Chapter Eighteen: The Past
878 Words
Lyndsay's POV:
Marcus had barely changed at all.
Seven years may have passed, but time failed to change the fact that he was truly a handsome man... though that was already expected since his brother—my husband—was handsome too.
I couldn't deny the shock on Marcus's face when he saw me.
He wasn't expecting me here.
He wasn't expecting that, of all people, I would become his sister-in-law.
Life is really a roller coaster ride.
After so many years, I never imagined fate would bring us here.
The memories of the past still felt vivid...
“Is it a yes?! Come on, say it again!” Marcus said while holding both of my hands.
He looked almost annoyed because he wanted me to repeat that I loved him and that I was finally ready to become his girlfriend.
We were in an elegant restaurant for a date.
He had been courting me for several months already.
Despite our large age gap, I fell for Marcus.
I learned how to love him.
“Yes already... I said yes... I love you with all my heart, Mr. Marcus Gabriel Zamora... there, are you happy now—”
I wasn't able to finish what I was about to say because he suddenly kissed my lips and pulled me into a tight embrace.
I even noticed the other people in the restaurant looking surprised, probably because they thought I was only his younger sister.
I blushed.
I felt both of my cheeks grow warm because we were in a public place.
“M-Marcus... please, they're staring at us!”
“So what? We're happy. I'm glad you chose me, Lyndsay. From now on, I promise I will stay by your side and never leave you no matter what!”
Marcus even raised his right hand as if he were taking an oath.
My heart filled with happiness.
It had already been a year since Mommy left me.
And Marcus's presence felt like a huge blessing because he always made me happy.
He never got tired of showering me with affection.
Clarisse even told me that I was lucky because Marcus wasn't only handsome—he was kind and wealthy too.
Marcus and I were together for more than a year.
He was very supportive of me, and I was the same with him.
I was already in my third year of college when he proposed to me.
“Lyndsay, I can't wait to spend my life with you... please say yes!”
Marcus looked gentle as he knelt before me, holding a small box containing an engagement ring.
I never expected that he would want us to get married so soon.
And because I loved Marcus so much, I agreed to marry him on one condition—that he would wait until I graduated from college with a degree in Business Administration.
Marcus agreed.
Our relationship was smooth and happy until the time came when I slowly noticed that he was no longer making time for me.
“Oh my gosh, sis... what's wrong with Papa M.? I feel like there's something I can't explain... he rarely comes here anymore...” Clarisse said.
She had started noticing that Marcus seemed far too busy with work.
He no longer visited the boarding house that Clarisse and I rented.
Little by little, I noticed how cold he had become toward me.
It continued for almost a month.
I still tried to understand him because I knew Marcus lived in a completely different world from mine.
I kept myself together because I was a working student and needed to earn money to support my daily expenses. I was also an academic scholar, so I received a huge discount in school.
Marcus had invited me many times to live with him since we were getting married soon anyway, but I had too much pride to accept it.
I made a promise to Mommy...
I could do this. I would graduate and fulfill the promise I made to her.
I would prove to Daddy that Mommy raised me well.
Until the suspicions I had about Marcus turned out to be more than just suspicions...
Clarisse confessed to me that she saw him in an expensive restaurant with a beautiful woman who was pregnant, judging by the maternity dress she was wearing.
All this time...
He had been cheating on me...
No wonder he was always gone—he was busy with someone else!
It hurt.
I couldn't explain the pain.
Actually, no words were enough to describe the pain I felt.
Back then, I felt like I wanted to disappear completely.
Mommy and I shared the same fate...
We were both abandoned by the people we loved.
I hated you, Marcus... you were the one who came into my life!
You made me fall in love with you... and when I finally loved you deeply, that was when you left me for someone else!
Those were the words I kept repeating to myself before...
That was why I became afraid to love again...
Afraid of being left alone...
I had already accepted long ago that not every relationship ends in a happily ever after...
Just like Daddy and Mommy...
Just like Marcus and me...
- Writer
