"I thought she was the one," he admitted, his gaze still fixed on the ceiling as if lost in memories of the past. "I thought we had it all figured out—our future, our dreams... But then everything fell apart, and I was left with nothing but shattered illusions."

As he spoke, I could hear the pain and longing in his voice, the echoes of a love that had been lost but never forgotten. It was a raw and vulnerable moment, one that revealed a side of Vince I had never seen before—a man haunted by the ghosts of his past, struggling to make sense of a world that had betrayed him.

"I'm so sorry, Vince," I murmured, my voice barely more than a whisper as I tried to convey my empathy.

Darlyn Nicole—his ex-fiancée bore the same name as me. Suddenly, everything clicked into place, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place with unsettling clarity. Kaya ganoon na lamang si Vince nang una kaming magkakilala. He was all weird when he found out my name was Nicole. It was his trauma acting up in ways he couldn't control, and of course, me not knowing all these had me thinking he was just plain rude.

It was clear now why Vince had been so guarded and distant when we first met, why he had kept me at arm's length even as he drew closer.

"I can't even begin to imagine how hard that must have been for you." I murmured, my heart aching for the man sitting before me—the man who had loved and lost. Naiintindihan ko kung gaano kasakit iyon sa kaniya dahil pinagdaanan ko rin ang sakit na iyon, sa ibang sirkumstansya, oo. Pero tulad ni Vince, nawalan rin ako.

Vince gave me a small, sad smile, his eyes reflecting the depths of his sorrow. "Very," he admitted. "Yet, there was no luxury of grief for me. With a hotel to oversee and people to lead, there was little room for personal anguish. Responsibilities loomed large, demanding swift action. The pain, the anger—they could only be set aside. Moving forward became imperative, and so I did."

Nang ipagpatuloy pa ni Vince ang pagkukuwento, I leaned in closer, captivated by the raw honesty in his expression. He wasn't concealing anything na tila ba gusto niya talagang makita ko 'yung sakit at galit sa kaniyang mga mata.

"She made everything seem so effortless," kuwento niya sa mas seryosong tinig. "It was as if the universe conspired to align our paths, smoothing out any rough edges along the way."

I listened intently, my heart going out to him. Malaya at hindi puwersado ang pagkukuwento ni Vince, hindi ko siya tinatanong, hindi ko siya pinipilit. Kung ano ang gusto niyang sabihin sa akin ay pakikinggan ko. Iyon lamang ang gagawin ko. I wouldn't judge him or anything. I would just listen, dahil alam kong iyon rin ang kailangan ni Vince.

"She would always compromise without hesitation," he continued, a flicker of nostalgia dancing in his eyes. "If we couldn't meet, she would adjust her plans without complaint, always putting our relationship first."

I couldn't help but marvel at the picture he painted, the image of a love that flowed with the ease of a gentle river, unburdened by the trials of life. Kagaya nang sa amin ni Vicente. Cent would always compromise, bend thing to my liking. Hindi niya ako pinahihirapan, kinokontra, o hinahayaang mabahala.

"And so, when the time came, I proposed," unti-unting kumakapal ang tinig ni Vince, kung anuman ang emosyong nakapaloob sa mga salitang iyon ay pilit niyang ikinukubli. I couldn't blame him, nasaktan siya. Naloko. "I thought that was what she wanted—that predictable, stable life with me."

As he spoke, I couldn't shake the feeling of déjà vu, as if I were peering into a mirror reflecting my own past experiences. The familiarity of his words resonated with me, stirring dormant memories and unspoken truths.

Totoong mahal ko si Vicente, pero isa rin sa mga dahilan kung bakit ako pumayag na magpakasal sa kaniya ay dahil alam kong madali ang buhay kasama siya. I knew I would never find what I had with him with anyone else. I knew no one could love me better than he did.

"But sometimes, what we think we want isn't always what we need," Vince reflected, his gaze drifting into the distance as he grappled with the weight of his revelation. "It took me a long time to realize that."

I closed my eyes, allowing his vulnerability to wash over me like a gentle wave. Vince bared his broken soul before me, inviting me to bear witness to the depths of his pain. Alam kong hindi iyon madali para sa kaniya, at nasisiguro ko rin na hindi niya basta sinasabi ang mga bagay na ito kung kanino lang.

"It was on the day of my wedding," humina ang kaniyang tinig at halos hindi ko na iyon marining. "That's when I found out about Darlyn Nicole's relationship with my twin brother."

My eyes snapped open, stunned by the revelation that shattered the illusion of his once-perfect romance. I could feel the weight of his words pressing down on me, as if the gravity of his truth threatened to pull me into the depths of his despair.

