Her Savior (Donny Pangilinan)

Two

Third Person's POV

Nagulat ang lahat sa sinagot ni Iris. They were all confused.. hindi nila maintindihan kung bakit tinanggihan nito si Donny. Maging ang mga magulang ni Iris na naroon ay nagulat din sa isinagot ng anak.

"W-what do you mean you can't? Iris?" Donny asked her. He stood up and held her hand again. Iris won't stop from crying. Humihikbi na ito dahil sa sobrang pag-iyak.

"I'm really sorry, Donny. I love you with all my heart but I can't marry you yet. Not yet." She said in between her sobs.

Donny's forehead creased. Nararamdaman niya ang kirot sa dibdib niya. "Bakit, Iris? Didn't we plan this already when we were still in college?"

Iris wiped her tears. "H-hindi pa ako ready."
"Then I'll wait. I'll wait until you're ready, Iris. Kaya ko namang gawin yun para sa'yo eh." Donny desperately said.

"I recently just got an offer sa Australia and I accepted it. It's a huge opportunity for me to accomplish my goals and I can't let that slip, Donny." Iris explained.

Donny's lips parted. "What? You're leaving?"

"I'm sorry.. I have to do this for myself. I have my goals, Donny. Mahal kita, but I also want to accomplish something for myself." Iris was trying her best to make Donny understand her reasons.

"We promised to achieve our dreams together, right? Nakalimutan mo na ba yun, Iris?" Donny frustratedly said. "Did you fully exclude me from your life? From your plans? Just because you want to achieve something for yourself?" He asked.

Napayuko at napaiyak na lang si Iris. They were both hurting and struggling. Ang mga taong nanonood sa kanila ay hindi rin malaman ang gagawin. Nagmistulang live na drama ang dalawa at walang sinoman ang may lakas ng loob para magsalita.

"I'm sorry.. but I really have to do this. And if you don't understand me then maybe it's better if we part ways muna. Let's empty our minds and find ourselves. Because I think we're slowly losing ourselves in this relationship, Donny." She said while sobbing. Her eyes are starting to get swollen.

"So you want us to break up?" Donny asked. He was in so much pain. He didn't know that his supposed to be birthday surprise would turn into something heartbreaking.

"Donny--"

"Answer me, Iris. Do you want us to break up?"

"Australia is literally half of the world away from here, Donny. I don't want to give you a hard time dahil lang magiging long distance ang relationship natin. I'm doing this because I love you and I don't want you to get hurt." Iris said.

Tears were continuously streaming down Donny's face. He couldn't believe that Iris was breaking up with him. "You don't want me to get hurt? Ano ba sa tingin mo yung ginagawa mo ngayon? Hindi mo lang ako sinasaktan. Pinapatay mo ako." He said. "At isa pa, I don't care about the distance, Iris. That's just a freaking number. Don't you trust our love?"

"LDR doesn't work, Donny. It won't work. We won't work that way." Iris bravely said. Pero sa kaloob-looban niya ay sobra siyang nasasaktan sa ginagawa niyang desisyon.

Donny held Iris' hand. "Please, Iris. Wag mo namang gawin to. I will support you with what you want but please don't break up with me. Asking me to break up with you is like asking me to kill myself, Iris."

"Fine, let's not call this a break up.. But we'll give each other space to think and to sort things out." Iris said. "Because like I said, it seems like we're slowly losing ourselves in this relationship."
Donny had no choice but to just agree because he doesn't want to break up with Iris.

Iris wiped her tears. "I'm really sorry, Donny. I love you, but I'll have to leave you."