The Brotherhood

Chapter 24 (Part 1)

Erin

All my life, I have fought for independence.

Ever since I was a little girl, my grandmother would always remind the value of my freedom. But she arranged my marriage. She, herself, took away my freedom. For what? A vow?!

A vow that could never be broken.

In the world of Ws, every vow or promise must be honored. Anyone who breaks it would be cast away in the family. The first arranged marriage in the Ws was Richard West and Diana Miller. Maybe it worked because Raven is here. But, still, Richard and Diana’s relationship was so different from the other couples in the Ws. I never saw them in love.

If it were Yago and Yuri, it might have worked.

But me and Zeyn?

Nang makaalis ang mga magulang namin, nagdesisyon si Raven na magpaiwan kami. Raven, just like everyone in this table right now must have a lot of questions.

Lahat kami ay walang alam.

Except one.

Clary and Zaina left earlier. Jaimie also decided to go back to Gale Telecom saying she still have lots of work to do as Zeyn’s secretary. Elise excused herself and never came back, which is a relief.

So, now, it’s just me, Raven, Zyair, Ethan, and Zeyn.

None of us were talking.

It’s been ten minutes.

Twenty.

Thirty.

“Kailan pa?” I asked in a flat voice.

Raven cleared his throat to minimize the tension. I looked up to Zeyn who is beside Raven.

Nakayuko lang siya at hindi umiimik.
His fingers are casually playing with the bread knife but I could tell that he is shaking.

With a hard thud, I slammed both of my hands on the table to get his attention.

“Kailan mo pa alam?!” I shouted at him.

Buong buhay ko, hindi pa ako sumigaw ng ganto sa kahit sino sa kanila. Oo, naiirita ako lagi kay Zeyn at Ethan noon pero hinding hindi pa ako nagalit nang ganto.

I was furious. My body is shaking with anger as I grabbed the knife from Zeyn’s hand and threw it away.

He knew.

Zeyn knew about the betrothal. He knew that we were promised even before we knew each other.

That is why he is so casual about his feelings for me. He did not even try to pursue me before I met Leo. Ni hindi siya natatakot dati kahit alam niyang si Raven ang gusto ko noon. Akala ko dati, natotorpe lang siya. Mali pala ako. Mali kaming lahat.

When he let me go over and over again, I thought he was being selfless. I thought he cared for my happiness more than his. I thought he valued his friendship with Raven more than the thought of having me.

Akala namin, hindi siya nakipag-kumpetensiya kay Raven at Leo dahil mas mahalaga sa kanya ang kaligayahan ko.

But I was so damn wrong. He did not bother to compete with them because he already won.

My mind flash backed during the interview. It was the night when Zeyn confessed his feelings for me. His last lines did not have that much impact on me, not until today.

I remember him saying,
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll have her. At the end of the day, I’ll have her.”

It all makes sense now.