Over the past few days, your timeline might have been filled with news and photos of basketball player Robert “Babes” Bolick and his fiancé Cassandra Yu tying the knot. The newlywed couple had a rocky start in their relationship, as they went public right before Bolick’s split with volleyball player Aby Maraño. Here’s a brief recap of what went down:

Aby Maraño and Robert Bolick break up

In October 2021, Maraño and Bolick had a very public split after eight years together. The public caught wind of their breakup after Bolick shared a photo with another woman, later revealed to be flight attendant and social media influencer Cassandra Yu. This was followed by a series of cryptic posts from Maraño and several angry comments from her friends.

Lord tabang

— (@Abymarano) October 23, 2021

While neither Maraño or Bolick made a statement about their split, many netizens speculated that Yu was a third party in the relationship.

Bolick and Yu gets engaged

On January 1, 2022, just a few months after going public with their relationship, Bolick and Yu announced their engagement. This, once again, ignited the anger of Maraño’s supporters.

Less than three months later, marriage

On May 23, Bolick and Yu shared photos of their surprise wedding ceremony on their Instagram account. “When the time is right, when the intention is clear, when the heart is ready, God will surely let you experience being loved by the person He prepared for you,” the caption read.

Another post was captioned with a simple “Mr. & Mrs. Bolick” and groom and bride emojis. According to the couple, they were married in a private civil ceremony in Cebu last March 22, 2022.

Families of newlywed couple comments

In a comment on a Facebook post by Philippine Star, it was revealed that the families of the bride and groom didn’t know about the civil ceremony.

GOOOD MORNING!! pic.twitter.com/c32oT1owhw

— gela (@intoalleiah) May 24, 2022

“[W]hat a shame I don’t like this girl and she is not welcome in my house either in Ormoc or in the US,” Bolick’s mother Zeny wrote. “I don’t know what kind of a woman she is. He never introduced us to this woman.”

Meanwhile, Yu’s sister Maria Carmela likewise expressed disapproval of Bolick. “He has been a bad influence, he has convinced my sister to proceed with the wedding without prior notice to our parents. They hid their marriage from us, our mother had to find out about it through someone else,” Yu’s sister replied to the comment of Bolick’s mother. She added that despite this, she and her family would welcome Bolick into their home.

In a lengthy post later shared on Facebook, Bolick said he would still welcome his family into his home, despite what his mother said.

Maraño posts cryptic tweet

A day later, Maraño posted a tweet that seemed to reference her ex’s wedding post while also throwing shade. “When the time is right – iretri mo. GGWP,” her tweet read, accompanied with a clown emoji.

When the time is right — iretri mo

GGWP

— (@Abymarano) May 24, 2022

The term “retri”, short for “retribution”, is a slang in popular game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang referring to a battle spell used to secure or steal opponents’ jungle objectives. Players and fans of the game also use the term to describe a person stealing someone else’s love interest. The tweet went viral, even catching the attention of gamers.

Bolick responds

On the afternoon of the same day as Maraño’s tweet, Bolick shared lengthy blocks of text on his Facebook page in what seemed to be the social media equivalent of an outburst, attempting to explain his side and address Maraño publicly.

“Di porket tahimik at di nag sasalita akala niyo guilty hindi lalaki kasi ako tahimik lang kahit sinisiraan na ok lang kasi ganun naman talaga sa society ngayon pag lalaki?” his post began.

“Wag ka masyado feeling victim alam mo naman yung rason bakit ganun alam mo ginawa mo kumalat pa nga eh,” Bolick continued, now addressing Maraño. “[P]ero never ko linabas kasi kailangan pag usapan yun as a couple para ayusin kasi ganun naman dapat eh dbah?”

He also claimed Maraño underwent abortion and kept it from her family and friends. “[A]lam mo ginawa mo buntis ka tapos nag pa lag lag ka tama ba yun? Sino banaman lalaki gusto sumama sa isang babaeng ganun? Mismo pamilya mo di alam paano pa kaya teammate mo alam ba nila?”

Bolick expressed relief that he and Maraño split, saying he is now happy with Yu, regardless of what anyone else says, even his own family.

Netizens are angry

Many netizens have taken to social media to express anger and disappointment over Bolick’s lengthy Facebook post. Some condemned his use of Maraño’s alleged abortion as an excuse for his actions, while others accused him of gaslighting and clout-chasing. Even the comment of fellow volleyball player Ara Galang from October 2021 resurfaced as netizens used it as a response to Bolick’s statement.

so fucking low of robert bolick to use their aborted baby as a justification why he left tyang aby. sabi mo family & teammates niya di alam yon but here you are posting it publicly – on the same post where you said that there are things that should't be said on social media

— lea ୭̥⋆*｡ (@leasalIe) May 24, 2022

Ok Google, translate Robert Bolick's “statement”

pic.twitter.com/7bCCbfX5Az

— Scarlet Bestie (@volleybestiee) May 24, 2022

Regarding the tyang-bolick issue, I think it's very low of him to use the alleged abortion as a justification for what he did. This is why the Philippines should legalize abortion.

✨ And yes, ULOL GAGO KA ✨ pic.twitter.com/QLU2cgFP0o

— Alexis ♡ (@alexismarie241) May 24, 2022

Wherever there is Robert Bolick, there is ✨Ulol Gago Ka✨ pic.twitter.com/hG6OwjMET4

— Honey Dae (@xoxodaehoney) May 24, 2022

Support for Maraño pours in

Since yesterday, their names and several keywords remain on the list of trending topics (including Ara Galang’s comment “Ul*l, g*go ka”). Supporters of Maraño also took to social media to convey comfort and encouragement to the volleyball player through the hashtag #IStandWithTyangAby.

An athlete in her prime can do whatever she wants with her body, and is the only one who can decide what’s best for her future. #IStandWithTyangAby

— ladyspikeys (@ladyspikeys) May 24, 2022

A woman at the peak of her career should never just pause due to a guy's want to have a kid. #IStandWithTyangAby

— Jey #IStandWithTyangAby (@StuckInTaft) May 24, 2022

Any thoughts on this falling out? Comment down below.