MARRY ME, UNCLE DMITRI (ENGLISH)

My world shattered the moment I opened the door to my boyfriend's condominium. I hadn't been able to reach Magnus. None of my calls had gone through, and every text message I'd sent over the past five days had gone unanswered. His excuse was always the same—he was busy with work. Apparently, work wasn't what had been keeping him occupied. There they were, completely absorbed in each other on the living room sofa. Neither of them noticed the door swing open. Their attention was entirely on one another. They weren't wearing a single piece of clothing. Their bodies glistened with sweat. I couldn't move. It felt as though my feet had been rooted to the floor. My entire body turned cold, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't force a single word past my lips. "Mmm... Magnus... faster..." The woman's voice echoed through the room. A voice I knew all too well. Tears streamed down my face as I stared at them in disbelief. It hurt. God, it hurt. It felt as though an invisible hand had reached into my chest and was squeezing my heart mercilessly while the cruel truth unfolded before my eyes. My boyfriend was cheating on me. And the woman sharing his betrayal...was my own sister. Susane finally turned toward the doorway. Her eyes widened the instant she saw me standing there. Shock flashed across her face. Yet neither of them stopped. She didn't even tell Magnus to stop. I didn't know why I couldn't rush at them... or even walk away. I simply stood there. Watching. Crying. By the time they finally finished, I was still standing in the doorway, tears silently running down my face. "Looks like we had an audience, Magnus," Susane said with a smug smile. Magnus immediately turned toward me. "L-Louella?" His face drained of color. He quickly pulled away from Susane, sending her stumbling onto the floor before scrambling to cover himself. He took a step toward me. I instinctively stepped back. Finally... I found the strength to move. I turned and ran. My legs felt weak beneath me, but somehow, I managed to reach the elevator. My hands trembled uncontrollably. My lips quivered. The tears refused to stop falling. Before the elevator doors opened, I wiped my face with shaking hands, trying desperately to erase every trace of my breakdown. They're both liars. They betrayed me. The words screamed inside my head. The elevator doors slid open, and I hurried out, accidentally bumping into a man who was about to step inside. "S-Sorry," I whispered before rushing past him and out of the building. I'd come here to check on the boyfriend who hadn't spoken to me in days. I never imagined I'd witness something that would destroy me instead. A taxi pulled over, and I climbed inside without thinking. I had nowhere to go. No idea how I was supposed to tell my parents what I'd just seen. Especially when my own sister was involved. "Louella, take good care of your relationship with Magnus. With all the influence and connections his family has, we'd lose a great deal if you let him go." My father's words echoed in my mind. He'd said them countless times. Over and over again. Take care of the relationship? How was I supposed to protect something when the person who should have protected it had already destroyed it? "Ma'am, where would you like to go?" the driver asked gently. "Where..." I whispered as fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. "Where did I go wrong?" I looked at the poor taxi driver with tear-filled eyes. "Where wasn't I enough? Why... why did they do this to me?" The driver scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Ma'am... I mean, what's your destination?" A broken sob escaped my lips. "What destination?" I whispered. "Where am I supposed to belong after this?" "My dad doesn't want my relationship with my boyfriend to fall apart..." "But I caught my boyfriend sleeping with my own sister." "So, tell me..." "Where exactly am I supposed to go now?" The words left my mouth in a shattered whisper before I broke down completely, my sobs filling the silence inside the taxi. The pain was unbearable. It felt as though my heart was being crushed inside my chest. "It hurts..." I cried. "It hurts so much." The poor driver scratched his head again before offering me a sympathetic smile. "It's okay, Ma'am. Just cry if you need to. I'll keep driving. Just don't forget to pay the fare later." The taxi slowly pulled away. I didn't deserve this. I knew I'd given Magnus everything during our four years together. I had been loyal. I loved him with all my heart. I did everything I could to make our relationship work. So why? Why would he do this to me? "It hurts... It hurts so much..." The driver kept glancing at me through the rear-view mirror before letting out a quiet sigh. After several minutes, he pulled over beside a seaside park. When I looked outside, I was greeted by the sight of the calm ocean stretching endlessly toward the horizon. Families and couples wandered along the promenade, enjoying the peaceful view. I stayed inside the taxi. Still... I appreciated that he'd brought me somewhere quiet. "I'll step out for a smoke, Ma'am," he said kindly. "Take your time. Cry as much as you need." He closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Only then did I notice my phone vibrating nonstop. Once my breathing steadied, I picked it up. Dozens of missed calls. Countless text messages. Every single one from Magnus. How ironic. He suddenly remembered how to call and text after ignoring me for five whole days. Now he was panicking. Magnus: Let's talk. Magnus: Come back. Magnus: Please listen to my explanation, Louella. Magnus: You're misunderstanding what you saw between your sister and me. I let out a bitter laugh. "Are you kidding me?" I muttered through clenched teeth. "Do I look blind? Do you think I'm stupid?" The phone rang again. Magnus. I rejected the call. Another message appeared almost immediately. Magnus: Louella, your sister's crying. I can't calm her down. I'm worried she'll have an asthma attack. Please come back. Love, let's talk. We can fix this. Magnus: Stop ignoring my calls. Come back. I switched off my phone without another thought. Fresh tears blurred my vision. "The nerve of both of you!" I screamed inside the taxi. "How could you do this to me?" The scene I had witnessed replayed endlessly in my mind, tormenting me over and over again. "What did I ever do to deserve this?" A gentle knock on the window interrupted my sobbing. The driver stood outside, holding out a sealed bottle of water. "Here, Ma'am. Drink some water." I rolled down the window and accepted it with a grateful smile. "Thank you." "No problem," he replied warmly. "Just add twenty pesos to the fare later." Despite everything... A faint, helpless smile tugged at my lips. Even in the middle of my heartbreak, this kind stranger somehow managed to make me smile.