Unbroken Vows

Chapter 5

Life had become a routine of forced happiness for Mew. Outwardly, he played the role his parents wanted—the perfect son, father, and soon-to-be husband. But inwardly, Mew was barely holding it together. The weight of expectation crushed him, and though he loved his daughters, the joy he felt for them was clouded by a hollowness he couldn’t explain.

Lilly’s diagnosis had changed everything.

The cancer had come swiftly after the birth of their daughters, and the prognosis was grim. Abdominal cancer, aggressive and inoperable. There was little time left, and Lilly knew it. The fight had drained her physically and emotionally, but it had also opened her eyes to the truth. As she lay in bed, weakened by treatments that offered little hope, she reflected on the life she had tried to build with Mew.

He had never loved her—not in the way she had secretly hoped, not in the way he had loved Tul.

Lilly had always known, deep down, that she had been a part of something much darker, something she could never undo. Her involvement in the separation of Mew and Tul now weighed on her conscience like a curse she couldn’t escape. The more she suffered, the more she understood the strength of their bond. It was as if the universe was punishing them all—Mew’s parents, and herself—for daring to interfere with a love that was meant to last.

One quiet afternoon, Lilly lay resting when Mew’s parents visited her. She could hear their voices from the adjoining room as they discussed Mew’s future.

Mew’s father’s voice was low but firm. “At least now things are as they should be. He’s following the path we set for him. The company, the children… everything is perfect. Once the wedding is behind us, no one will remember that other life he had.”

Lilly felt a sharp pang in her chest, not from the cancer, but from the weight of their words. She knew the truth. Mew’s life wasn’t perfect. And that “other life” still lingered in the air, a ghost neither of them could escape.

She cleared her throat weakly, summoning what little strength she had. “Do you really think he’s happy?” Her voice was soft, but it cut through the room like a blade. “Mew has done everything you asked of him. But he’s never been happy.”

Mew’s mother frowned, her lips pursed. “He has his family now. He’s moved on from… that boy. What does it matter now?”

Lilly’s eyes glistened with tears as she stared at them, her voice shaking with regret. “Because Tul was never just a phase. He was Mew’s heart. I’ve seen it in the way he looks at me—he respects me, but he never loved me like he loved Tul. And now… now I understand what you’ve taken from him.”

As her words hung in the air, Mew stood in the doorway, unnoticed at first, listening to every word. His heart pounded in his chest as the name Tul echoed in his mind, sending a sharp jolt through him. He had tried for years to bury that name, that memory, but now it surged forward, unstoppable.

Without warning, two vivid memories resurfaced, flooding Mew’s mind like an unstoppable wave.

The first memory took him back to their childhood, when he had first met Tul.

It was a warm afternoon in middle school. Mew, then a boy of fourteen, had been sitting alone under a tree, his nose buried in a book, when a young boy with a shy smile and sparkling eyes approached him. Tul had been only ten at the time, all wide-eyed curiosity and innocence. Mew remembered how Tul had nervously asked if he could sit beside him, clutching his schoolbag tightly to his chest.

Mew had smiled, amused by the boy’s nervousness. “Sure,” he had said. “I’m Mew.”

Tul had nodded, blushing slightly. “I’m Tul,” he had replied in a quiet voice.

From that moment on, they had become inseparable. Mew had always been the protector, the older one who looked out for Tul, while Tul had admired him with wide, adoring eyes. It wasn’t long before their bond grew into something deeper—something more than just friendship.

The second memory was even more powerful. It was the day Mew had confessed his feelings and asked Tul to be his boyfriend.

They had been sitting on a bench in a secluded park, the setting sun casting a golden glow over them. Tul had grown, no longer the shy, ten-year-old boy, but now a young man, his face more mature, his features sharp and beautiful. Mew’s heart had raced that day, his hands trembling as he reached out to take Tul’s hand in his.

“Tul,” Mew had said, his voice barely a whisper. “I… I’ve wanted to tell you this for a while now. I love you. Not just as a friend, but… as something more. Will you… will you be my boyfriend?”

Tul had stared at him, wide-eyed, his lips parting in surprise. For a moment, Mew had feared he had said too much, that he had ruined everything. But then Tul had smiled—soft, shy, and radiant—and whispered, “Yes. I’ve always loved you, Mew.”

Their first kiss had followed, tender and sweet, a promise of a future they had once believed would last forever.

The memories hit Mew with the force of a storm, and his body trembled as the weight of his past came crashing down on him. His knees buckled, and before he could process what was happening, his vision blurred, and the room began to spin. He heard Lilly calling his name, but her voice was distant, muffled.

And then, everything went black.

To Be Continued...