My Destiny Series #3: For You, I Will

For you I will || • Prologue •

"No! Not now! Not ever!"

Zachary Andres Sandoval's voice was a low, dangerous growl, echoing with a frustration that had been building for months. He stood in the center of his father's office, his knuckles white as he gripped the back of a leather chair.

Don Miguel, a man whose presence alone could silence a room, didn't even flinch. He remained seated behind his massive oak desk, his expression as cold and unyielding as granite.

"You stop that, Zachary Andres!" Don Miguel barked, his voice laced with the authority that had built the Sandoval empire. "Ang usapan ay usapan. Wala nang pupuwedeng sumira ng napagkasunduan. Lalong-lalo ka na! You will marry Ysabel whether you like it or not. AND. THAT. IS. FINAL!"

Zachary let out a sharp, bitter laugh—a sound that held no humor, only sharp, jagged edges of defiance. He ran a hand through his perfectly tousled hair, his eyes burning with a mixture of resentment and pure, unadulterated anger.

"Usapan? Tss!" Zachary spat the word out like poison. "Usapan ninyo, hindi ko! I never agreed to that! I never agreed to trade my life for your business expansion, and I certainly never agreed to be shackled to a woman I don't even know!"

Akmang sasampalin ito ng ama, his hand raised in a swift, threatening arc, but Donya Amellia, who had been standing silently by the window, moved with surprising speed to intercept him. She placed a gentle but firm hand on her husband's arm, her eyes pleading for a moment of calm.

"Miguel, please," she whispered, though her voice was firm. "This is not how we handle this."

Zachary didn't wait for his mother's intervention to have an effect. He stepped forward, his posture aggressive. "You see? She's not even my type! Look at her, Dad. Really look at her. Sino naman ang gugustuhing magpakasal sa ganyang babae?"

With a look of pure disdain, he reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a photograph, slamming it onto the desk.

Outside the door, Ysabel froze.

She had been on her way to deliver the documents Don Miguel had requested. She had been nervous, yes, but she had also been hopeful. She had been told that today, she would finally be introduced to the man she was promised to. She had spent hours preparing, trying to look her best, even though she knew she would never be the kind of woman people stopped to look at twice.

But when she heard her name, she had stopped. And when she heard the tone of his voice, she had been unable to move.

Parang may tumarak sa puso niya. It was a sharp, physical pain, like a dagger twisting in her chest. She felt the sudden, hot sting of tears, the kind that threatened to spill over and drown her. She pressed a trembling hand against her mouth, stifling a sob, terrified that even the slightest sound would give her away.

She leaned closer to the door, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.

Inside, the silence was heavy. She imagined him looking at the photo. She knew exactly which one it was. It was a candid shot, taken years ago at a family gathering. She was wearing her old, thick-framed glasses, her hair a frizzy, unmanageable mess of curls, and her mouth was stretched wide in a laugh that showed off the metal of her braces.

How did he have that picture? She hadn't even known it existed.

"That fat, ugly duckling, nerdy girl," Zachary continued, his voice dripping with mockery. "That's who you want me to spend the rest of my life with? I have a reputation to maintain, Dad. I have a life. And she... she doesn't fit into any part of it."

Ysabel felt her knees weaken. The image of herself in that photo—the girl who was always trying so hard to be invisible—suddenly felt like a curse. She had spent years trying to grow, trying to change, trying to be someone worthy of love. But to him, she was just the punchline of a cruel joke.

She didn't wait to hear his father's rebuttal. She didn't want to hear another word. She didn't want to hear his mother defend her, or his father threaten him further. She had heard enough.

The tears finally spilled over, hot and fast, blurring her vision as she turned away from the door. Every step she took away from that office felt like she was shedding a part of herself—the part that had dared to dream, the part that had foolishly believed in fairy tales.

She walked down the long, opulent hallway, the marble floor cold beneath her feet. The mansion, which had always felt like a potential home, now felt like a gilded cage.

She reached the grand foyer and didn't stop. She pushed open the massive front doors and stepped out into the night air. It was cool, biting even, but it was a relief compared to the suffocating atmosphere she had just escaped.

She didn't have a plan. She didn't know where she was going. All she knew was that she couldn't stay. She couldn't face them, and she certainly couldn't face him.

Reality check, she told herself, the words echoing in her mind with a hollow, crushing finality. Zachary Andres Sandoval, the only man she had ever truly wanted, the man who had occupied her thoughts since she was a teenager, would never love her.

Not now. Not ever.

She walked until her feet ached, the lights of the city blurring into streaks of neon color through her tears. She was leaving it all behind—the expectations, the arranged marriage, the crushing weight of being someone she wasn't. For the first time in her life, she was choosing herself, even if it meant disappearing into the darkness of the unknown.

She was done being the ugly duckling waiting for a prince who didn't want her. It was time to find out who she was when she wasn't living for someone else's approval.

And as she hailed a taxi, her eyes set on a destination she hadn't yet decided, she whispered a final goodbye to the girl she used to be.

"Goodbye, Zach," she murmured, the wind carrying her voice away into the night. "You'll never have to worry about me again."