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《Past Life》
September 17, 1999
Sunday | 8:57 PM
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Maingay parin sa loob, masaya parin ang mga tao. Habang si Annys, ay nakatayo sa labas para magpahangin.
She was a little overwhelmed. Sa loob ng isa't kalahating taon ay ngayon nalang ulit sya humarap sa maraming tao.
The corridor outside the bar was dim.
A single flickering light.
Quiet. Almost empty.
"...You shouldn't wander alone."
Naphinto siya, dahan-dahan niyang hinarap ang nagsalita.
"Raphael?" she said, surprised, a small smile forming on her lips. For her, he was still a friend.
"Congratulations for your recovery." He softly said.
"Thank you, Raph." she said, genuinely smiling.
"So..." a slow smirk appeared on Raphael's lips. "...kamusta plano ni Lorenzo? Is he still going to study abroad?" napakunot ang noo ni Annys.
She wasn't prepared for that.
"...a-abroad?" she repeated. She was always with Lorenzo but hr never mentioned anything like that.
"He didn't tell you?" Raphael act surprised.
"His adoptive parents decided to take him to Canada," he added with a slight smirk. "To study... and eventually migrate there."
Hindi 'yon ang plano nila. That was never part of their plans. They were supposed to graduate together, here.
They planned to get married after graduation. They talked about it countless times.
A simple wedding.
Nothing extravagant.
As long as they were together.
After that, they would process everything side by side, work on the same ship, build the same life.
Together.
Napakunot lalo ang noo ni Annys. "...And he agreed to that?"
"Of course, opportunity yon, ano ka ba." Raphael chuckled lightly, nudging her shoulder. "Who would say no to that?" Then added, "Probably just a backup plan." His tone shifted. Subtle, but sharp.
"Well... everyone thought you wouldn't recover anyway."
Natigilan si Annys. Parang may bumagsak sa dibdib niya. The words echoed in her mind. Over and over again.
You wouldn't recover...
"...A-annys."
Napapikit siya saglit.
"Oh, Lorenzo," Raphael greeted casually, as if everything had gone exactly the way he expected. "Just right on time..."
Hindi agad humarap si Annys nang maramdaman ang presensya nito. She coudn't.
"I'll leave you two," Raphael said lightly, glancing back toward the bar. "Looks like the party's just getting started inside."
BINABASA MO ANG
The Life That Echoes
FantasySome love don't end. They linger-soft, distant, and aching like echoes that refuse to fade. Lorenzo once had a love that felt like forever. Annys was his home, his future, his everything. Until death took her too soon, leaving behind a silence he n...
