The Burning of Summer

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Five

I was stunned.

Too stunned to move. Thankfully, Rain came and pulled me out of there and helped me get away from those bloodsucking reporters.

I'm still in a haze.

"Okay, question and answer is over!" she shouted as she grabbed my hand and dragged me out. "Ate, are you okay?" tanong niya nang nakasay na kami sa sasakyan niya.

Hindi ako sumagot.

They asked me questions that I don't know of. How am I supposed to answer their questions when I don't know what the hell are they talking about.

"I called Ate Autumn so we can go in her condo." sabi pa niya.

Tulala lang ako.

The things that those reporters have said echo in my mind. Over and over.

I need explanations. Lots of it, apparently

"Ate please talk.."

Nasa condo kami ngayon ni Ate Autumn since alam din kasi ng mga reporters ang address ng condo ko kaya minabuti naming dito magpunta. Sumunod sila Ate dito.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you, Summer," Ate Winter began, her voice laced with regret.

I raised an eyebrow at her but remained silent, my emotions swirling inside me.

"We are at fault, I admit that. Reid asked us not to tell you, and we went along with it," she continued, her eyes pleading for understanding.

"But it's not like we lied to you; it's just that we didn't tell you."

"Not helping, Rain," Ate Autumn interjected coldly, her tone sharp.

After everything that happened in the hospital lobby, I dove into the news online, desperate for clarity. I learned there had been a press conference yesterday featuring Reid and a woman named Vivienne. They announced their engagement, and she was almost two months pregnant.

The horror of it hit me like a tidal wave. My heart felt heavy, but strangely, I found myself growing numb. As time slipped by, the initial sting of betrayal faded, replaced by a creeping realization that gnawed at my mind.

Reid wasn't just some farmer; he was Reid Velasquez, the missing-in-action brother of my friend Lianne, the MIA CEO of their empire, and the fiancé of Vivienne Montenegro—now Vivienne Velasquez. The implications of his dual life began to settle in, twisting in my gut like a sharp knife.

He had lied to me. He had deceived me, and I had let him. I allowed myself to be fooled, to trust him, while he spun a web of secrets right before my eyes. The weight of that realization crashed over me, suffocating and bitter.

"You didn't think I deserved to know?" I finally spoke, my voice barely above a whisper, but the hurt in it echoed loudly.

I don't think I can ever forgive him for this.

"We know about the engagement thing, it happened years ago and believe it or not I confronted him about it.. sinabi niyang wala nang bisa iyon. That the woman he was engaged to is in love with another man and not him."

Lie!

Of course he lied! Halos lahat ng alam ko tungkol sa kaniya ay pulos kasinungalingan!

And now everyone thinks I'm the bad guy!

"I think I'm in pain." pabulong na sabi ko at saka tumingin sa kanila.

The first time I fell in love, the first time I ever trusted a guy is the very first man to break my heart. Just when I thought I am prepared for the pain that will eventually come, hindi pa pala.