No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 33- Letter

Reality hit me like a punch to the gut. Aiah wasn't here.

I pressed my palms against my face, willing the dream to stay, to let me linger a little longer in that memory where we were just two college students teasing each other about the future.

"Ten years from now, Mikha, I'll probably be rich, but you... you'll still be a dork."

"Excuse me? You'll still be in love with this dork."

She only laughed back then. A laugh so soft, so genuine, it made my heart race.

Now, all that's left is silence.

I sat up, my body feeling heavier than usual. My eyes flickered to my bedside table where Aiah's letter lay, a cruel reminder of what she had done. What she had chosen.

Slowly, I reached for it, my fingers trembling as I traced the last words she wrote:

"Maybe if you already move on, find someone who can fight for you, hold his hand, and make me jealous. And make sure that jealousy will kill me forever."

I let out a bitter chuckle as tears welled up again.

"Ikaw lang ang gusto kong piliin, Aiah... pero bakit hindi mo rin ako kayang ipaglaban?"

I clutched the letter to my chest, taking deep, shaky breaths. I had to move. Staying in bed, drowning in my own heartbreak, wasn't going to bring her back.

But where do I even begin to pick up the pieces?

I forced myself to move.

Every step felt heavy, as if my body was resisting, but I pushed through. I took a long shower, letting the scalding water burn my skin, hoping it would distract me from the pain inside. It didn't.

I changed into fresh clothes, tied my hair up, and stepped into the silent living room. The emptiness of my apartment screamed at me, so I grabbed a mop and started cleaning. I wiped every surface, scrubbed the floor, and even rearranged some furniture-anything to keep my mind occupied.

Pero kahit anong linis ang gawin ko, hindi ko maalis ang gulo sa loob ko.

When I was finally too exhausted to move, I slumped onto the couch, grabbing the remote. Watching TV had always been my go-to escape. Maybe, just maybe, it would work today.

I flipped through channels mindlessly-news, dramas, variety shows-until a familiar name made my heart stop.

"Breaking news: The engagement of Adrian Montenegro and Aiah Navarro has just been announced!"

The remote slipped from my hand. My body froze.

Hindi ako maaaring nagkamali. I turned up the volume, my breath caught in my throat as the screen changed to a live press conference.

There they were.

Aiah... standing beside Adrian Montenegro.

She was dressed in an elegant white dress, poised, perfect-as if she wasn't the same girl who once whispered her love to me in the dead of night. As if she wasn't the same girl who held me like I was her entire world.

I felt like I was watching a stranger.

A reporter asked a question, and Aiah's mother stepped forward, her voice firm and proud.

"Our daughter has always been meant for greater things. This engagement is not just about love-it's about securing a future, uniting two powerful families."

My stomach twisted. Not just about love.

What about us, Aiah? Were we never about love?

Then, Aiah finally spoke.