Unfinished Hearts

Chapter 7 - Facing the Truth

The days seemed to blur together as me and Anna tried to move forward in our relationship. Though we were healing, the weight of our past still loomed over us like a dark cloud. We had moments of joy, but also moments of doubt. Sometimes, we would catch ourselves thinking about their past mistakes, wondering if we were truly ready to face the future together.

One afternoon, Anna decided to visit me. She knew they needed to talk about everything, about the pain we had both been carrying and the things we had kept hidden. Hindi namin kayang mag panggap na ok lang ang lahat, na alam naman namen may mali na may mga tanong na hindi masagot.

I greeted her at the door with a soft smile, but Anna could see the unease in her eyes. We sat down in the living room, the tension between us almost palpable.

"I’ve been thinking a lot," Anna started, her voice shaky. "About saten sa lahat. And I realized that I need to be honest with you, Thea. Ayoko ng mag tago ng nararamdaman."

I raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised. "What do you mean?"

Anna took a deep breath, her hands nervously wringing in her lap. "I think I’ve been holding on to the idea of Mark for way too long. Even though alam kona hindi nyako mahal katulad ng akala ko, I’ve kept waiting for him to come back. I’ve been stuck in the past, and I’ve been using that as an excuse not to fully open myself to you."

My heart sank as she listened. She had always known that Anna hadn’t truly let go of Mark, but hearing Anna admit it was a different thing altogether. It hurt, but I knew that honesty was the only way they could move forward.

"I understand," I said softly. "I’ve been holding on to my own baggage too. I still feel guilty for how things ended with Ray, and minsan napapaisip nalang ako kung kaya ko ba talaga syang i let go."

Anna reached out and placed her hand on top of mine. "We both have our pasts, Thea. But we can’t keep letting them control us. We have to face the truth and move on together."

I smiled at Anna, a sense of relief washing over her. It felt good to be able to talk openly, without the fear of judgment or misunderstanding. We had been through so much, but this moment, this conversation, felt like the first step toward truly healing.

Later that evening, habang nag lalakad kami sa gilid ng kalsada, Anna couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still missing. Despite their talk, there was a lingering question in her mind what about Mark? Was he really gone from her heart?

She had thought that letting go of him would be easy, but the truth was, it wasn’t. Mark had been a big part of her life, and even though he had hurt her, there were still pieces of her heart that held on to him. But deep down, she knew that she had to let go for the sake of her own happiness and for the sake of her relationship with me.

The next morning, Anna made a decision. She took out her phone, opened the messages with Mark, and began to type.

"Mark, sa tingin ko ito na yung time lara mag moved on. I’ve been holding on to something that isn’t there anymore. I need to let go, sana maintindihan mo yon. I wish you the best, but I can’t keep living in the past."

She stared at the message for a moment before hitting send. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

That afternoon, I received a message from Ray. It had been a while since we last spoke, and although they had agreed to move on from each other, part of me still wondered how Ray was doing. I opened the message hesitantly.

"Hey, Thea. I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing. I’ve been thinking about you and our time together. I hope you’re okay."

I felt a mix of emotions. She had cared for Ray, but it was clear that their relationship was over. She had moved on, but the past was still there, lingering in the back of her mind. She decided to reply, but this time, she was going to be honest with herself and with him.

"I’m doing alright, Ray. I’ve moved on, and I think it’s best for both of us if we let go. I’ll always appreciate the time we shared, pero hindi na ikaw, may iba nakong gusto."

I hit send, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. It wasn’t easy, pero alam ko na yun ang tamang disisyon.

The following day, Anna and I met at the park, just like we had so many times before. This time, the air between us felt lighter. We had both made difficult decisions, but they had done it together.

Anna looked at me, her eyes soft. "I did it, Thea. I let go of Mark."

I smiled at her, proud. "I’m so proud of you, Anna. It’s not easy, but you did it."

Anna’s heart swelled at her words. "And I let go of my past. It wasn’t just about Mark, it was about everything. I’m ready to move forward with you."

Thea squeezed Anna’s hand. "And I’m ready too. I want to be with you, Anna. No more secrets, no more doubts."

As we walked hand in hand, they both knew that there was still a long way to go. We had faced our pasts and let go of what was holding them back. But the road ahead was theirs to walk together, and that was all that mattered.