Bound to Break

Prologue

"Marry me, or your family loses everything."

I still hear those words echoing inside my head—the cold ultimatum that shattered my world in one breath.

The room was silent, except for the faint rustle of papers and the steady beat of my own heart hammering in my chest. It was colder than any place I had ever been before—though maybe it wasn't the air conditioning that made it so freezing. It was the weight of the decision I was about to make.

Across the table sat Théo Avelino—heir to a business empire worth billions, a man whose reputation was as ruthless as the coldness in his eyes. The very same man who had no time for weakness or sentimentality.

He slid the contract across the polished surface without even looking at me.
Marry him. Move in by the end of the week. Act like we're in love. Save my family's dying business.

My name was printed there, alongside his—Eleria Flare Mercado, future wife of Théo Avelino.
Hindi ito kwento ng pag-ibig. Ito ay kasunduan, kontrata, pagkakapit sa huling sanga ng pag-asa.

"Kailangan mong pumayag," sabi ni Nanay sa akin kanina, na may luha sa mga mata. "Kung hindi, mawawala lahat—ang bahay natin, negosyo ni Tatay, ang pangalan natin."

But I wanted to say no.

Gusto kong tumakas. Gusto kong ilayo ang sarili ko sa lalaking 'to, sa buhay na 'to na wala akong kontrol.

Pero paano mo gagawin iyon kapag araw-araw mong nakikita ang nanay mo na umiiyak nang palihim sa kwarto, kapag naririnig mo ang mga sigaw at alitan sa kusina tuwing gabi, kapag ang tatay mo na dating malakas ay unti-unting nawawala sa sarili dahil sa bigat ng problema?
Hindi mo magagawa 'yun. Kasi ang pamilya mo ang nakataya.

So I said yes.

I signed that paper, putting my life in the hands of a man who didn't even want me.
"Yes, I will marry you," ang sabi ko, kahit alam kong hindi ako mahal ni Théo. Hindi niya ako kailanman tinitingnan bilang higit pa sa isang gamit.

We were strangers forced into a lie.

Our wedding night was a quiet, cold ceremony—no guests, no celebration, just two people pretending.

"Hindi ako nagpakasal dahil mahal kita," bulong ko sa sarili habang nilalakad ko ang aisle, nakangiti pero may sakit sa puso. "Nagpakasal ako para mabuhay."

The house we moved into was beautiful, but it was a prison. The walls echoed with silence, broken only by the occasional harsh words or cold stares.

Théo was distant, often angry. May mga gabi na kapag siya ay nagalit, hindi lang salita ang sugat na iniwan niya sa akin. Mga pasa, mga sugat sa katawan ko—tanda ng kanyang galit na di ko maintindihan. Hindi ito yung pagmamahal na inaasahan ng puso, kundi isang bangungot na paulit-ulit na bumabalik.

Pero sa kabila ng lahat, unti-unti kong nakita na hindi lang siya isang lalaking malupit. Sa likod ng malamig niyang mga mata, may sugat din siya. Mga kwento ng sakit na hindi niya kayang sabihin. Mga pangarap na nawala na rin, tulad ng sa akin.

One night, after a particularly harsh argument, he broke down. I saw the man behind the mask—a man lost and broken, fighting his own demons.

"Alam mo, Eleria," sabi niya, mahina, "hindi ito yung buhay na gusto ko. Pero kailangan ko itong gawin para sa pamilya ko."

At sa mga sandaling iyon, sa kabila ng lahat ng pait, may simula ng pag-asa. Hindi pa man tayo nagmahal, may pagkakaintindihan na. May pag-asa na unti-unting mababago ang lahat.
Pero hindi madali.

Because love built on pain is fragile. Love built on lies is uncertain.

I had to learn how to fight for myself first. To survive. To find the pieces of me I thought were lost.

This was the story of a forced marriage, a woman battered but unbroken, and a man who had to learn what it really meant to love.

At ang simula pa lang ito.

I'm a rookie author please bare with my writings hehe xoxo - Lhxine