T O R N

63

Jennie's POV

I stared at the untouched coffee in front of me, my hands clasped tightly on my lap. The chime of the café door echoed as Kai walked in, his usual warm smile replaced by a hesitant one.

He spotted me and walked over, slow and careful, as if he already knew this conversation would be the last of us.

"Hey," mahinang bati niya, habang hinihila ang upuan sa harapan ko.

"Hi. Thank you for coming" I replied, voice barely above a whisper.

Ilang minutong katahimikan. Nakaupo sa lugar na napapaligiran ng mga taong masayang nagkukwentuhan habang ineenjoy ang tasa nang kape. 

"I thought we were okay," Kai said finally, kalmado ang boses niya, ngunit puno nang lungkot ang kanyang mga mata. "Until we weren't."

Sumikip ang dibdib ko sa aking narinig. "I know. And I'm sorry."

He waited. Didn't rush me. He always had that kind of patience. The kind I never deserved.

Hinarap ko siya at tinitigan kahit na alam kong nagbabadya na ang pagpatak ng bawat luha sa aking mga mata.

"Kai... I've done something terrible," I began, my voice cracking. "Nagsinungaling ako sa'yo. Naglihim. At nasaktan kita ng sobra-sobra."

He didn't speak. He just watched me with those warm, quiet eyes.

"Tinago ko sa'yo ang tungkol sa kanya," I confessed, the words heavy, sharp. "I've seen how close you are to Lisa. That she is your bestfriend kaya natakot ako. Natakot akong malaman mo yung totoo. Natakot akong baka pati yung pagkakaibigan niyo ay masira nang dahil sa akin."

Kai's jaw clenched slightly. But he nodded. "Lisa."

I looked down. I can't meet his eyes.

"Kaya pala iba ang naging reaksyon mo nung una kitang ipakilala sa kanya" he said with a sad smile. "Somehow I felt something was off. Something was not right. The way your eyes wandered. The way your smile dimmed when I held your hand in front of her. I knew there's something wrong but I chose to ignore it."

"Kai..." I whispered, voice breaking. "I'm so sorry."

"Did you love me?" he asked gently.

I swallowed hard. "Yes. I did. I loved you for being good to me. For being kind. For making me feel safe. But somewhere along the way, I realized I was clinging to that love out of comfort... not truth. I betrayed myself. I betrayed you."

Kai looked down, blinking back his own tears.

"I'm leaving," I said next. "I accepted an offer in Paris. A residency. It's a chance to start over... away from everything I messed up here."

He nodded slowly, eyes glistening. "That's good for you. You deserve to grow."

"No, Kai... I don't deserve your kindness," I said, finally breaking. "But thank you for giving it to me anyway. Thank you for loving me when I was unsure, when I was lost, when I didn't know who I was."

He reached across the table, placing his hand gently over mine.

"And thank you," he said softly, "for being honest now, even if it hurts."

I started crying, and he didn't let go.

"I forgive you, Jennie. I really do," Kai said after a pause. "Not because it's easy, but because I loved you, and I want you to heal. I want you to be happy... even if it's not with me."

My lips trembled. "I don't deserve you."

"Maybe not," he said with a teasing smile, eyes still sad. "But you'll always be a part of my story. And I hope, someday, you find someone who chooses you... the way I did every day."