"There were no signs," Vince murmured, his voice haunted by the echoes of betrayal. "Or maybe there were signs, and I just didn't see them. I was so blinded by the image of her that I had constructed in my mind, I failed to see the truth that lay beneath the surface."

Vince's heart laid bare in the wake of his shattered dreams. The realization that someone he loved and trusted could betray him in such cruel way was a bitter pill to swallow. Hindi lang basta sa kung sino siya nito ipinagpalit, kundi kay Kurt. Si Kurt na kasama niya na mula pa sa sinapupunan ng kanilang ina.

"I thought I knew her," Vince whispered, nasa tinig nito ang panghihinayang. "But in the end, she was nothing more than a mirage—a figment of my imagination."

I held back from judging Darlyn Nicole because I didn't know her. She must have had her reasons, however misguided they may have been, or perhaps she got caught up in a love too strong to resist. Despite her hurtful actions, I figured that maybe she was just chasing her happiness, even if it came at the expense of hurting others.

"She ran off with Kurt that same day," mapait na sabi ni Vince makalipas ang ilang sandali. "Left me standing at the altar for everyone to see how jilted and betrayed I was."

The image of Vince, standing alone at the altar, his heart laid bare for all to witness, sent a pang of empathy coursing through me. To be abandoned in such a public manner, to have his love and trust scorned in front of friends and family—it was a wound that ran deep.

"But it didn't end there," Vince continued, his voice hollow with despair. "They had an accident—a car crash that killed Darlyn Nicole instantly and left Kurt in a coma for months."

The news hit me like a punch to the gut, the sheer magnitude of the tragedy leaving me reeling. What the fuck? Did that really happen? Nilingon ko si Vince, hindi ko alam kung ano ang aking sasabihin o kung may dapat nga ba akong sabihin. Damn. Fate dealt him a cruel blow, packing all the misfortune into a single day that he had envisioned as the beginning of a new chapter. Losing the woman he loved in such a sudden and violent manner was a harsh twist of fate beyond understanding.

"I didn't even get the chance to be angry with them," Vince confessed, there was a sense of resignation in his voice, na para bang pagod na siyang sarilinin lang ang lahat ng kaniyang nararamdaman. "Because then I would be the insensitive one. She died, and Kurt was fighting for his life."

The injustice of it all was palpable. Totoong parang tinanggalan siya ng karapatan na magalit o masaktan man lang dahil sunud-sunod ang mga pangyayari, bukod pa sa napakabilis that he didn't even have time to react. To be denied closure, to be forced to carry the burden of his betrayal in silence—it was a fate that no one deserved.

"The betrayal, the pain I felt was futile compared to what happened to them," Vince whispered, his words heavy with sorrow. "I couldn't even mourn the loss of my supposed wife, because her betrayal was overshadowed by the tragedy that followed."

As I listened to Vince's heartbreaking confession, I felt a surge of compassion for him. I knew that his pain ran deeper than words could express, a wound that would take a lifetime to heal.

Without hesitation, I crawled on top of him, my lips seeking out every inch of his face, showering him with kisses in an attempt to soothe the wounds that lay hidden beneath. It struck me then, with a pang of sorrow, that perhaps no one had ever taken care of him in this way before. Vince seemed so capable, so self-assured, but beneath the surface, he was broken beyond repair.

As I tenderly caressed his cheek, I realized that I had never truly understood the depth of his suffering until now. At ngayon, gusto ko na lang protektahan siya sa kung ano pang puwedeng makadurog at makasakit sa kaniya.

Vince closed his eyes, surrendering to the gentle ministrations of my touch.

"I'm sorry you had to endure such things," I whispered, my breath caressing his skin with tender reverence.

"It was all worth it," he murmured. "Every moment of pain, every twist of fate—it led me to you. Ito ang mahalaga sa akin, Nicole. Ang ngayon, ang tayo."

What he said filled my heart with tenderness, each syllable he uttered resonated deeply within me. Mahal ko na nga si Vince, mahal ko siya.

With gentle reverence, I leaned in to kiss him, my lips meeting his in a soft, tender embrace. There was something different with the way he kissed me tonight, there was a serenity I never thought existed.

"I love you, Nicole Ann," Vince whispered softly against my mouth.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still as I absorbed the depth of his feelings, allowing myself to fully embrace the love that blossomed between us. Mahal niya ako, kahit hindi naman niya sabihin ay ramdam ko iyon. Iba nga lang talaga kapag may kumpirmasyon.

I felt a sense of euphoria wash over me. It was as though I finally knew that I was exactly where I was meant to be—with Vince. "I love you, too..."