Elle:
"Surprise. Hindi ko sinabi sa kanya na pupunta ka. Para mas nakakakilig."
Night — Vino Luxe Bar, Poblacion
Gold chandeliers hung low, casting soft shadows over velvet booths and vintage mirrors. Their booth, secluded but in the middle of everything, was already loaded with cocktails, charcuterie, and tequila shots.
Seb (raising a glass):
"To Jade — for finally being emotionally open enough to let a surgeon into her ribcage of secrets!"
Everyone:
"CHEERS!"
Chase (sitting beside Jade):
"For the record, I haven't operated on her heart. Yet."
Jade laughed — maybe harder than she should've. The alcohol was warm, her skin glowed, and her worries faded beneath the bass of the lounge music.
Later, Chase pulled her close.
Chase (whispering):
"Didn't know you dance like you own the world."
Jade (grinning):
"That's because I do."
They danced. She spun. He caught her.
For a moment, they were infinite.
1:00 AM
Elle was loudly crying in the corner about an ex who didn't like dogs.
Seb was fake-flirting with a bartender named Gio.
Jade and Chase sat outside the bar, legs curled up on a couch, shoes off, holding hands.
Jade:
"I keep dreaming of fire. And water. And... you."
Chase:
"Me too. I remember things that never happened. Or maybe they did."
Jade (quiet):
"What are we, Chase?"
Chase (serious):
"We're a story being told again. But this time, maybe we get to finish it."
Jade leaned her head on his shoulder.
Jade:
"Then tell me the truth. About everything. Even the weird things."
Chase nodded. But before he could speak—
Vie appeared.
Drunk, but determined.
Vie — The Protector
Vie:
"Sorry. Jade. I need to talk to you. Now."
Jade (startled):
"Can't it wait?"
Vie:
"No. Because I saw something. I know something. About him."
They stepped aside.
Vie (quietly):
"He's connected to Lance."
Jade froze.
Jade:
"What do you mean—connected?"
Vie:
"Birthdate. Profile. Clara said he killed her in another life. Jade... what if Chase is Lance reborn?"
Jade's POV — Processing It All
She looked back at Chase.
He was laughing with Seb now. So warm. So human.
But her mind raced.
Was the universe trying to heal her? Or torment her?
Could the man she lost be standing right in front of her... with no memory of the life they once shared?
Her heart twisted.
But instead of retreating, she breathed in.
Maybe fate doesn't play fair. But maybe, this time, she would.
3:00 AM
Back at her penthouse, Chase helped her change into her robe.
He sat beside her on the couch, holding her hand.
Jade (tired, emotional):
"Would you believe me if I said I loved you before I met you?"
Chase (whispering):
"I already do."
Then, she told him.
Everything.
About Lance. The scarf. The fire.
And he listened.
Not shocked.
But... as if he remembered, too.
Chase (gently):
"Then maybe we have another chance, Jade. Let's not waste it."
YOU ARE READING
The One I Cannot Touch
Romance"How do you love someone who carries the heart of the man you already lost?" Jade Celestine Vera is rich, guarded, and grieving - still haunted by the death of her fiancé five years ago. Dr. Chase Alexander Miller is Manila's top trauma surgeon, sav...
String 14: Truths Begin to Dance
Start from the beginning
