roses by the cabin. || mc.

Prologue

"So, this is it? We're breaking up?" Dei asked voice tainted with pain and exasperation. "Is this it, Richard?"

"This is what you want, right? Get in the car, we're leaving, I can't stand to spend another hour in this fucking cabin." Richard replied, opening the car door for her. Dei just nodded and hopped inside the vehicle. She wanted to say more, she wanted to ask if this is really what they wanted and needed but, in her heart, she already knew what he was going to say.

Richard then got into the car, told her to put on her seatbelt, and then slowly drove away from the cabin. Dei's eyes were stuck on the side mirror, just watching as the cabin grow smaller and smaller up until it was hidden behind the trees. The place that used to hold a lot of great memories for them has turned into a witness to the downfall of their relationship.

After a couple of minutes of nothing but silence, Richard said something that put Dei's mind on overdrive. She immediately looked at him and noticed the pained expression on his face.

"What Kris told you about me and Diana, that was true."

"You don't have to lie to me, Richard. I know what was going on between the two of you. If you want me to hate you this ain't it." Dei told him; her fists clenched tightly on her lap. Richard stopped the car and let out a defeated sigh.

"I figured it would be easier for you to forget me then." He admitted.

"Six years, we were together for six years, Richard. And I've known you for like what? A decade in total? Why do you think I wouldn't notice by now when you're lying or not? You and Diana were working on a project over the last few months and yes, I got jealous and paranoid about it but I found a month ago that she's a lesbian. I felt so stupid."

"Dei– "

"Richard, look. We both decided to end our relationship because we're no longer on the same page. Yes, it fucking hurts but deep inside this is what I wanted ... what WE wanted. We got so busy with other things that we failed to protect the thing that we should've been protecting the most all this time – us." She said as tears started swelling in her eyes. "There was no third party whatsoever, I know that now. The problem ... the fucking problem is us. We just grew apart, I'm no longer on your radar and even though you are still in mine ... I'm ... I'm not gonna be a fucking martyr and wait for you to come to your senses and put me back in. We both have different priorities now, Richard, and I get that. We've found ourselves in different chapters of our lives. I still consider you as a friend so please don't make up lies for me to completely detach myself from you. I can't, I can't completely let you go yet."

Hearing those words broke Richard's heart even more. He turned to Dei with tears falling down his face.

"I know ... and I'm sorry. But Dei ... I promise I tried to fight. I knew you're busy with your teaching job and I was too. I ... we ... we tried everything, didn't we? We fought for it, right? We tried to go on dates, we went on this trip. We tried to fix it, right?" Richard asked, desperate to get a yes or even just a nod from her.

"Yes, we did," Dei answered with her voice shaking. Richard unbuckled his seatbelt and then turned to his side so he can hug her.

"We're going to be fine, Dei. God, I hope we will." He whispered.

"Y-Yes, yes, yes ..."

They both sobbed and stayed in that position for at least a minute. Richard then pulled away and started the car once more.

"We should leave before the storm comes."

"I agree."

Richard started driving again. But just a few seconds later, they both felt the ground shaking. Dei peered out of the window and noticed that not only were the birds frantically flying away, the tree branches were also rattling and a loud rumbling noise enveloped the whole place.

"IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!" she yelled in a panicked tone.

"We should go b-back to the cabin. We can s-stay at the open space!" Richard told her, voice shaking a bit. He tried to turn the car around but since the stretch of the road they were on was very narrow, he could only put the car on reverse. Couple of feet in and a small paper tree fell right on their way. Dei suggested that they should run out of the car and make a break for it but Richard rejected the idea, telling her it was dangerous since large objects have already started falling around them.

"I'll just make a break for it." He told her. "Just hold tight and we'll get through it."

Dei nodded and gripped the handle located right above the window. Richard took a deep breath and started driving faster. Dei could still feel the ground shaking, then there was this loud rumbling noise seemingly coming out of nowhere and everywhere.

"Can you hear that!!!!" she asked, voice raised out of sheer panic.

"WHAT??!!!!!"

"That noise!" Dei yelled again. But before Richard could even answer, they both noticed a large boulder rolling down from the side of the mountain and right towards them. He drove faster and they were able to dodge the falling rock.

"FUCK FUCK FUCK WHAT IS THAT???!!! FUCK!!!!" Richard's voice filled the car.

All of the noises going on around have rendered her disoriented. They were about to reach a small open space that they can park on when another tree started to fall right in front of them. In a bid to avoid it, Richard swerved to the left, unwittingly sending the both of them down the deep ravine.