Clash Of Crowns I: Shadows Of Love And Sacrifices.

XX || Past, Present, and Future

Please note: This story may contain errors and grammatical mistakes. Your understanding and patience are appreciated as this is a work in progress.

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Third Person's POV

Cole and Yves

Yves had dragged Cole up to the rooftop, away from the chaos that had erupted in the field earlier.

As soon as they were alone, Cole yanked her arm from Yves’s grasp, glaring at her with fiery eyes.

"Bakit mo ba ko pinigilan?" Cole demanded, her voice shaking with frustration. "I could’ve handled it! I didn’t need you to pull me away like I was some helpless-"

"I stopped you because I was worried!" Yves shot back, ang pagiging kalmado niya sa lahat ng bagay ay nawala.

Her face was flushed, her fists clenched at her sides. "You were getting too involved, and you could’ve gotten hurt! Anong gusto mong gawin ko? Manood lang sa gilid at walang gawin!?"

Cole’s eyes widened, caught off guard by Yves’s outburst. "Worried? You were worried? Nag bibiro ka ba loi? Wala ka ngang paki alam sakin noong iwan mo ko diba? Bakit ngayon ka pa mag aalala!?" Paramg sinaksak naman si yves dahil sa mga salitang sinabi ni cole sa kanya, oo alam niyang nasaktan niya ito pero nasaktan rin naman siya.

She swallowed hard, but her voice trembled when she responded. "That’s not fair, Cole."

"Fair?" Cole laughed bitterly, bumabalik nanaman lahat ng galit na nararamdaman niya para sa dalaga.

"You want to talk about fair? You left me just like that because your family told you to. You didn’t even give me a chance to fight for us. You didn’t fight for me."

"That’s not true!" hindi na napigilang sigaw ni yves dito.

"You don’t know what it was like, Cole. My family—"

"You abandoned me. You chose them over me. How could you do that? Halos mabaliw ako noong araw nayon loi nag makaawa ako sa pamilya mo pero ikaw na yung sumuko!" umiiyak na sabi ni cole

Yves’s defenses crumbled. She felt the weight of every word, every accusation, and she couldn’t hold back the tears that started to fall. "I didn’t have a choice," halos pabulong na saad niya.

"They would’ve destroyed us both if I stayed. I was trying to protect you, even if it didn’t seem like it."

Cole’s anger faltered as she saw the genuine pain in Yves’s eyes. For a moment, they stood in silence, the tension between them was suffocating.

Cole wanted to scream, wanted to rage at Yves for the heartbreak she had caused, but seeing her cry like that made something inside her soften.

"I didn’t know…" Cole muttered, At agad siyang umiwas nang tingin, inaamin niya hindi niya parin kayang makita na nasasaktan ang babaeng pinaka mamahal niya. "I didn’t know it was that bad."

Yves wiped at her tears, sniffling. "It was. But that doesn’t mean I stopped caring about you. I’ve never stopped."

Cole’s heart twisted painfully at Yves’s confession. She had spent so long resenting her, hating her for leaving, that she had never considered the possibility that Yves was hurting too.

But now, seeing the raw emotion in front of her, all the anger seemed to melt away.

Before either of them could say anything else, Yves reached out hesitantly, gently touching Cole’s arm. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice fragile but sincere. “For everything.”

Matagal bago muling mag salita si cole at hinarap ang dalaga "I’m still mad at you, loi," she said, her voice soft but firm. "But maybe… maybe we can figure this out"

Yves nodded, her heart lifting just slightly. It wasn’t a reconciliation, not yet, but it was a start for both of them.

---

Skye and Solace

Habang nasa rooftop yung dalawa si skye at solace naman ay nasa auditorium.

"I don’t get why you always have to act like you know everything!" Solace snapped, crossing her arms in frustration.

Hindi ito ang una nilang pag uusap, nag karoon na sila nang ganitong scenario noong elite gala, pero noon si skye ang humatak kay solace.

"Maybe because I do know everything," Skye shot back with a smug grin. "Or at least more than you."

Solace rolled her eyes. "You’re impossible."

"And yet, here you are, still putting up with me," Skye teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Bakit ba kasi padalos dalos kayo lagi ng mga tropa mo? Gusto niyo na bang maging kwento at kung makipag suntukan kayo wagas?" naiinis sa konsumisyon na saad nito kay skye.

"You could’ve gotten seriously hurt back there." nabigla naman si skye dahil biglang napalitan ng pag aalala ang tono ng pananalita nito. "Reckless? I was handling it fine."

"No, you weren’t," Solace said, at mas lumapit pa sa dalaga "You always act like nothing scares you, like you don’t care about the risks, but… I care. I care when you put yourself in danger like that."

Skye’s teasing smile faltered, and for once, she didn’t have a witty comeback.

She stared at Solace, her heart skipping a beat at the unexpected confession. "Solace, I—"

"Just… don’t be stupid next time, okay?" Solace muttered, at namumulang umiwas ng tingin, at akmang aalis na sana nang pigilan siya ni skye at hinarap  ito sa kanya.

"I didn’t mean to worry you," she said softly. "I just… I guess I don’t always think things through."

Solace glanced down at their hands, her heart pounding in her chest. Sa kabili ng pang iinis sa kanya ng dalaga inaamin niya na nag kakaroon na ito ng puwang sa buhay niya...

At para kay skye hindi na niya iniisip kung ano ang mangyayari sa kanila ni solace sa hinaharap, the most important to her right now are the present... their present...

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Shee and Gian

Elsewhere, away from the chaos of the day, Shee and Gian were having a much quieter conversation. Unlike the others, they didn’t bicker or argue. They didn’t need to. There was an understanding between them, one that went beyond words.

"I can’t believe no one’s figured it out yet," Shee said with a small smile as they sat together, her hand resting casually on Gian’s. "Hindi naman kasi natin pinapahalata bebe."

Shee chuckled softly. "Maybe we’re just better at hiding things than we thought."

Gian’s smile widened. "Or maybe everyone’s too wrapped up in their drama to notice."

It had been months since they’d gotten engaged, but no one knew. Not their friends only their parents. And honestly, Shee liked it that way.

She liked having something just for them, something special that no one else could touch.

“We’ll have to tell them eventually,” Gian said, though her tone was light. “You know they’ll freak out when they find out.”

Shee smiled, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Gian’s lips. "Let’s wait a little longer," she whispered against her lips. "I like having you all to myself."

Gian chuckled, pulling her closer. "Yeah, me too."

As the two sat there, wrapped up in their little world, they already fought for their future and that's all that mattered.

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