Heart's Assessment (Completed)

Epilogue

Samira's Point of View >>>>>>>>>>>>

As I glanced at the woman I've loved for what felt like an eternity, standing at the aisle and exchanging vows with my best friend, a wave of envy washed over me. Kleah looked stunning, her eyes sparkling with happiness, and her smile radiating pure joy. She was everything I'd ever wanted, yet she was slipping away, becoming someone else's forever. I couldn't help but smile bitterly, feeling the sting of irony. How I wished it was me standing beside Kleah, promising her forever. Was it wrong to wish for that?

The vows continued, each word slicing through me like a knife. I felt like an intruder, a ghost of what could have been, watching my dreams unfold in the arms of another. The room seemed to close in on me, the weight of my unspoken love pressing down on my chest. Unable to contain the pain any longer, I excused myself, trying to maintain some semblance of composure.

I hurried to the nearest restroom, my hands trembling as I locked the door behind me. The mirror reflected my anguish, the tears that had been threatening to spill now flowing freely. Each drop felt like a dagger piercing my heart, a physical manifestation of the torment I had kept hidden for so long. I leaned against the cold sink, my sobs echoing off the tiles, the sound of heartbreak mingling with the distant music of celebration.

In that moment, I let myself mourn the future I had dreamed of with Kleah. It was a future that now belonged to someone else, leaving me with nothing but a bitter taste of what might have been. Memories of our childhood flooded my mind, the promises we made to each other, the dreams we shared.

Napakadaya mo, Kleah. You promised me when we were still children that you'd marry me. Why the hell am I not the one beside you at the aisle? Nakakainis ka. The words echoed in my mind, each one a reminder of the broken promise that now seemed like a cruel joke.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips as I wondered if it was because I looked like a boy back then and now she couldn't recognize me. We had been inseparable, two peas in a pod, and now it felt like I was nothing but a shadow in her past. The thought gnawed at me, the unfairness of it all twisting like a knife in my heart.

Tapos sabi mo ako ang dahilan kaya ka ngayon nagkakagusto sa babae. Yes, sweetie, I'm the one who stole your first kiss. I remembered the day vividly, the moment I mustered up my courage and ran towards the stage through the sudden electric interruption.

The lights had flickered off, and in that brief moment of darkness, I seized the opportunity. My heart pounded as I leaned in, capturing her lips with mine in a kiss that was sweet and brief. It had been a secret I kept, something I thought would tie us together. But here I was, hidden away in a restroom, crying over a love that had slipped through my fingers.

Kleah had been my everything, and now, she was someone else's everything. The pain was almost unbearable, a deep, gnawing ache that seemed to have no end.

Shocks, bakit ba kasi ako umasa pa? Hindi na ako nasanay.

My thoughts spiraled into the past, remembering all the times I had hoped, all the lifetimes I had waited, only to be left standing alone each time. The ache in my chest grew stronger, the realization that she had never truly seen me, never truly chosen me, cutting deeper than any physical wound. It was as if I was always destined to be on the periphery of her life, a silent witness to her happiness with someone else.

As I remembered the day when we talked about reincarnation, I couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. Shocks, Kleah, you told me how you wouldn't want to be born again, while me, I would love to even though you always made me cry in every lifetime. Kleah saw life as a single journey, one that she would live fully and be done with. But for me, each life was an opportunity, a chance to maybe, just maybe, the supreme being gave some mercy on me and give us a chance to be together.

Yes, I do remember every lifetime in detail. Every lifetime was just a cycle to me. I always found her and then lost her. The memories were vivid, like a series of dreams that had bled into my reality. I could recall the medieval streets we once walked, the quiet countryside where we laughed under the stars. In every era, every place, I loved her, and in every one, she still chose someone else. The pain was a constant, a haunting reminder of the love that was always just out of reach.

In this life, it was no different. I was still the one left behind, the one watching from the shadows as she moved forward without me. The restroom walls seemed to close in, the air thick with my sorrow. The knowledge of countless lifetimes of unfulfilled love weighed heavily on my soul, each memory a testament to the love that endured despite never being returned.

I wiped my tears, taking a shaky breath. Despite the pain, despite the endless cycle of heartache, I knew that I would still choose to be born again, to find her again, to love her again. Because in those fleeting moments, those brief instances when it felt like she was truly mine, I found a glimpse of a love so profound that it made all the pain worth it. Even if she never chose me, even if I was destined to always be on the sidelines, my love for her was eternal, and that was something worth living for.

I have loved you for a thousand years and will continue to love you for a thousand more, Kleah.