My Billionaire Husband

“I love you, Aera. I love you. Please, accept my proposal. I’ll be good—I swear. I’ll do anything, anything for you,” begged the man I once called my best friend.

Hawak-hawak niya ang kamay ko, nanginginig sa desperasyon. Ramdam ko ang init ng palad niya habang mahigpit ang kapit niya—parang ayaw niya akong pakawalan.

But before I could speak, another voice cut through the moment like a blade. “No. Don’t listen to him, Aera.”

I turned just in time as he pulled my other hand toward him—Calix Devraux, the man I once loved but never dared claim.

Ngayon, pareho silang nakahawak sa magkabilang kamay ko. Parang hinihila ako sa magkaibang direksyon.

“I’ll give you everything, anything—just say you’ll be mine. I’ll protect you, I’ll worship you. I’ll spend every moment proving that no one could ever love you like I do. Please... don’t walk away from me. Not now. Not when I’ve already built my world around you.” His voice—filled with longing, desperation, and obsession.

Nanigas ang buong katawan ko. Parang biglang bumigat ang dibdib ko, at hindi na ako makagalaw.

Hindi ko akalain... na darating ang araw na ganito.

My childhood crush and the man I once loved—both of them... now confessing this twisted kind of love?

But I knew the truth. Choosing Calix meant choosing a life that didn’t belong to me. A life of luxury that never meant anything to me. A life na alam kong marami ang kokontra.

Wala akong yaman. Simple lang ang buhay ko. Pero si Calix? At his age, he already owns a multi-billion empire. A CEO with a face that could melt steel—and a soul that might be colder.

His eyes darkened, filled with something terrifying yet beautiful.

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “I’ve loved you for a long time. Please, be mine, Aera.”

Hindi pa man ako nakasagot, nagsalita na si Gabriel. His voice turned into a hiss.

“Yeah, a long time—because you were stalking her for years. Even before she entered university.”

Tila tumagos ang lamig sa kalamnan ko. Ang buong katawan ko ay nakaramdam ng matinding takot.

I looked at Calix, waiting for him to deny it.

But he didn’t.

“Yes,” he whispered, voice deep and low. “I watched you long before you ever saw me. I needed to know every detail you do—who you smiled at, who you talk to, who dared to stand too close. I made sure no one touched you, because they had no right. You were always mine, Aera. Long before you even knew it.”

Parang umikot ang mundo ko. My knees almost gave in.

Naaalala ko pa ‘yung mga gabing umiiyak ako dahil sa stalker ko. The anonymous gifts. The weird messages. The strange packages—at 'yung nararamdaman kong may ibang tao sa unit ko.

And the whole time... he was there. Pretending to protect me... from himself.

“S-So those guys… the ones who were with me for group team. They vanished… were found dead. That was you, too?” I asked, my voice trembling, praying he’d say no.

“Of course.” He smiled gently—too gently.

Hindi niya itinanggi.

And then, like it meant nothing, he kissed the back of my hand.

“I can't stand the idea of you being touched by anyone else. Only I should have the right to touch you. Aera.”

“You’re insane,” I breathed, stepping back.

Gabriel stepped forward, his voice raw with pain.

“Choose me, Aera. I won’t lock you like a prison. I’ll give you freedom. All I ask is for a place in your world. A chance. Because if I lose you now… I might become exactly like him.”

“If you weren’t her childhood friend,” Calix said coldly, eyes sharp as ice, “you would’ve been dead long ago.”

“Hah,” Gabriel chuckled darkly. “If you weren’t her friend, I would’ve ended you before you even laid eyes on her.”

My heart dropped.

The warmth I once saw in their eyes—wala na. Gone. Napalitan ng galit. Nang kadiliman.

“You think I'm the only one stain with blood on the hands?” Calix’s voice was icy. “You killed the girls who bullied her, didn’t you?”

Bigla akong napa-atras. What… what are they saying?

They were both murderers. They were both monsters in disguise.

Hindi ko na sila kilala. My feet moved backward on their own, but both of them focused on me again. Parehong malamig ang titig nila, puno ng kadiliman.

“Choose me, Aera,” they said in unison.

“Choose now,” Gabriel demanded, voice shaking with rage.

“I won't choose either of you,” I snapped, chest tightening. “You’re both insane. Psychopaths. I don’t even know who you are anymore. You say you love me, but all I see are monsters wearing the faces of the man's I once trusted.”

Tears poured down my cheeks. Hindi ko na alam kung anong gagawin ko.

“Ayokong pahirapan ka, Aera,” Gabriel whispered, his once-gentle tone now a cold threat.

“If you don’t pick, I’ll revoke your scholarship. I’ll make sure you’re kicked out and blacklisted from every university.”

“You can’t do that,” I gasped, stepping backward—but there was nowhere left to go.

Pinaghirapan kong makakuha ng scholarship sa sikat na University dahil ayoko ng maging pabigat sa papa ko.

Calix laughed, low and cruel. “That’s all you’ve got?”

“I will destroy your father’s business—every branch, every contract—gone. If I can’t have you, you’ll have nothing left. So pick. Now.” His voice was fire laced with boredom.

“You know how hard my father worked… how could you—?” But I couldn’t finish.

They stepped closer. I had nowhere left to run.

My back hit the cold wall. My knees gave out. I collapsed to the floor, trembling.

“P-Please… stay away... help...” I whimpered, sobbing.

“No one’s coming, Aera,” Calix whispered, his smile sharp. “I have contacts in every precinct. Even the police can’t save you.”

And he was right.

Calix was more powerful than Gabriel. So powerful… he’d rewritten my fate.

And in that moment, the only question echoing in my head was—

Where did it all begin?

How did we end up like this?

And why… why did it have to be them?