Possessive InLove

Chapter 19: The Memory of Us

Chapter 19: The Memory of Us

Rena's POV

The night after the party had been restless. I couldn't shake the feeling of being trapped in a life that didn't feel like mine, and the way Filip had announced our engagement without even asking... it weighed heavily on my heart. The walls of his world seemed to be closing in around me.

The morning light filtered through the curtains of the penthouse as I sat by the window, staring out at the city below. Filip had just walked into the room, his demeanor calm and controlled as always. He glanced at me, his expression softening slightly.

"Are you alright?" he asked, walking over to me.

I looked up at him, the question that had been lingering in my mind since last night finally pushing its way to the surface. "Filip... why me?"

He frowned slightly, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you choose me?" I asked, my voice quiet but steady. "Out of everyone, why did you decide I was the one you wanted? Why do you love me?"

He paused, as if he hadn't expected the question. His eyes searched mine for a moment before he sat down across from me, his expression softening.

"I've loved you for a long time, Rena," he said quietly. "Longer than you realize."

I furrowed my brows. "But... why? We were strangers when we met again as adults. You never mentioned anything about knowing me before."

Filip leaned back in his chair, his eyes distant, as if he were remembering something from long ago. And then, almost hesitantly, he began to speak.

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Filip's POV - Flashback

It was my first year of high school, and everything felt new. New faces, new routines, and the pressure of trying to fit in. I wasn't the confident, self-assured person I am today. Back then, I kept to myself, watching the world from the sidelines.

That's when I first saw her-you, Rena.

I was sitting in the library, my usual refuge from the chaos of school, when you walked in. You were with your friends, laughing about something, your voice light and carefree. You didn't notice me-I doubt you even knew I existed-but I noticed you. I noticed the way your smile lit up the room, how your laughter seemed to make everything else fade into the background.

I wasn't bold back then. I didn't approach you, didn't try to talk to you. But I watched. Not in a creepy way, I hope, but from a distance, admiring you from afar. You were everything I wasn't-confident, outgoing, surrounded by people who seemed to adore you. And I... I was just another quiet boy lost in the crowd.

But there was something about you, something that drew me in. Maybe it was the way you seemed so genuine, so alive. You were more than just another face in the hallway. You had this spark, this energy that I couldn't help but be drawn to.

I remember one day, during lunch, you sat on the steps outside the school, reading a book. It was the first time I saw you alone, and I wanted so badly to walk up to you, to say something-anything-but I didn't. I just watched from a distance, feeling like a fool for being so captivated by someone who didn't even know my name.

But even though we never spoke, you stayed in my mind. You became this constant presence, this reminder of what I wanted but felt like I could never have.

Years passed, and I left school, diving into my studies and later into my business career. I thought maybe I'd forget about you, that you were just a high school crush, a fleeting memory. But then... we met again.

It was at a conference, completely by chance. You were there, looking more beautiful than I remembered, and all those old feelings came rushing back. I knew I couldn't let you slip away this time. I had worked too hard, built too much to be the person who stands in the background and watches. I had become someone different, someone who knew what he wanted-and what I wanted was you.

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Rena's POV

I listened in stunned silence as Filip recounted his story, his eyes lost in the memories of our past. I could hardly believe it-the quiet, distant boy from school was the same man who now sat in front of me, so controlled, so determined. I had no idea he had been watching me all those years ago.

"When I saw you again," Filip continued, his voice softer now, "it felt like fate had given me a second chance. I wasn't going to waste it. You were the girl I had always wanted, but now, I was the man who could give you everything."

I didn't know what to say. Part of me felt moved by his confession, the idea that I had unknowingly been part of his life for so long. But another part of me felt uneasy, knowing how different we were now from those teenagers in school.

"Filip," I began carefully, "you loved the idea of me back then. But I'm not that girl anymore. And you're not the boy watching from the sidelines. We're not those people."

"I know," he said, his eyes locking onto mine with a fierce intensity. "But I've spent years building a life where I could have what I wanted. And what I want is you. I'm not going to let you go, Rena. Not now, not ever."

The possessiveness in his tone sent a shiver down my spine. His love for me, born from the quiet halls of our past, had evolved into something much more consuming. It wasn't the innocent admiration of a boy anymore-it was the obsessive need of a man who refused to lose.

"I don't know if I can live up to the version of me that you have in your mind," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"You already have," Filip said, his voice firm. "You just don't see it yet. But you will."

I looked away, my thoughts swirling. His love, rooted in memories of a girl he once admired, had grown into something darker, something that made me question how much of me he really saw-and how much of me he was trying to mold into the person he wanted.

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