Chapter 3

“Do you...” She swallowed hard, her throat dry and burning. “Mahal mo pa ba ako?”

Caelan’s response was immediate, quiet, and devastatingly sincere. “No doubt. Yes.”

For a brief moment, Veyra felt the warmth of his answer.

Napakapit si Veyra sa gilid ng desk at halos ibaon na niya ang mga kuko sa kahoy. “Then why? Ang mga taong nagmamahalan, inaayos ang problema, Caelan! Nag-uusap sila! Hindi sila nagbu-book ng break up consultant!”

Caelan looked away toward the window, his jaw tightening as he searched for the words. “Dahil... dahil unti-unti ko nang kinamumuhian kung sino ako kapag kasama kita.”

Pakiramdam ni Veyra ay nawalan siya ng hangin sa baga. Her eyes widened. “What?”

Mabilis na umiling si Caelan, looking back at her with frantic, desperate eyes. “Not because of you, Veyra! Please, huwag mong isipin na kasalanan mo.”

“Then paano ko maiisip 'yon, Caelan? Sinabi mo lang na kinamumuhian mo ang sarili mo kapag kasama ako!”

“Dahil nagiging mahina ako kapag kasama kita!” napataas ang boses nito, his controlled cadence breaking into raw frustration. “Dahil paulit-ulit akong pumapayag sa mga bagay na ayaw ko naman talaga! I keep canceling my own plans, turning down work opportunities, at isinasantabi ko ang mga gusto ko dahil ayaw kitang ma-disappoint! Nagpapanggap ako na maayos ang lahat para lang maiwasan ang away o 'yung tahimik mong pagtatampo! And then I go to work and feel resentful toward you... para sa mga sakripisyong kailanman ay hindi mo naman hiniling sa akin!”

Veyra stared at him, completely stunned into silence.

Nabalot ulit ng nakatutulig na katahimikan ang opisina, save for Caelan’s heavy breathing.

“I never asked you to sacrifice anything,” she whispered, her voice laced with grief. “Hindi ko hiniling na liitan mo ang sarili mo para sa akin.”

“I know,” Caelan murmured, dropping his hands into his lap. “You didn't. Ginawa ko 'yon sa sarili ko.”

“Then bakit mo ginawa?”

“Dahil mahal kita,” he said simply. The words didn't sound like a romantic declaration; they sounded like a confession of guilt. “And somewhere along the way, kinumbinsi ko ang sarili ko na ang pagmamahal sa 'yo ay ang pagsiguro na hindi ka kailanman malulungkot sa akin. Kahit ang kapalit noon... ay ang pagkawala ng sarili ko.”

Veyra looked down at her hands resting on the desk. Panginginig lang ang nakikita niya. Mabilis niyang itinago ang mga kamay sa ilalim ng desk, pressing them flat against her thighs.

“Sana sinabi mo sa akin,” she said, her voice shaking with anger and heartbreak. “Sana kinausap mo ako nung mga nakaraang buwan pa.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sana nagtiwala ka sa akin na kaya kong tanggapin kung ma-disappoint man ako sa 'yo, Caelan! That’s what real partners do!”

His eyes softened, filled with an unbearable tenderness that cut through her far deeper than anger ever could. “I know, Veyra. I know I failed at that.”

Veyra swallowed hard, pushing back the burning prickle behind her eyes. Hindi siya iiyak. Not here. Not in her office. Not in front of a client—kahit pa ang client na 'yon ay ang lalaking mahal niya.

Slowly, deliberately, she reached out and pulled the official intake contract toward herself.

Her hand hovered over the signature line.

“Anong mangyayari ngayon?” bulong ni Caelan.

Veyra looked at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears, but her chin held high. She gave a small, bitter, razor-sharp smile.

“Hindi ko alam,” she admitted softly. Then, dropping her hands to the desk, she grabbed her favorite black gel pen and uncapped it with a sharp snap. “But I’m supposed to be the expert here.”

Caelan frowned, looking confused. “Veyra—”

“No,” she interrupted, sliding her professional mask firmly back into place. “Pumunta ka sa opisina ko, Mr. Soler. Nag-fill out ka ng form. You booked the slot.”

He stared at her, searching her face for answers. “Gagawin mo talaga 'to?”

“Pumunta ka sa propesyonal dahil wala kang lakas ng loob na basagin ang puso ko sa bahay natin,” she said, her voice dropping into an icy precision.

She signed her signature at the bottom of the page with a firm, decisive flourish, then slid the heavy document across the smooth wood until it rested directly in front of him.

“So if you’re so convinced that we’re broken beyond repair... tuturuan kitang tapusin 'to nang maayos. 'Yung hindi masisira nang tuluyan ang tatlong taong binuo natin.”

Nakatitig lang si Caelan sa kontrata. The dark ink of her signature was still drying under the halogen lights. He looked up at her, completely speechless.

Before either of them could speak another word, a light, timid knock sounded at the door.

Neither of them had noticed the shadow of a tall man standing outside in the reception hallway, his silhouette visible through the frosted glass paneling.

The door creaked open an inch. Mara’s voice piped up awkwardly from the hallway.

“Um, ma’am? Sorry to interrupt po...”

Veyra didn't take her eyes off Caelan. “Not now, Mara. I’m in the middle of a consultation.”

“Ah, opo, pero... your eleven o'clock appointment just arrived early po,” Mara stammered nervously. “Si Sir Soren Vallentes po.”

Caelan’s eyes immediately flicked toward the door, his brows drawing together in a swift, sharp line.

Veyra caught the sudden shift in his posture—the subtle hardening of his jaw, the sudden tension in his shoulders. For the first time that morning, something other than exhaustion and guilt flickered across Caelan’s face.

It was a flash of raw, instinctual possessiveness.

Veyra turned her head slightly, looking through the glass door at the tall, dark-haired man standing in her lobby, holding two cups of takeout coffee and offering a warm, relaxed smile through the glass.

She looked back at Caelan.

Hindi pa man nag-uumpisa ang opisyal nilang breakup... babalot na agad ito sa panibagong gulo.

Nang tuluyang masara ang glass door ng opisina, Veyra waited three full seconds before turning back to face Caelan. Her heart was beating against her ribs like a trapped bird, but she forced her shoulders down, wrapping her composure around herself like a bulletproof vest.

“Sino si Soren?”