovered from his injuries. JB tries be nicer to Onay. Her secret feelings for JB return, especially after Corazon gives Onay her blessing.
Meanwhile, Jackie and Eli's annulment case plays out in court. Jackie strengthens her petition when she describes Eli and Lena's betrayal, which she believes led to her miscarriage. Outside the trial, Eli begins to pick up the pieces in his life. This includes a stellar performance at Mateo's company. Jackie is still oblivious to Lena's regular visits at Monique's grave, and is soon left in shock after seeing Eli on a date at a local restaurant.
Finale of Book 2
After more than two years in prison, Mateo is still troubled by recurring dreams about Monique. It finally dawns on him that Daniel witnessed the whole incident, and he learns that it was really Fidel who fired the shot that killed his wife. He shares this with Eli and Onay, and he decides to reopen his murder case.
This is what Fidel feared the most. He is also haunted by his vivid memories of Monique's death, especially after seeing Eli again. Still in denial of his own sins, he forces Jackie to promise him that she will never reconcile with Eli again, trying to fend off his fears and the truth.
Jackie receives a message from a mysterious caller, who tells her that he knows what really happened to her mother. She agrees to meet secretly with this person, not realizing that overheard the whole exchange.
The truth about Monique's death had remained shrouded in mystery since Daniel had been too scared to speak out during Mateo's trial two years prior. Even as he finally stands up for justice, Mateo escapes the prison to face Fidel again. They confront each other in the same place where they fought before.
This time, Jackie, JB, Onay and Eli arrive in time to stop them from killing each other. When Fidel refuses to calm down, Mateo reveals that Fidel was Monique's killer. Faced with his own guilt, Fidel ends up in a mental hospital despite Jackie's forgiveness.
Six months later, Mateo is released from prison. Corazon encourages JB to try love again, and Jackie finally realizes that she still loves Eli. This time, Jackie runs after him just when he's about to give up on her. Eli hears her plea, and they are reconciled at last. Jackie gets pregnant again and remains happily married with Eli.
JB seeks Onay's forgiveness when back on the island. Onay, not one to carry a long grudge, agrees to be friends with him as long as they maintain their special memories of Celine. [3]
