This Could End

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Anger illuminated from Hadeon's eyes as he continued staring at me.

He was a few inches shorter in my memories. His hair was short in my memories, too. Now, it was so long it was almost touching his shoulder. He looked like a cruel dark prince from a storybook. He had a stubble of mustache and beard. It matured and sharpened his features. His nose and lips remained the same but his eyes were of a stranger's.

"Oh." I heard someone utter.

"Do you two know each other?" I heard Mrs. Serrano ask.

Hades' jaw ticked. He turned to open the door and grabbed my wrist before pulling me out of the office without a word. I was too stunned to react. Para akong alon na natangay lang sa paghila niya sa akin.

Napansin ko ang pagtayo ng receptionist at pagkagulo sa mukha niya nang makita kaming dalawa ni Hadeon pero wala siyang sinabi.

Sa sumunod na kwarto niya lang ako dinala. It was an empty meeting room. The door made a slightly loud thud when he closed it. It made me jump. Hinarap niya ako at parang wala lang na binitawan ang kamay ko.

"What are you doing here?"

"I have a contract—"

He shut his eyes like he was annoyed. He cut me off, "Doesn't matter." Ibinukas niya ang mga mata niya. "You thought you can just kiss me like nothing happened?"

He sounded like a different person when he asked me that. Crude and harsh. A tone that my Hadeon never used on me before. I've always known Hadeon to be playful... and sweet. This was another side of him that I never saw before.

I should be thankful, right? I should be glad that he was angry at me. I would take this passionate emotion from him over being ignored by him. It would break me more if he pretended like we never happened.

And I deserved this treatment from him anyway. I hurt him. I left him and married another guy the next day. If I was in his position, I would be angry, too. No, I would be livid. I would slap him the moment I see him. I would be dress to kill and ready for my revenge. I would make sure that I would hurt him more than he hurt me for leaving me.

But those were just what-ifs. I was the one who hurt him. I broke us. I burned us down and I was the one to blame.

That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt right now though. One of the scenarios that I played in my head over and over again was that he would be angry at first, but he'd be overwhelmed with happiness to see me again. He would pull me in an embrace and reassure me that he understood. That he still loved me and that he was still mine.

"You thought that I'd come crawling back to you?" His words were like acid pouring over me. It stung.

My eyes began to heat. Seeing him look at me with disdain hurt but I'd take the pain just to look back at him.

"You left me," he gritted the words out of his teeth, like he despised every word. "You left with him."

"Hadeon," my voice broke. I reached out for him, but he aversely took a step back. I flinched at that.

"You thought I would take you back just like that?"

My tears escaped from my eyes. I looked down because I couldn't take staring at him when I was feeling this vulnerable.

"You thought you could come back and that I would willingly to be your side piece again? Someone you would see on the side?"

I shook my head. I had so many things to say. I thought I was ready to meet him again. I have memorized what I would say to him the moment we got the chance to talk, but my mouth wouldn't cooperate. I was too busy crying to answer.