CHAPTER ONE – The Vows We Never Meant
326 Words
“Do you, Alen Valera, take Elara Cruz to be your lawfully wedded wife—?”
“—I do.”
Walang pag-aalinlangan sa tono niya. Walang lambing. Walang kahit anong emosyon. Parang binasa lang niya ang script na hindi naman niya gustong sabihin.
Nakatayo ako sa harap niya, nanginginig ang mga kamay habang pinipilit ngumiti. This is it, Elara, I told myself. You’re marrying the man you love… even if he’ll never love you back.
“And do you, Elara Cruz, take Alen Valera—”
“I do.”
The words tasted like glass — beautiful, but sharp enough to cut. Nagtawanan ang mga bisita, nagpalakpakan. The cameras flashed. Everyone saw the perfect wedding — the powerful businessman and the elegant bride.
Pero kung titingnan mo nang mabuti, you’d notice the distance between us. Hindi man lang niya ako hinawakan. At sa halip na halikan ako sa altar, naglakad lang siya palayo, parang may hinahabol na oras.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Valera,” sabi ni Tita Selena, his mother, habang inabot ang bouquet ko. “You made the right choice.”
Did I?
That night, in the grand hotel where we were supposed to celebrate, I sat on the edge of the bed — still in my wedding gown, still waiting.
Alen was by the balcony, still in his black suit, holding a glass of whiskey.
“You can sleep in the room,” he said flatly. “I’ll stay outside for a bit.”
“Okay.”
“And Elara,” he added without turning around,
“You don’t have to pretend you’re happy. This isn’t love. You know that.”
I smiled faintly, kahit ang puso ko, parang unti-unting nadudurog.
“I know,” I whispered. “But maybe someday, it could be.”
He didn’t answer.
The only sound left was the quiet clink of his glass — and the sound of my heart breaking, softly, like rain against the window.
- Writer
