Beyond the What-Ifs

Chapter 7

The morning light was a bit harsh, cutting through the office blinds. It felt like a new beginning, a fresh start. But to be honest, inside, I still felt the weight of everything—lahat ng mga nangyari, lahat ng mga pagsisisi. Pero hindi na ako pwedeng magpatumpik-tumpik pa. I had to move on. I had to forget Mond. I had to stop loving him. Hindi ko na kayang maging ang babaeng tanga na nagmamahal sa isang taong hindi kayang pahalagahan ako. It was time to accept everything for what it was—his marriage, his distance, the truth that we would never be together.

I was sitting at my desk, trying my best to focus on the tasks ahead. But I couldn’t help but feel the presence of Mond in the room. Hindi ko siya tinitingnan, pero nararamdaman ko pa rin siya—ang tensyon, ang bigat ng bawat sulyap. I was doing my best to ignore him, to ignore the way his mere presence made everything more complicated.

Then, I felt his eyes on me. I felt the tension shift.

“Alyna…” he said in a low, almost angry tone. “What’s that on your neck?”

My heart skipped a beat, and I froze. I knew exactly what he was referring to. The mark. The evidence of a night I would never forget. A mistake I could never undo.

I didn’t turn to him right away. I just sighed, trying to steady my nerves. "It's nothing," I replied, my voice cold and distant.

"Nothing?" Mond’s voice was getting louder, the frustration in his words evident. He walked closer to my desk, and I felt the heat of his stare on me. “Don’t lie to me, Alyna. Who did this to you?”

I closed my eyes, feeling the pressure build up. Hindi ko na kayang magsinungaling, pero hindi ko rin kayang ipaliwanag. I could feel my walls coming up again, but I refused to let him see how much it hurt.

“Why does it matter?” I shot back, refusing to meet his gaze. “You’ve already moved on, Mond. I’m not your responsibility anymore.”

His face twisted in frustration. "This isn't about moving on," he said, his voice shaking. "You’re still—"

“I'm not yours anymore, Mond,” I interrupted, trying to suppress the tears that were threatening to spill. “I don’t need your permission to live my life.”

I turned away, feeling the anger boiling inside me. I didn’t want to feel like this anymore. Hindi ko na kayang magpatuloy sa relasyon na alam kong walang patutunguhan. I walked away from the man I loved, but the truth was—he didn’t deserve me. He didn’t deserve my heart.

Before anything else could happen, the door to the office opened. At nandiyan siya. His wife. Elegant and cold as always. Walang emosyon sa mukha niya, but I could feel her presence. She walked straight to Mond, ignoring me completely.

"Let’s go, Mond," she said in a calm, commanding tone. "You're not staying here."

Her words were a slap in the face. It was like she was claiming him, marking him as her own. And at that moment, I felt my chest tighten, but I didn’t let it show. I wasn’t going to let her see how much it affected me.

Mond glanced between his wife and me. There was hesitation in his eyes, but after a moment, he sighed. “I’ll be right there.”

I could feel the weight of the moment. I had to walk away. I had to stop caring. But it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. They left the room together, and I just stared at the door. I wanted to scream, to shout at the unfairness of everything, but I kept it in. I had made my decision.

A few hours later, we all arrived at the movie set. The energy was different today. Everyone was rushing around, preparing for the first scenes, but I was lost in my own world. The tension between Mond, his wife, and me was still there, hanging in the air like a storm waiting to burst.