Broken Promises (Epitome Series #2)

Kabanata 55

The South was quiet that morning.

Not the kind of quiet that feels empty—

but the kind that feels full.

Full of waiting. Full of closure. Full of something finally choosing to stay.

Chester and I had been walking that same slow rhythm for months now.

No more running.

No more avoiding.

Just... trying.

Trying to understand each other again without the weight of who we used to be.

That morning, he asked me to meet him at the old open field behind the mansion.

"Just come," he said.

No explanation.

Just his voice—steady, calm, certain.

When I arrived, the wind was soft.

The grass moved like it remembered us.

And Chester was there.

Waiting.

He turned when he heard me.

For a second, he didn't speak.

He just looked.

Like he was memorizing something he almost lost forever.

"Venice," he said quietly.

I stopped a few steps away.

"Bakit?"

He smiled faintly.

"Wala akong dramatic speech today," he said.

A pause.

"Gusto ko lang maging honest."

My chest tightened slightly.

I waited.

Chester stepped closer.

Not rushing.

Not forcing.

Just choosing every step carefully.

"I've spent so many years trying to fix things in the wrong way," he said softly. "Trying to protect you by staying away. Trying to love you by letting go."

A pause.

"And I was wrong."

I looked at him.

Quiet.

Listening.

"I don't want to be perfect," he continued. "I don't want a version of love where I disappear when things get hard."

His voice softened.

"I want to stay. Even when it's messy. Even when it's quiet. Even when I don't know what to do."

My breath hitched slightly.

Chester reached into his pocket.

Not hurried.

Not dramatic.

Just... sure.

When he opened his hand, I saw it.

A ring.

Not new in meaning.

But new in intention.

"Hindi ito para ayusin lahat agad," he said quietly. "Hindi ito para burahin yung sakit natin."