Pagbabayad sa Maling Akala

LISA'S POV

I woke up feeling groggy, my head pounding. The sterile scent of the room filled my nose as I blinked, trying to remember where I was. The wedding room, I reminded myself, but something felt off. My body ached, and I felt weak as though the sickness that had overwhelmed me the day before was still holding me down.

Just as I was about to adjust myself on the bed, I heard something—voices coming from another room. One voice was light, teasing, feminine. Bella? Lisa blinked hard. No, it can't be. Why would my sister be here… in my wedding room? I shook my head, trying to dismiss the fog that clouded my thoughts. But the voices were real, and unmistakably familiar.

“Come on, Nathan, you know what you have to do,” Bella’s voice floated through the thin walls, light and playful. My heart skipped. Why would Nathan be in there with Bella? My stomach churned with unease.

I struggled to sit up, my hands trembling as I pushed myself off the bed. My limbs felt heavy, my vision blurred. Every step toward the door was a challenge, but I forced myself forward, clutching the bedpost for support. The voices grew clearer, and as I drew closer, the sinking feeling in my stomach grew worse.

“I’m not marrying her, Bella,” Nathan’s voice was firm, sharp even. “I’ve already told your dad. I won’t go through with it.”

I froze. My heart pounded so loudly I thought it might drown out the rest of the conversation, but I forced myself to listen.

“I’m going to humiliate her. She’ll be a laughing stock. Everyone will know.”

Nathan’s cold, final tone cut deep, shattering something inside me. For a moment, I stood there, leaning against the doorframe, the betrayal too heavy to process all at once.

My breath came In shallow gasps, and I pressed my hand against my mouth, willing myself not to scream or cry. I wanted to burst into the room, to confront them both, to demand answers, but I was too weak—physically, emotionally. The betrayal weighed me down like a sickness all over again.

My knees wobbled as I turned away from the door. I had to get out, had to escape the room that now felt like a cage. I dragged myself toward the elevator, my legs barely carrying me forward. The world spun around me, every step felt like walking on glass.

The elevator was just ahead, but my vision was swimming. With each sway of my body, I feared I might collapse before reaching it. No, not here. Not in front of them. The thought of being found at their feet, broken, was unbearable.

As the elevator doors slid open, I stumbled forward, but before I could step inside, my body gave way. My knees buckled, and I reached out desperately, my fingertips brushing the cool metal as the doors closed in front of me. Through blurry eyes, I watched them seal.

I remained sprawled on the marbled floor, the coolness seeping through the thin fabric of my dress. My hair was a disheveled mess, strands sticking to my tear-streaked face. My eyes felt raw and puffy from crying. The only part of her body exposed was my slender, fair legs, perfectly proportioned and beautifully enticing, yet all I could feel was vulnerability.

The soft ding of the elevator snapped me from my spiraling thoughts. I was still sprawled across the cold marble floor, my hair a tangled mess, tears streaking my face. My eyes were swollen, puffy from crying. I felt small, broken. The only part of me that wasn’t hidden by my oversized sweater were my legs, stretched out in front of me—slender, pale, and exposed. I knew how they must look, how perfect and enticing they appeared, but I didn’t have the energy to care.

The door slid open, and a low, icy voice cut through the silence, sending a shiver down my spine. “Who are you?”

Startled, I scrambled to sit up, my heart racing as I looked up to find a tall, imposing figure stepping out of the elevator. He was wearing nothing but a bathrobe, slightly parted to reveal his broad, muscular chest. His dark, damp hair clung to his forehead, and his eyes… his eyes were cold, indifferent, like I was nothing more than a nuisance.

I froze, trying to gather myself, but his presence was overwhelming, suffocating. There was something about him that radiated power and dominance, and even though he wasn’t speaking, I could feel the command in the air.

Before I could even think of a response, he stepped toward me, his movements smooth but deliberate. My breath caught in my throat. In one swift motion, he bent down and scooped me up as if I weighed nothing. Pain shot through me, and I couldn’t help the small moan that escaped my lips.

He didn’t flinch. His grip was firm but not gentle. His fingers pressed into my skin as he held me tightly against his chest. I tried to twist away, but I was too weak, too drained to resist. My mind was still spinning from the sheer shock of him, of this entire situation.

He tilted my chin up, forcing me to look into his eyes. They were piercing, emotionless, yet there was something lurking beneath the surface that I couldn’t quite place. I couldn’t breathe under his gaze. He didn’t blink, didn’t look away, just stared at me with a kind of intensity that made my heart pound in my chest. I sucked in a sharp breath.

Who was he? Why was he here? My mind raced as I realized that this apartment was no ordinary place. It was a top-tier luxury building in the heart of the city. Each floor was reserved for a single unit, an entire space for one resident. I’d heard that the higher you lived, the more prestigious you were. Even Nathan’s family, as wealthy as they were, only had a mid-level unit.

So this man… was he from the top floor? The highest of them all?

My thoughts scrambled, but before I could make sense of them, he moved again, pulling me impossibly closer. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, even through the layers of his damp robe and my own thin clothing. My breath hitched as his hand tightened slightly on my waist, holding me against him like he didn’t intend to let go.

I opened my mouth to speak, to tell him that I wasn’t who he thought I was, that this was all some sort of mistake. But the words stuck in my throat, refusing to come out. His eyes never left mine, daring me to say something, to explain myself. I could feel the weight of his expectation, the pressure building as the silence stretched between us.

I was trembling, partly from fear, partly from something else I didn’t want to acknowledge. He leaned in, his face so close now that I could feel his breath on my skin. My pulse quickened, a strange mix of panic and anticipation flooding through me. I needed to speak, to say anything to break whatever was happening between us, but before I could—

His lips crushed against mine.