My Last And My Only

Chapter 54: Unread Truths

Khae did not remember how she got home.

One moment she was sitting outside Gwen's house, staring at her phone with tears in her eyes, and the next she was parking her car inside their garage.

Her head was still pounding. Her chest felt even worse.
She barely made it inside the house when her father called out to her.

"You're late." Marcus was sitting in the living room, watching television. His expression immediately changed when he saw her face.

"What happened to you?" Marcus looked worried.

"Nothing, Dad." Khae quickly looked away.

"Khae." His tone was firmer this time.

"I'm tired, Dad." She hated it when he used that voice. It made her feel like a child again. Without waiting for another question, she headed upstairs.

For once, Marcus did not stop her. The moment Khae entered her room, she locked the door. She threw her phone onto the bed and sat on the floor. The room felt unusually quiet. Too quiet. She hated it. Normally, by this hour, she'd be talking to Aiah. They would be sharing random stories about their day. Sometimes they would argue over the most ridiculous things. Sometimes they would simply stay on the phone without saying much. Now there was nothing. She spent the time just staring at the ceiling and then she dozed off.

A few hours later, she woke up feeling better. At least the headache was completely gone, but the pinch in her heart was still there. She sat up and did nothing.

Just silence.

Khae grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly. Her eyes landed on her laptop.

Amanda's emails.

She had almost forgotten about them. Almost. After a moment of hesitation, she stood up and opened the laptop. The login page greeted her. Her pulse quickened. She stared at the blank password field.

The name of the kitten.

That was the password.

The same question that had started this entire mess.

The same question that made her accidentally call Aiah "Mandy."

Kitten... kitten... oh my gosh, it's Cali! That's it. And their birthday. Password: Cali11080630

Khae squeezed her eyes shut. Why did I have to be so stupid? After several failed attempts, she finally remembered it. The screen loaded.

And suddenly...

Thousands of unread emails appeared before her.
Khae froze. Amanda wasn't lying. Her hand trembled as she clicked the first message.

Subject: Please answer me.

The email was dated years ago.

Khae,

I know you're angry.

I know you probably hate me.

But please believe me when I say I didn't leave because I wanted to.

I miss you every day.

Khae swallowed hard. She opened another one. Then another. And another. Every email told the same story.

Amanda apologizing.
Amanda explaining.
Amanda begging for forgiveness.
Amanda hoping Khae would someday read them.

Hours passed without Khae realizing it. By the time she stopped, tears were already running down her face.
All those years. All those years she believed Amanda abandoned her. All those years she carried resentment.
All those years she convinced herself that she never got an explanation. But the explanation had been there the entire time.

Waiting.
Unopened.
Unread.

Khae laughed bitterly. The irony hurt. She finally got the closure she had wanted for years. Yet the person she wanted to tell was no longer answering her calls.

Meanwhile, Aiah was sitting by the window of her old room in Cebu. The flight had been exhausting. She wanted nothing more than to sleep. Yet sleep refused to come.

Her phone rested beside her.
Silent. She hadn't opened Khae's messages. Hadn't listened to the voicemails. Hadn't answered a single call. Still, she couldn't stop thinking about her.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in." Aiah said.

The door opened.
Lou entered carrying two mugs.
She handed one to her daughter.

"Hot chocolate."

"Thanks, Mom."Aiah smiled faintly.

Her mother sat beside her. For a while, neither of them spoke. They simply listened to the sound of the rain outside.

"You still love her." It wasn't a question.

"Unfortunately." Aiah let out a tired sigh.

Lou chuckled.

"That's not unfortunate."

"It feels like it." Her voice cracked slightly.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Mom."

Lou remained silent. She allowed Aiah to continue.

"I keep understanding her." said Aiah while staring down at her mug.

"I keep making excuses for her." Tears gathered in her eyes once again.

"And every time I tell myself I've had enough..."

She looked away.

"I still choose her."

Lou's heart ached for her daughter. She reached over and squeezed Aiah's hand.

"Then don't decide today."

"What?" Aiah seemed confused.

"Don't decide today," Lou repeated softly. "You're hurt. Angry. Emotional. Whatever decision you make right now will come from pain."

"Then when do I decide?" Aiah considered her words.

"When you've calmed down." Lou smiled gently.

"When you've heard both sides."

She paused.

"And when you're finally sure that you're choosing what's best for yourself."

Aiah looked out the window. The rain continued to fall. For the first time since yesterday, she felt like she could breathe a little easier. Not because things were fixed. Not because the pain was gone. But because she didn't have to decide right away.

Back in Manila, Khae stared at the final email on her screen. The most recent one. The one Amanda had sent just a few weeks ago.

If you're reading this, it means fate finally gave me another chance.

But if your heart already belongs to someone else, please don't look back.

Be happy, Khae.

That's all I've ever wanted for you.

Khae slowly closed the laptop. Then she grabbed her phone. For several seconds, she stared at Aiah's contact picture. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. The photo was years old. A candid shot. Aiah laughing at something off-camera. Beautiful. Warm. Home. Khae felt her chest tighten. She finally understood something. Amanda was her first love. But Aiah... Aiah was her future. And for the first time in years, Khae knew exactly what she wanted.

The problem was...
She had no idea if Aiah still wanted her too.