The Evil Echantress

Chapter 1 - The Perfect Match

He smirked as he caught sight of his girlfriend walking gracefully toward him. Time slowed. For a moment, it felt like everything else blurred into the background. It was just her — her smile, that same radiant smile that never failed to make his heart skip a beat.

Parang anghel. Wala pa ring kupas ang ganda niya.

Even after all these years, she still had the power to take his breath away.

Sebastian Fuentanilla considered himself the luckiest man alive. After seven years of being together, he was still completely and hopelessly in love. They began dating when he was just nineteen, and she, only fifteen — too young, some said back then, but their connection was undeniable, and their love only grew stronger with time.

Now twenty-six, Seb had grown into everything a woman could dream of. The eldest son of Sergio Fuentanilla — the tycoon behind the Fuentanilla Hotel and Restaurant empire, as well as the country’s largest wine distributor — Sebastian was born into prestige and power. But more than his wealth, he had the face of a model, and the height and charm that he got from his Spanish lineage. Sya ang ideal man ng lahat ng kababaihan — tall, smart, rich, and heartbreakingly handsome.

“Hon… uyy…” a soft, teasing voice interrupted his thoughts.

Seb blinked, a small chuckle escaping him when he realized Isabelle was already in front of him, waving her hand lightly in front of his face.

“Sorry,” he said with a grin, his eyes full of sincerity. “I was just… captivated by your beauty, hon.”

Isabelle giggled softly, her cheeks coloring. She had heard sweet words from him for years, but every time felt like the first.

Isabelle Buencamillo was no ordinary girl either. In fact, she was the kind of woman people couldn’t help but admire — someone who left an impression without even trying. At Holy Child University, she wasn’t just popular; she was adored. Crowned Ms. Teen Philippines during her high school days, later becoming Ms. University, she carried herself with grace, intelligence, and humility — a rare combination that made men fall and women look up to her.

Currently in her final year under the Bachelor of Arts in Communication, she maintained her place on the president’s list while leading university events and organizations. And just like Seb, she came from an influential family — the Buencamillos, owners of the country’s top canned tuna manufacturing company, supplying even international markets.

Kung si Sebastian ang pinapangarap ng halos lahat ng babae sa unibersidad, si Isabelle naman ang laman ng panaginip ng halos lahat ng lalaki — classy, beautiful, intelligent, and kind-hearted.

They were the perfect pair — the campus power couple who proved that love wasn’t just about looks or money, but about growing together.

Seb brushed a strand of hair from Isabelle’s face and looked at her lovingly. “I still can’t believe we’re here. Seven years later… and still, I get nervous around you.”

Isabelle smiled, her eyes softening. “Same here. But you know what makes it more special?” she paused, holding his hand gently, “We grew up together. And now we’re building our dreams, side by side.”

Seb nodded, his heart swelling. He was currently taking his master’s in Business Administration — not just to study for the title, but because soon, he would be sitting as the CEO of Fuentanilla Enterprises. Don Sergio, his father, was aging and had slowly been letting go of the reins, preparing his son to take over one of the most respected empires in the country.

But despite the prestige, the pressure, and the power — in this very moment, all that mattered to Sebastian was the woman in front of him.

The woman who had stood by him through his formative years.

The woman who never once made him feel that he had to prove his worth — because for her, he already was enough.

Isabelle grew up believing in the sacredness of love—in the sanctity of marriage before anything else. It’s something her parents had instilled in her from a young age, something she held close even as the world around her seemed to become more permissive, more reckless.

She wasn’t naïve.

She understood how relationships worked now.

She knew how people her age saw intimacy—as something casual, something that just “happens.”

But not for her.

Hindi para sa kanya ang ganon.

She wanted her first time to be meaningful.

She wanted it to happen after a promise—a real commitment, sealed by vows, by rings, by a future together.

Not just with someone she loves, but someone who has chosen to love her for life.

That’s why, even though she loved Sebastian deeply, she chose to wait.

Minsan ay pumapasok na rin sa kanya ang pag-o-overthink — hindi dahil wala siyang tiwala, kundi dahil sobra.

Sobra ang pagmamahal niya.

Sobra ang pangarap niya para sa kanilang dalawa.

Sobra rin ang takot niya na isang araw, baka mawala ang lahat.

Lalo na tuwing gabi. Kapag wala na siyang kausap. Kapag hindi na siya ang Ms. Universe ng university. Kapag wala nang ilaw sa kwarto kundi ang lamig ng ilaw mula sa cellphone niya, at ang tanging tunog ay ang mahinang paghinga ng sarili niyang pagod na katawan.

Sa mga oras na 'yon, hindi na siya si Isabelle Buencamillo — ang perpektong estudyanteng laging nasa stage, ang babaeng pinapangarap ng lahat, ang "lucky girl" na girlfriend ng isang Sebastian Fuentanilla.

Sa mga oras na 'yon… isa lang siyang simpleng babae.

At bilang babae, hindi niya maiwasang magtanong sa sarili:

“Hanggang kailan niya ako mahihintay?”

“Paano kung hanapin niya sa iba ang mga bagay na hindi ko kayang ibigay?”

“Paano kung may makilala siyang mas open, mas daring, mas willing — at mas walang takot?”

Hindi naman siya naive. Hindi rin siya plastik. Lahat halos ng kaibigan niyang babae ay may mga kwento na — kung gaano kasaya, gaano kasakit, at gaano kabilis mawala ang respeto ng lalaki kapag hindi mo binigay ang gusto nila.

Pero iba si Seb.

Sebastian Fuentanilla. Hindi lang boyfriend. Hindi lang lover. Hindi lang partner. Para kay Isabelle, si Seb ang tahanan niya. Ang matagal na niyang kinakasama, mula noong 15 pa lang siya. Bata pa siya noon. Wala pa siyang alam sa pagmamahal. Pero pinili niya si Seb. At pinili siya nito.

Seven years na sila.

At sa pitong taon na 'yon, ilang beses nang muntik — ilang beses na silang nahulog sa sariling mundo, sa pagitan ng mga yakap at halik, sa silid na sila lang ang nandun. Ilang beses na siyang nanginig habang nakatitig sa mga matang puno ng pagnanasa — pero higit sa lahat, puno ng paggalang.

Pero kahit ilang ulit nang naroon na sila sa punto ng “baka ngayon na”… palagi siyang umaatras.

Hindi dahil ayaw niya. Hindi dahil hindi niya mahal si Seb. Kundi dahil alam niyang hindi pa siya handa.

May parte sa kanya na natatakot sa ideya ng pagbibigay ng lahat. Kasi para sa kanya, hindi lang ito katawan — kundi puso, dangal, sarili.

At si Seb?

Wala siyang masabi.

Wala ni minsan na pinilit siya.

Wala ni minsan na nagtampo.

Wala ni minsan na ipinaramdam sa kanya na kulang siya.

Lalo tuloy siyang nahulog.

Lalo siyang napaisip — paano kung may makilala siyang babae na handang ibigay ang lahat? Paano kung mapagod din siya sa kakahintay?

Ayaw niyang aminin, pero may mga araw na tinitignan niya ang sarili sa salamin at iniisip:

"Maganda ba talaga ako?"

"Bakit parang hindi ko kayang ibigay ‘yung kayang ibigay ng ibang babae?"

"Paano kung... hindi na sapat ang pagiging mabait, matalino, at loyal?"

At doon siya natatakot.

Doon pumapasok ang katahimikan na mas malakas pa sa kahit anong sigaw — ang katahimikan ng mga tanong na walang kasagutan, ng mga takot na hindi niya kayang sabihin kahit kay Seb.