About You (In The Midst of The Crowd Book 2)

Special Chapter: Alternate Ending

Colet's POV

So this is it?

White satin whispered against my trembling legs as I stood at the altar, the air thick with anticipation. Every rustle, every murmur, echoed in the cavernous church, my heart mimicking the frantic rhythm of the wedding march. 

"You look stunning, Col," Mikha, standing beside me, murmured, her hand warm on my back. A weak smile tugged at my lips. Stunning? I felt like a fraud, a porcelain doll adorned for a play I didn't want to be in. My reflection in the polished silver candelabras confirmed it – red-rimmed eyes, mascara smudged with tears I desperately tried to blink away.

Then, the double doors creaked open, momentarily silencing the music. My breath hitched in my throat. She attended. She's here. 

Jhoanna. There she was, bathed in the soft glow of the afternoon sun, a vision of heartbreakingly beautiful sorrow. Our eyes met across the hushed crowd, a silent conversation passing between us in a single glance. A flicker of recognition, a desperate plea, a silent apology – all conveyed in a single tear that traced a glistening path down her cheek.

"Shit. Sayang kayo." I heard Mikha whispered. 

I looked down.

Jhoanna wasn't just any guest; she was my everything – confidante, best friend, the love of my life. But societal expectations, disapproving whispers, the weight of tradition – they'd all conspired to drive a wedge between us, a chasm that widened with each passing day. We were left with stolen glances, coded messages, and a love forced to exist in the shadows.

Chie, with her unwavering kindness and the unwavering support of her family, offered a path out of the darkness. A path I desperately clung to, even as a part of me yearned for the warmth of Jhoanna's touch.

The ceremony became a blur – vows exchanged, rings slipped on, forced smiles plastered on my face. Each "I do" felt like a shard of glass piercing my heart, a betrayal echoing in the hollow space of my chest. Jhoanna slipped out sometime during the reception, leaving a void that the celebratory music and clinking glasses couldn't fill.

As Chie and I swayed to our first dance, his arms wrapped possessively around me, I closed my eyes, picturing Jhoanna's embrace instead. The weight of his family's expectations, the culmination of months of meticulous planning, held me captive in this gilded cage.