Twist of Fate (LCB Stories11: Zekiel Obillo Story)

chapter 56(The Agony in Search for Missing Mercedes)

Zekiel is leaving when a woman enters his office without notice, hurriedly...

Zekiel: (Startled, trying to pull away) Charmaine, what are you doing here?

Charmaine: (Smirking) Oh, Zekiel, I heard you were in the area, so I thought I'd drop by and say hello. (Noticing Mercedes) And who do we have here?

Mercedes: (Entering the office, shock turning to anger) Zekiel, what is this?

Zekiel: (Trying to explain) Mercedes, it's not what it looks like. Charmaine, this is Mercedes, my fiancée.

Charmaine: (Feigning innocence) Fiancée? Oh, I had no idea. Zekiel, you never mentioned you were engaged.

Mercedes: (Angry) Save it. What exactly is going on here?

Zekiel: (Nervous) Mercedes, let me explain. Charmaine and I have history, but it's just that - history.

Charmaine: (Whispering to Zekiel) Maybe your fiancée would prefer to see the present.

(Mercedes, enraged, steps forward, her voice trembling with anger)

Mercedes: Explain, Zekiel. Now.

Zekiel: (Stammering) Mercedes, it's complicated. Charmaine, we need a moment.

Charmaine: (Smirking) Oh, I'm sure you do. I'll be right outside.

(Charmaine leaves the room, leaving Zekiel and Mercedes in tense silence)

Mercedes: (Furious) How could you, Zekiel? I thought we were working through our issues, and I came here to find you making out with someone in your office.

Zekiel: (Desperate) Mercedes, it's not what it seems. Charmaine surprised me, and I tried to push her away.

Mercedes: (Skeptical) Push her away? It didn't look like that to me. You need to figure out what you want, Zekiel, because I won't tolerate being second choice.

Zekiel: (Regretful) Mercedes, please, let me explain. This means nothing to me. You mean everything.

(Mercedes, hurt and angry, leaves the office without saying another word, leaving Zekiel to face the consequences of his actions)

Mercedes: (Tears streaming down her face) Zekiel, do you realize how much you've hurt me? How could you betray my trust like this?

Zekiel: (Regretful) Mercedes, I messed up. I never meant for any of this to happen. You have to believe me.

Mercedes: (Angry and hurt) Believe you? I walked in on you kissing another woman in your office, Zekiel! How am I supposed to believe anything you say?

Zekiel: (Desperate) Mercedes, I love you. Charmaine was a mistake, a relic from the past. Please, let me make this right.

Mercedes: (Shaking her head) Right? Zekiel, you've shattered something here. I don't even know if it's fixable. (Pauses) I need time, Zekiel. Time to heal, time to figure out if we can move past this.

Zekiel: (Panicking) Mercedes, please. We were planning our wedding. I can't lose you.

Mercedes: (Wiping away tears) The wedding... Zekiel, I can't go through with it. Not now. I need time to understand if I can still see a future with you and if I can trust you again.

Zekiel: (Defeated) I'll do whatever it takes, Mercedes. Just please don't leave me.

(Mercedes, still processing the pain, walks away, leaving Zekiel in a room filled with the heavy silence of a relationship in turmoil. The future, once so clear, now hangs in uncertainty.)