The Twin I Never Knew

PROLOGUE

Akala ko noon, simple lang ang love.

Yung tipong… kapag pinili mo ang tao, pipiliin ka rin niya pabalik.

Kapag nagtiwala ka, iingatan ka niya.

At kapag sinabi niyang “I won’t hurt you,” totoo ’yon.

Pero mali pala ako.

Hindi ako handa sa gabing sisira sa mundo ko —

gabing hindi ko naman pinuntahan,

gabing hindi ko nakita,

pero siya pala ang magiging dahilan kung bakit nag-iba ang buhay ko nang tuluyan.

Raven Dela Fuente.

My boyfriend.

The guy I trusted with every soft part of me.

He was the kind of person you look at and think,

“He won’t break me.”

But he did.

In the worst way.

And Kyra…

my best friend.

The girl who always said, “Don’t worry, Elara, I got you.”

The girl who smiled with her whole face —

pala-smile pala yung nakahawak sa kutsilyong nakatago sa likod niya.

After that night…

wala nang bumalik sa dati.

Si Raven, biglang nanlamig.

Si Kyra, biglang lumayo.

At ako?

Ako yung naiwan, nagtataka kung kailan ba naging mali ang magmahal.

I sent messages.

I begged for explanations.

Pero minsan, mas malakas pa ang sakit ng walang sagot

kaysa sa brutal na totoo.

I thought that was the end of my story.

The end of love.

The end of trusting anyone who even looked like him.

Pero ang fate… mahilig maglaro.

Mahilig manggulat.

Mahilig magbalik ng mga bagay na akala mo tapos na.

Years later, someone messaged me.

Someone who looked exactly like the ghost who broke me.

Same face.

Same eyes.

Same voice that once shattered me.

Pero iba ang tingin niya.

Iba ang ngiti.

Iba ang pakiramdam sa puso ko.

“Hi, Elara… I’m Roux.”

At doon nagsimula ang panibagong gulo sa buhay ko.

Dahil minsan, the right person comes in the face of the wrong one —

and destiny won’t even apologize for it.

This isn’t a story of loving the wrong guy.

This is a story of finding the right one…

in the twin I never knew existed.