Sheena's POV
After I have sent them my message, mabilis pa sa alas kwatro nila akong pinuntahan. Maloi immediately hugged me as she tried to calm me down, behind her were Mikha and Colet exchanging knowing looks with worries written on their eyes.
"I-it's over ... Gwen and I ... the relationship I tried so hard to take care of ... she's gone, Maloi. She's gone." I cried.
I heard Colet and Mikha uttered curses. Maloi escorted me inside my car, giving me a water bottle and handkerchief while patting my back gently.
"Seriously, Sheena," Mikha's voice cut through the fog clouding her mind. "How could you just... let her walk all over you like that?" Today, the fire in her eyes burned with anger and I understood all too well.
"It wasn't that simple, Mikha," I managed to tell even if my voice is barely a whisper. "We... we just weren't working out anymore. Hindi ko naman siya pwedeng pilitin nang pilitin, siya na mismo nagsabi." Kusa na namang tumulo ang luha sa mga mata ko na kanina ko pa pinupunasan.
Maloi, the quiet one of the group, scoffed. "Not working out? There's something off, Sheena! Tangina, bunso ka namin eh. Hindi ka nga namin hinahayaang humarap mag-isa sa mga kaaway mo dahil baka mapaano ka tapos sasaktan ka lang?" pain was heard in her voice.
I flinched at the harshness in her voice. Maloi had always been fiercely protective of me, and the hurt in her eyes mirrored my own.
Colet, ever the voice of reason, intervened, placing a calming hand on Maloi's arm. "Maloi, simmer down. There must be more to it."
I closed my eyes, the memory of Gweneth's touch sending a phantom warmth through me. Naiiyak na naman ako.
I really want it to be her. The one who sits in front of me at the dining table, waiting to hear how my day went. The first face I see when I wake up in the morning, who pulls me closer into a tight hug while whispering '5 more minutes' into my ear. The one who kisses me goodbye everyday before heading for work, and then 30 minutes later texts me 'i miss you already'. The person doesn't just offer me a box of tissue but cries with me on the saddest parts of my favorite series. The one I pray with at the same time everyday, to ask God to guide us and to make sure that we love each other the way we needed.
I want it to be her. The one who loves me in the littlest ways possible. The one who opens doors for me, the one who ties my shoelaces for me, the one who fills me up with glass of water every meal, the one who holds my hand whenever she got the chance.
I want her to be the person I grow old with - the one I marry the second time at our 50th anniversary. I want her beside me on our 63rd anniversary, being grateful for the life and the family we built together.
I badly want it to be her,
and God knows we would've made it work if only she wanted it as much as I do.
"There are always reasons, Sheena," Maloi said, her voice softer now. "But that doesn't mean you have to accept them. You deserve better. You deserve someone who shouts your name from the rooftops, who doesn't make you feel like you have to hide your love in the shadows."
I forced a smile, brittle and unconvincing. "I know. But you guys don't understand. My love for Gweneth... it's different. It's like a force of nature, an anchor in a storm."
"Love shouldn't hurt, Shee," Colet said gently, her hand reaching across the table to squeeze Sheena's. "And it shouldn't make you feel like you're constantly putting the pieces of yourself back together after they've been shattered."
At some point, I knew they were right. Their words echoed in the hollow space within me, a constant reminder of the reality I was desperately trying to ignore. But the thought of letting go, of facing a future without Gweneth, was like staring into an abyss filled with an unknown and terrifying darkness.
Days bled into weeks, the vibrant tapestry of our life together fading to a dull monochrome. Gweneth's absence was a gaping hole in my world, a constant ache that refused to subside. I tried to drown herself in school, threw myself into social gatherings, desperately seeking a distraction. But everywhere I looked, I always saw shadows of Gweneth - a stray curl that smelled like her perfume, a song that reminded us of late-night drives, a joke that only us would understand.
One evening, while flipping through a dusty photo album, I stumbled upon a picture from our first trip together. We were young, carefree, our smiles brighter than the Tuscan sun that bathed us in its golden glow. It was a snapshot of a time before societal pressures, before whispers and disapproving glances, before the doubt crept in and poisoned our love.
Tears blurred my vision as a single memory surfaced, vivid and clear. We were sitting on a secluded beach, the roar of the ocean a constant lullaby. Gweneth had whispered about her dreams, of a future filled with art, with travel, with a love that defied all expectations.
I realized then that Gweneth was a caged bird, yearning for the freedom to express her true self. And in a cruel twist of fate, their love had become the gilded cage, beautiful from the outside, but stifling within.
The revelation brought a strange sense of clarity. I had to let Gweneth go. Not because I didn't love her, but because love, true love, meant wanting what was best for the other person, even if I'm left hurting alone.
"I love you, love. I will always love you." I whispered.
--
Maloi's POV
Stacey looked at me while Sheena's busy watching something on my tv. Sheena spent the night here while Stacey came over to cook something for us.
"Go talk to her, bub." she whispered.
Sheena had always been the fierce one in our circle. I was the quiet observer, the steady hand, while she was the whirlwind of laughter and fire. But this time, the fire had been extinguished, replaced by a dull ache in her eyes that tore at my heart. Sheena had always been my little shadow, tagging along to everything I did. We built forts out of blankets, climbed the tallest tree in the backyard, and shared secrets whispered under the covers. Now, a chasm had opened between us, a distance created by a love that had turned sour.
"Sheena," I finally spoke. My voice gruff but laced with concern. "We're worried about you."
Sheena blinked, her gaze momentarily meeting my eyes before flitting back to the tv. "I'm fine," she mumbled, the word devoid of conviction.
Fine. It was the same answer she'd been giving for a week. I'm not buying it. I reached across the table, my small hand engulfing Sheena's. It was cold, clammy â a stark contrast to the warmth that usually radiated from our little sister.
"No, you're not," I stated firmly. "And it's okay not to be fine. You loved her, Sheena. That kind of hurt doesn't just disappear overnight."
I saw her flinched as a tear tracing a silent path down her cheek.
"You deserve better, Sheena," I continued, with a low and steady voice. "You deserve someone who respects you, who cherishes you, who wouldn't even think of hurting you."
"Love shouldn't feel like this, Sheena," she added gently. "It shouldn't leave you feeling empty, broken. True love lifts you up, makes you a better version of yourself."
I know Sheena loved Gweneth. She'd seen the way her eyes lit up when they were together, the way her smile could light up a room. But love shouldn't come at the cost of your own happiness.
This time, I prayed that Sheena would find the strength to let go. To let go of a love that was beautiful on the surface but rotten at its core. To open her heart to a love that deserved her, a love that would cherish her for who she truly was.
Kung pwede lang na akuhin ko lahat ng nararamdaman niya. Kasi ako, kaya ko naman. I've been through a lot pero si Shee, she's still young and to her, there are things that are hard to understand.
Stacey sat beside me as the three of us fell in silence.
After a few minutes, I received a text message from Colet that shock my whole system.
Anger: I saw Gweneth here in the hospital. She's with Sheena's brother, they seemed happy.