CHAINS

Chapter 30

I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands clasped tightly in my lap, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Kakabalik ko lang sa Mansion. Kasama ko pabalik si Ashton pero agad din itong umalis ulit for something urgent.

I sighed for the nth time. The engagement ring on my finger felt heavy, a constant reminder of the life I was about to step into. Ashton had changed, or at least, he was trying to. Pero hindi mawala sa akin ang pagdududa. Ilang beses na akong sinaktan ni Ashton na parang hindi ko maatim na paniwalaan ang mga promises niya, no matter how sincere they seemed.

Rhea sat across from me, her expression calm but understanding. She went to see  me to discuss some minor details about the wedding but when she saw me looking confused and devastated, she just silently sat down.

She had been through this before, and I could see the wisdom in her eyes. Rhea was one of the few people who truly understood what I was going through. She was married to one of Ashton’s brothers, at kasing gulo din ang naging relasyon nila ng asawa niya sa relasyon namin ni Ashton

But now, Rhea seemed... content. Happy, even. It was something I couldn’t quite wrap my head around.

“I know it’s hard,” Rhea said softly, her voice breaking the silence. “I know you’re scared. But you have to trust me when I say it gets better. They’re not perfect, but they’re trying. And that’s something.” aniya kahit wala pa naman akong sinasabi at kinukwento. Siguro nga, isang sulyap niya lang sa akin, alam na niya ang nasa isip ko at kung gaano kagulo iyon.

Umangat ang tingin ko sa kanya, my eyes searching Rhea's face for any sign of doubt. “But how do you know?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “How do you know it’s not just another act? What if he goes back to the way he was? What if he hurts me again?”

Rhea sighed, reaching out to take my hands in hers. “I don’t know for sure,” she admitted. “But I do know that change doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process, and it’s messy. There will be setbacks, but as long as he’s trying, there’s hope.”

My chest tightened, and I felt the familiar sting of tears in my eyes. “I just... I don’t know if I can do this,” I confessed,  my voice breaking. “I don’t know if I can trust him again. Every time I let my guard down, he finds a way to hurt me. I can’t keep doing this, Rhea. I can’t keep living in fear.”

Rhea gently squeezed my right hand, her expression filled with empathy. “I know,” she said. “And I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. But you have to think about what happens if you don’t go through with this. Ashton loves you, Molly. He’s possessive, yes, but that’s because he can’t stand the thought of losing you. If you walk away now, it’s only going to make things worse. He’ll be furious, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get you back. You know that.”

My heart sank at the truth in her words. Alam ko. Alam na alam ko.

Gulong gulo ako. If I walked away now, I would be throwing away any chance of a better future, not just for myself, but for Asher too.

“But what if he doesn’t change?” I asked, my voice trembling. “What if this is just another game to him? What if I marry him and he goes back to the way he was? I can’t risk that, Rhea. I can’t risk Asher’s safety.”

Rhea's expression softened, and she leaned forward, her eyes locking with mine. “I can’t promise you that everything will be perfect,” she said. “But I can tell you this: the men in this family are stubborn, but they’re not stupid. They know what they stand to lose if they don’t change. And Ashton... he loves you more than anything. He’s not going to risk losing you again.”

I swallowed hard, my mind racing. Gusto kong paniwalaan si Rhea. I wanted to believe that Ashton could change, that we could have the life I had always dreamed of. But the scars of the past were still too fresh, the wounds too deep. I didn’t know if I could trust him. I didn’t know if I could trust myslef to make the right decision.