Sins of the Rebels (Lush Trans Series #1)

Chapter 50

In that moment of vulnerability, I felt the anger bubbling to the surface. I had spent so long trying to piece together my life, only to discover that the person who pretended to be closest to me had played a significant role in shattering it. The ache in my head pulsed in time with my racing heart, a painful reminder of the unresolved feelings swirling inside me.

The realization hit me like a tidal wave— Lucio had lied about everything. The relationship he painted, the supposed connection between us, was nothing but a fabrication. Our bond, which I had so earnestly tried to make sense of, wasn't even real. The love he professed, the engagement he'd orchestrated, all of it was a deception.

I felt a hollow ache settle in my chest as the truth sank in. He had crafted this elaborate story, woven memories that didn't belong to us, making me believe in something that had never existed. The betrayal cut deeper than I could have imagined. I had trusted him, leaned on him in my most vulnerable moments, all while he was manipulating me to fit into his twisted version of reality.

The anger boiled within me, merging with the sadness and betrayal, creating a storm I could barely contain. How much of my life had been shaped by his lies? How many moments had I lost, consumed by this falsehood he'd built?

No wonder I had to force my heart to feel something for Lucio, trying to convince myself to marry him amidst all the chaos. Deep down, I must have sensed something wasn't right— that he wasn't the good person he pretended to be. My heart had been warning me all along, trying to pull back the mask he wore so convincingly. And now, it was clear that every uneasy feeling, every moment of doubt, had been justified. I hadn't been wrong to question him.

When Lucio hurt me, it was the second moment that made me realize something was off about him. He had assumed I was studying the case of his aunt, even though I had merely brushed my hand against the folder, causing its contents to spill across the floor. As I bent down to gather the papers, I accidentally caught a glimpse of the woman's face in the documents.

Lucio's reaction was swift and harsh, his voice cutting through the air like a knife. It was then that I realized how easily he could turn on me, how quickly he could dismiss my intentions. The coldness of his reaction that pierced me deeper. I couldn't help but feel that this was more than just a simple misunderstanding, it was a glimpse into the darker side of Lucio that I had been trying to ignore.

Being with Hermideo felt so profoundly right, even if others would call it wrong. For the first time, I understood what true love felt like— not the fleeting rush of puppy love, but something pure, deep, and undeniably real. With him, I wasn't pretending or forcing emotions, everything I felt was natural and intense. Something I had never felt before, and it was clear that what we shared was something genuine, something that went beyond just attraction or infatuation.

Even with the secrecy and the guilt of hiding our love in the shadows, Hermideo Uno Marasigan was the only man I could ever truly trust and love with all my heart. Despite his haunting past, I had witnessed firsthand the transformation he went through, the strength it took to leave behind his darker days and grow into the man he was meant to be. In him, I saw redemption, resilience, and a kind of love that I knew would always be worth fighting for, no matter what.

Though he's four years younger than me, he's faced hardships that forced him to confront the harshness of this world in ways most people never do. His experiences gave him a depth and resilience far beyond his years, and I admired him for it. In him, I found someone who not only understood life's darkest corners but who also inspired me to face my own truths.

His life had been anything but easy; he never really had a childhood. It was stolen by the ex-wife of Governor Hermilando Marasigan, Eros's mother, and—strangely—Lucio's aunt. I couldn't fully grasp their connection, but I knew they were tangled in a web of dark intentions. That day, just before the accident, he revealed his agenda, his twisted schemes. Everything suddenly seemed to make sense, the pieces falling into place like a sinister puzzle.