WHEN LOVE FAILS

Chapter 10: Chasing Shadows of You

As I made my way to the park, my heart raced with anticipation. The familiar scent of flowers filled the air, and I couldn't shake the butterflies in my stomach at the thought of seeing Wonnie again.

But when I arrived, my excitement quickly turned to confusion as I spotted a woman standing nervously by the old tree where we had shared so many memories.

"Sino kaya siya?"
"Teka she looks familiar"

I wondered, a sense of unease settling in.

Before I could approach her, she turned towards me, her eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and determination.

"Are you Jeng, Right?"

She asked me and her voice trembling slightly. I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest.

"My is Ae-cha, Wonnie's wife"

My heart sank at her words, disbelief washing over me.

"Asawa? bakit ikaw ang nandito?  Where's Wonnie"

I could barely speak, my mind racing with questions. This wasn't how I imagined our reunion-if it could even be called that.

"I'm here because I wanted to tell you the truth that.."

"Wonnie died in a car accident in Korea; he wanted to escape and come to you here the Philippines." It hurts me to tell you this, but I need you to know... I don't want to break my promise to him one last time." 

Ae-cha's expression was pained as she continued, she paused, her voice cracking.

"He tried to love me,  but he was always thinking of you."

"He told me that, 'Jeng is the one for me."

My heart shattered at her revelation, tears stinging my eyes. Wonnie had chosen me, even in death, and yet he would never return.

"Bakit kailangan mangyari 'to?"

I said while my tears were falling, the weight of the pain overwhelming me.

"Sana na kasama ko siya sa mga sandaling ito." "Sana manlang na yakap ko sya."

Ae-cha stepped closer, her own eyes glistening with tears. Ae-Cha hugged me and told me not to blame myself.

"I know this is hard for you. But he wanted you to know that you were his true love."

Her words felt like a bittersweet balm, and in that moment, I felt an unexpected connection with her. She was living the life Wonnie never wanted, yet she understood the depth of his love for me.

In that moment of shared grief, I realized that love, no matter how complicated, could bring people together.

"Thank you so much for telling me this Ae-cha"

I managed to say, feeling a mix of gratitude and heartbreak.

"Alam kong wala na siya, pero dadalhin ko ang pagmamahal niya habang buhay para sakin."

I cried like a baby and my tears can't stop falling. Ae-cha nodded, wiping her tears.

"Wonnie wanted you to be happy. You should move forward. That's what would make him happy." She said this to encourage me, even though I knew she loved Wonnie too.

As we stood together under the old tree, surrounded by the blooms that had once symbolized our love, I understood that although Wonnie was gone, his love would forever remain in my heart.