CHAPTER 1

Aya’s POV

There are some faces you never expected to see again, not because you wanted to forget them but because remembering their name brings an ache no words can possibly explain.

Some memories turn to scars. Tahimik lang sila, minsan invisible, until something–someone triggers them. And then marerealize mo na masakit na pala. Masakit pa rin pala. 

Bad news, time does not heal all wounds. We simply learn how to live around them. We pretend to be okay. We convince ourselves that the past is already buried somewhere far away from our present. We just pretend to be okay hanggang sa wala na tayong maramdaman.

Or at least, that’s what I used to believe.

The conference room seemed colder than our usual morning. The air-conditioning hummed softly above us, yet there was a strange tension lingering in the room that made the atmosphere feel heavier than it should have been. 

Hindi ko rin alam bakit ako kinakabahan. I adjusted the sleeve of my blaze and tried to focus on the presentation slides na pinepresent sa unahan. Monday strategy meetings. Department Heads. Senior Manager. The usual corporate battlefield. Ayun nga lang, today, with the new CEO.

“Relax,” bulong ni Dani habang bahagya nya akong siniko. “Di naman raw nangangat yung bagong CEO. Nansisindak lang.” Patawang biro nya.

I rolled my eyes on her, “Shh. Di naman nababawasan ang kaba ko. Ako na sunod na magprepresent oh. Baka abutin nya pa ako.”

“Edi mas maganda! First impression agad, ganon!” wika niya pero halatang kinakabahan rin.

The presentation of the other team ended the moment footsteps echoed in the room. Napabuntong hininga ako. “Kapag minamalas nga naman oh.” Bulong ko sa sarili.

The new CEO entered the room.

The company has been buzzing for weeks when they heard the Mr. Vale retired from his position. Ang sabi-sabi anak nya ang papalit. Galing daw ibang bansa. Matalino. Makisig. Medyo masungit. Pero gwapo at tinitingala daw sa business industry. Hindi ko alam saan nanggaling ang balita gayong wala pa namang nakakakita rito.

Someone from the HR stood near the entrance at the back. Chairs straightened. Conversation died instantly. All eyes fixated on him.

And then, I heard his voice—the one I have been looking for all these years.

“Good morning.” 

Two simple words.

My entire body automatically froze. My heart stopped. And before I knew it, I was back to square one. It took only two simple words for all my efforts to regain myself again shattered in front of me. 

It can’t be.

Slowly, I looked up. I don't know what to feel. Am I mad? Angry? Longing? Hindi ko alam. Ang tanging alam ko lang, in those five years, hinanap ko sya. At kung kailan ako sumuko saka siya magpapakita?

The man who once promised me a lifetime of commitment and the man who disappeared without a single word–he stood at the front of the room. Tall, composed, dressed in a dark-tailored suit that cost more than my monthly salary. His posture was confident, his expression was calm, almost unreadable. But it was his face that made me lose my breath.

Adrian Vale.

Mr. Vale.

Napailing na lang ako. Hindi ako makapaniwala. Their last names were the same. This had to be some kind of cruel joke. 

Adrian shifted his gaze around the room, acknowledging the executives one by one–until it reached me. For a brief moment, our eyes met. My chest tightened. Every memory I tried so hard to bury came rushing back at once. 

Late night talks. Rainy walks. His laughter. Our banters and ridiculous plans. All at once.

My heart pounded painfully as I waited for him to look at me. Any moment he would recognize me. Any second–

But nothing changed in his expression. Para akong binuhusan ng malamig na tubig. He gazed at me the way he looked at everyone else. Like I was nothing more than another employee in the world. Professional. Distant. Polite.

And then, it hits me. He doesn’t remember me.

“Let’s begin,” Adrian said calmly as he took his seat at the head of the table. Hindi ko maiwasang matulala at mabigla. Because the man sitting in front of me–the powerful CEO everyone seemed intimidated by was the same man who once held my hand.

I know had to keep going, kahit sa hanggang sa maitawid ko lang ang meeting na ito. I tried my best to compose myself. I can cry, scream, or be mad. Pero hindi dito. Not in front of everyone, especially him.

“Aya. Namumutla ka. Ayos ka lang ba?” Everything went by like a blur. Hindi ko alam paano ko natapos ang presentation ko. Hindi ko rin alam saan nanggaling ang lakas ko para makinig sa lahat ng sinabi nya. 

“Okay lang ako. Tara na.” 

The meeting eventually ended. We were about to leave the conference room when I heard Adrian speak. “Miss Reyes?” Napahinto ako. For a moment, akala ko imagination ko lang, but everyone around me stopped and looked at me. Dahan dahan akong napalingon ngunit hindi magawang lumapit sa kanya. 

Adrian Vale looked straight at me. His brow furrowed slightly as if he was trying to remember something while studying my face carefully.

“Have we met before?” Tanong nya. Hindi ko alam kung anong mararamdaman ko–takot ba o pag-asa? Parang biglang nadurog ang puso ko sa aking nakumpirma. I am really a stranger now. But what made him forget me at all?

The room suddenly felt smaller. Parang may kung anong bumara sa aking lalamunan. I could feel everyone staring, waiting for my answer. Five years ago, I spent countless nights wondering why he left, why he disappeared, and didn’t say goodbye. I spent years searching for him. I ached for him every night. I grieved for what I had lost. 

I could have easily said yes. I could have said that we were lovers. That we carried a history. But I could not answer. My mouth feels dry. 

Because, five years ago…he asked me the very same question. Back then, it felt like the beginning of our story. 

And now, it feels like the beginning of the end.