You Have Always Been Mine

That Time She Became the Villainess of Her Trash Story 🥀 “Yuck. Bakit ko ba ’to sinulat? So cringe. So corny,” anas ko habang binabasa ang isang pahina ng lumang notebook na nahukay ko sa drawer. It contained a story I had written back in high school. It was about a CEO who was engaged to the villainess, but the one he truly loved was the villainess's cousin—the heroine. If I remembered correctly, namatay ang villainess sa huli, and the main leads lived happily ever after. The story was painfully cliché. I think I had loosely based it on Romeo and Juliet. “You’re the one I love, Winter.” “But… Ashton, you’re engaged to my cousin. We both know it will destroy her if she finds out.” “I don’t care, Winter. Ang mahalaga ay tayo. As long as you love me, I’ll do anything for you.” “Ashton…” “Winter…” Parang gusto kong masuka sa nabasa kong mga linya. What possessed me to write this trash? So jejemon. And seriously? Cheating would never be acceptable, kahit gaano pa nila kamahal ang isa’t isa. If the CEO truly loved the heroine, he should have ended his engagement before pursuing her. Instead, they chose to have an affair. Gosh. Why did I write this? I tossed the notebook into a garbage bag before continuing to pack. I had already decided to sell the house my parents had left me. Mag-isa na lang naman ako, and I hated this town, so I had no reason to stay. Besides, I had already found a job in the city. There was nothing left for me here anymore. Most of my important belongings were already in the apartment I had rented. The only things left were my parents' possessions and a few boxes of my old belongings. That was why I was here—to declutter, pack everything up, and move the remaining boxes into a storage unit. “Bessy, tapos nang ilagay nina Papa at Tito Anton sa truck ’yong mga gamit n’yo sa baba,” sabi ni Hillary habang sumisilip sa bukas na pinto. “Ibababa na rin ba namin ’yong mga gamit sa kuwarto nina Tito at Tita?” Tumango ako bilang sagot. “Okay. Sabihan ko sina Papa.” I was about to reply, but she had already walked away. So I went back to packing. Once I finished, I lifted one of the boxes and stepped out of the room. My movements were slow because it was surprisingly heavy. I was about to head downstairs when a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me. Why do I feel like all my energy is being drained? Is this... the end for me? “Bessy!” sigaw ni Hillary. “Oh my God! No—” Her voice grew fainter and fainter until darkness swallowed me whole. ••• Argh... My head is killing me. What happened? Napahawak ako sa ulo ko, na para bang minamartilyo ito sa sobrang sakit. But... I'm still alive. Thank God. “Wake up, Crim! Our party will be in a couple of hours, so we need to get ready.” Huh? Crim? Sino 'yon? Dahan-dahan kong iminulat ang aking mga mata, at isang kisameng hindi pamilyar ang bumungad sa akin. Bakit brown ang kisame? Beige ang kisame sa bahay namin. Napapikit ulit ako at napahawak sa ulo ko. Mukhang may concussion pa yata ako. “Are you okay, Crimson? Puyat ka na naman ba?” Crimson? Why does that name sound so... familiar? I opened my eyes and slowly sat up. My gaze wandered around the room. Everything was unfamiliar. Where am I? “Hello? Earth to my sister?” Napalingon ako sa babaeng nakaupo sa tabi ko. This was impossible. Why was I looking at the celebrity I used to stan years ago? And why did she look so young? Oh my God... What is happening? Maybe I was hallucinating because of the fall. Or maybe... I was just dreaming. Oo. Siguro nga nananaginip lang ako. I lay back down, hoping I'd wake up any second now. Before I could even close my eyes, however, she grabbed both of my arms and pulled me upright. “Crimson! We need to get ready. Our stylist will be here in a couple of minutes, kaya tumayo ka na diyan,” sabi ng babaeng may parehong mukha ni Zhi Yu Jia—the Chinese actress and singer I had admired in my previous life. “Scarlet?” tanong ko habang nakatitig sa kaniya. “Are you Scarlet?” Tumango siya. “Yeah, of course. Okay ka lang ba, Crim? You seem so out of it. Sabi ko naman kasi sa ’yo, huwag kang magpupuyat.” It's just a dream. I'm going to wake up soon. I raised my hand and slapped myself as hard as I could. The sting spread across my cheek. It hurt. No... It can't be. I had transmigrated into the villainess of my own trash story.