Chapter - 2
1042 Words
“This isn’t the way to our house. You’re going the wrong way!” I called out to Vincent, who was driving with a serious look on his face.
I’d noticed right away that he wasn’t heading toward our family home. I’d been gone from San Miguel for four years, but I still knew every twist and turn of this town. Of course I did. I grew up here. This was where I learned to love and where I first got my heart broken. By the man sitting beside me now.
The air inside the car suddenly felt heavy. Like it was hard to breathe.
“Didn’t you want to talk to your dad first?” he asked, his eyes still on the road. He didn’t even glance at me.
I bit my lip. “Yes! So where are we going?” I snapped, raising an eyebrow, trying to stay calm even though I felt the tension building in my chest.
“Your dad’s at VincElla Hotel. That’s where we’re going,” he answered seriously, turning the car into a gate that was painfully familiar to me.
I stopped breathing.
The VincElla Hotel.
The hotel owned by my parents and Vincent’s parents. They’d named it after us—Vincent and Ella—before we even got married.
Something brushed against my chest… and at the same time, something tightened.
The past came rushing back the moment I saw the hotel’s sprawling garden. Tears welled in my eyes.
Here.
This was where everything happened. This was where I got married. And this was where I fell apart on the very day of my wedding to Vincent. The only man my young heart had ever loved. And the only man who had caused me the deepest pain.
I didn’t realize I was already crying while trying to hold back the emotion. Every breath felt heavier. Like the place was dragging me back to everything I wanted to forget.
“We’re here,” Vincent said, his voice hard.
His voice yanked me back to the present. I quickly wiped the tears from my cheeks and turned away from him, trying to hide what I felt. I didn’t want him to see. I didn’t want him to know.
But then my car door opened. A hotel staff member looked startled when he saw me crying.
“Welcome to VincElla Hotel.” The man greeted me awkwardly. He wore an all-white polo with the hotel logo.
I gave him a tight smile. “Thank you.”
I got out of the car fast, ahead of Vincent, and walked in.
But the second I stepped into the lobby…
I froze.
It felt like the world stopped. Like every scene I’d tried to forget came crashing back. My whole body trembled. The place felt like it was pulling me back into the past. Into the day I never wanted to revisit. Even in dreams, I never wanted to see it again. Especially not the person who caused all my pain.
Tears fell again despite me fighting them. I stepped back. I felt weak.
No… I’m not ready… I whispered to myself. I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t face this yet. I wasn’t as strong as I thought.
Suddenly, a hard chest bumped into my back and caught me. I grabbed his shirt on instinct. My knees were giving out. I would have collapsed if he hadn’t held me.
I took a deep breath—one, two, three—before I managed to look at the person who caught me.
Vincent.
I pulled away fast. Stepped back immediately. I looked away. I didn’t want him to see my tears. I didn’t want to show him he still affected me. I wasn’t weak. I shouldn’t show weakness. Especially not in front of Vincent.
Hadn’t I told myself over and over that I could face him? That I could face everything I ran from?
But why was it like this? Why did it feel so heavy? Why did it feel like the past was pulling me back harder?
“Are you okay?” Vincent asked. Concern was in his eyes.
I frowned. Was he really worried? Or was this just obligation? Didn’t he hate me before? Didn’t he practically curse me back then? And now? Like nothing happened?
“I’m good,” I answered shortly, avoiding his eyes. And before I could break down completely, I ran toward the elevator.
I heard the staff greeting Vincent. Of course. He was in charge now. I’d heard from my grandma that he’d taken over his father’s position at the hotel. That was probably why Dad made me come home. One of the reasons. Maybe he wanted me to handle things.
But I had no plans to stay. I would never stay in San Miguel. This place was a witness to all my pain. To all the wounds that still hadn’t fully healed.
The elevator doors were closing when Vincent stopped them. He’d followed me. He stepped inside. And suddenly my whole world felt too small.
Just the two of us inside.
Too small. Too quiet. Suffocating.
I could hear my own breathing. I could hear my heart fast, out of control. I pressed a hand to my chest. Like I wanted to break free.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Vincent asked while glancing at me. Concern was in his eyes. But I knew that was dangerous. Because those eyes… were the same reason I fell for him before.
“I’m okay!” I shouted suddenly. I even surprised myself. “I’m okay! I’m okay!” I shouted again and again, like I was trying to drown out everything I felt.
I was angry. Not at Vincent. At myself.
Because no matter what I told myself—
I still wasn’t ready.
Even after four years.
I still couldn’t face this. I wasn’t the woman I thought I’d become.
I wasn’t that crying Ella anymore. But why did it feel like this? Why did it hurt more now? Like everything was coming back. One by one. Nothing spared.
The place. The wedding. The groom. And the other woman.
And in that moment…
I knew I hadn’t really left the past. I hadn’t escaped at all.
- Writer
